Let Go and Let Health

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”—Buddha

It’s odd isn’t it, how often we can be reluctant to relax and let go of our pain? It seems we sometimes feel safer with the dis-ease we know than the ease we don’t. We sometimes cling to the familiar just because it IS familiar, however risky it may be to do so…

In these early days of the New Year, we can encourage ourselves to be bold and to let go of what may be holding us back in our quest for a healthier, stronger recovery. To use a technical term here, we may be holding on to “lurking crud”. Lurking crud has an emotional component but here we are referring to all those toxins silting up our tissues. The body’s primary janitor for cleansing crud from our system is called the lymph system.

When we don’t move or breathe well—and as we age—the lymph system fails to do a competent job, becoming more and more sluggish. However, the good news is that by simply breathing in a certain manner, we can re-energize that lazy janitor and get him back into action.

Here’s all you have to do right now to let go and let some health happen:

While standing, place both hands on your stomach just below your navel and put your attention in the same area. Gently inhale into the stomach and feel the stomach inflating under your hands. As you exhale feel the stomach subside of its own accord. Do 10 to 30 repetitions.

Notice, perhaps, the rather delicious feeling of relaxation? That’s another wonderful benefit of an energized lymph system—it induces an automatic relaxation response…

It is feeling so good to shake up my sleepy janitor—and to let go of my lurking crud!