This is where the magic happens!

When you first start meditating there can be a feeling of holding on.  

 

Either holding on to the breath, body sensations, mantra, or any number of other things. 

 

New meditators often get annoyed when they can’t hold on. They say things like:  

 

“I struggled to hold onto the mantra so it didn’t work.” 

 

Holding on is a good way to start, but eventually you’ll need to learn how to let go too.  

 

Letting go is where the magic happens.  

 

Every inward breath requires an outward breath to complete its cycle.  

 

Expansion follows contraction. 

 

So learn how to hold on, but don’t forget the importance of learning how to let go as well. This will be important as your meditation journey progresses. 

 

When I teach meditation, I make sure that letting go is built into the journey from the beginning.  

There was a controversial Buddhist meditation teacher in the 1970’s called Chogyam Trungpa. He summed it up quite nicely:  

 

“The Buddha discovered that struggling to find answers did not work. It was only when there were gaps in his struggle that insights came to him. He began to realise that there was a sane, awake quality within him that manifested itself only in the absence of struggle." 

 

“Struggle is ego. Once you give up struggle, then there is no one left to conquer struggle; it just disappears.” 

 

From: 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism' by Chogyam Trungpa 

 

Now, I don’t condone Chogyam Trungpa’s crazy antics (that's a story for another day), but I think he’s hit the nail on the head with this piece of wisdom.  

 

Have a great day,  

 

Jimmy

 

Want more? Sign up to my emails here. I regularly send out in-depth teachings via email to take your meditation practice deeper

Close

Free Meditation Masterclass

Includes:

  • Inner Freedom Road Map
  • 4 Guided Meditations