During the Dalai Lama’s visit to Nottingham many people who heard him were struck by his simply stated philosophies particularly his ‘the art of happiness –“ Happiness is determined more by the state of one’s mind than by one’s external conditions, circumstances, or events—at least once one’s basic survival needs are met”. In the civilised Western world our basic survival needs have become more and more sophisticated so that acquiring and maintaining these may detract us from feeling that happiness.
When the current financial situation is restraining our spending and rising oil prices are curtailing our travel, the need to economise and recycle could encourage us to let go of what we don’t need. This might include not only clearing material surpluses from our life but also letting go of unneeded thoughts about the past and worries about the future from our mind in order to enjoy being ‘in the moment’.
This can also be applied to our body. We often hold tension in our body related to emotional trauma in our past or concern about the future. I avoid asking clients to relax in preparation for a treatment, preferring to suggest they allow themselves to sink into the chair or couch or feel it supporting them. Being told to relax can require concentration, unless you’ve been preparing towards it, such as at the end of a yoga class. Receiving a holistic treatment allows you to ‘let go’ of muscles that are not needed during that time and gives them the chance to ‘breathe’ and receive new lifeblood.
It was lovely to welcome so many local people at our Chill Out Zone at the Folk Festival – where despite the background of lively music and general buzz, people seemed able to ‘let go’ during their taster treatments.