“Changes only happen when
we go totally against everything we are used to.”
Paulo Coelho, The Witch of Portobello,
HarperCollins Publishers, 2007.
On my recent holiday to Rottnest Island in WA, I started
contemplating how to find an easy way to totally “let
go”. I was in one of my favourite places, but I hadn’t
managed to feel the complete sense of peace that I usually
did when I visited the island. This feeling of being unable
to completely "let go" is something that I also
hear described by clients. Some people find that there is
a block inside them that is very difficult to shift, even
with deep release work. Others find themselves so locked
into an anxiety cycle that they are unable to wind down
at all.
As is happens, the next day I was reading The
Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho and
in it was described a technique which did allow the characters
to let go of control. I decided to give
it a try (adapting it to suit me) and found it to be very
effective. So I decided to share it with those of you who
have not read the book.
Most of the times when we want to find a sense
of inner peace and calm, we meditate. We use something that
is repetitive to create harmony and calm. It doesn’t
have to be a traditional meditation technique, it might
just be something that we enjoy doing that puts us in this
state, for example painting, gardening, or running. In the
book, the practices used by the characters to invoke a meditative
or trance state were dancing and knitting.
“One of the most aggressive
things a human can do is to go against what he or she
believes to be nice or pretty…”
Paulo
Coelho, The Witch of Portobello, HarperCollins Publishers,
2007.
The “letting go” technique in the book
calls for us to disrupt our usual relaxation or medative
process. It asks that we do whatever it
is ‘badly’, i.e. in the case of the
book, dance out of rhythm or knit in an irrational way.
My process was drawing. When I draw, I normally like to
draw things in a harmonious, balanced, fluid way. So instead,
I drew badly – sharply with lots of ugly scribble
and crossing out.
The temptation is always to go back to the harmonious
way, but as soon as you feel yourself doing that,
you need to refocus on the disharmonious act. We resist
doing things badly and it is for this reason that it
is important to follow this resistance. At first
it will feel alien, uncomfortable, frustrating and maybe
even distressing. However, if you persist with the exercise
for a period of time (it can happen within minutes or may
take more than an hour the first time), you suddenly experience
a great sense of calm and expansion of your awareness. You
feel filled with energy and a sense of wellbeing.
Going against the grain has forced you to let go, creating
the space for something greater to come in.
Give it a try! It took a while the first time I tried,
but sense now comes very quickly. I can use it with anything
I find irritating or unpleasing, such as listening to street
noise or looking at something messy or dirty.
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