Release…Exhale
Releasing is as easy and as difficult as an exhale. Have you ever noticed how often you forget to breathe? Human beings are always breathing and yet we are prone to holding our breath. As we move through our day, especially when we experience fear in one of its many forms, we often forget to exhale.
Below is a video of the ocean at Panama City Beach, FL. Try breathing in and out in time with the ebb and flow of the ocean waves.
Release is paradoxical — we release in order to receive. In order to receive a fuller inhale, we must first release our breath by blowing out and exhaling. It’s a “letting go” — a surrender — and surrender is an idea to which our minds are resistant.
Think for a moment about physical “releases.” They are organic and natural, and yet there is often a struggle to release things in our life, right? Life is full of struggles but remember, tension often comes before a release, just as an inhale precedes an exhale.
Struggle is a part of life. Engaging in the struggle as well as the joy of life is the answer. Engage in the inhale — the taking in — and then the exhale — the release.
Take a moment right now to intentionally breathe in and out. Now once again.
See how good that exhale feels. Now try exhaling out with an audible sigh. Even if you are self-conscious, engage in the struggle and choose to exhale with feeling — with fervor.
Your choice to exhale with fervor — the choice that required a bit of effort — this was an act of love for yourself.
Letting go can be hard — whether it is a letting go with sound (as we just experienced); letting go of a person, place or thing; or letting go of situations, thoughts, and feelings. These things are parts of us and so releasing them can be scary. Releasing by its very nature is a surrender of control, if only for a moment.
In October 2018 there was a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. This tragedy affected many in life altering ways. As an LPC, I serve as witness to the fears, pain, and trauma of clients on a daily basis. In the aftermath of the shooting, I was worn out and experienced compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue involves an intense state of tension that results from excessive exposure to the cognitive, physical, psychological, and emotional pain and suffering of others. I was “holding” so much that I needed to release.
That December, I left for Panama City Beach alone. Prior to leaving I had to release my clients, my friends, and my family and trust them to take care of themselves so that I could take care of me. I released my sense of responsibility to and for them and claimed my absolute responsibility for myself.
I ended up spending 16 days in Florida focusing only on myself, resting and restoring and it was good. I swam, exercised, meditated, and put a puzzle together. I shopped for groceries, made myself a daily smoothie, smelled and listened to the ocean, and felt the rays of sunshine on my face. Slowly, I came back to life. My release brought restoration.
Now, every day, I seek to find that release through meditation. For thirty minutes a day, I release what my mind is saying one moment at a time. I notice my thoughts and then return to my breath. I surrender all power and control and rest in the breath.
I was blessed that my dark night of the soul (and subsequent release and restoration) occurred prior to COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, I was ready — ready to serve myself and others. The Universe provided. My daily meditation practice and my support systems were already in place. I had already learned how to release.
When I returned from Panama City, it was my intention to return annually. As it turned out, COVID had other ideas. Instead, my home office has become my place of retreat. It is where I see clients. It is my dance studio. It is a meditation spot, and my space for silence, solitude, and stillness.
Now, I breathe and the inhale is the tide rearing back to form a wave — the exhale the tide coming ashore. I invite you to try breathing in and out now to hear those sounds for yourself. Our breath gifts us with the sounds of the ocean, sounds I hope to hear again one day in person.
For now, I pray you find rest and restoration each day in your breath. I hope your exhalations remind you of just how close the releasing and receiving of new life is for you — every moment of every day.
Namaste.
Love & blessings,
Sherri
There are many great resources about releasing and the practices we can use to promote release (including yoga poses.) Here are some useful links:
And release brings gratitude…until tomorrow! xo
