Letting Go of Striving (A Guided Meditation)

This is a short reflection, and an invitation with a meditation at the end.

Desire is not the problem

We tend to think that wanting things is the source of our stress, and that the spiritual move is to want nothing. But that is not quite it.

The universe is naturally expanding. So we, too, naturally want to grow, like flowers reaching toward the light. We want to embrace our own growth, to meet new circumstances and new lessons. And sometimes inspiration arises: I would like to grow this way, or do this particular thing. That is all fine. It can even be divine. It is a beautiful, positive energy.

The problem is not the desire. The problem is insistence on the desire.

Where striving begins

Here is the moment it turns. A desire arises, light and inspired. Then we take it to the mind, and the mind says: this should really go this way, exactly the way I just pictured it. Now I need to book it, now I need to make it happen, now I need to chase it down, even if it is not appearing, even if it resists.

That is striving. It is inspiration, a beautiful positive energy, taken to the mind and becoming a little tainted, a little forceful. It is a specific kind of resistance, and I like to call it importance. We have made the outcome heavy with importance, and that weight is what we feel as stress.

Two ways to hold a desire

When a desire comes up, there are two paths.

One is to follow the path of least resistance toward it unfolding naturally. You cherish the desire, and then you let it go. You do not need to do something with it. You do not need to hold it. It can unfold in its own direction, in its own time.

The other is to hand it to the mind, which insists that if you want something, you have to go through it, and it will plan your whole schedule to make it happen. This is the path that generates the tension.

Letting go does not mean you stop preferring things. You can still have your preference, even your desire. You simply release the importance, the insistence that it must go exactly your way.

Trusting the natural unfolding

This is deeply triggering for the mind, because it is the opposite of control. It is freedom in every moment, which the mind does not trust. But it rests on something solid: that which brought the desire to you can also help it unfold, if it is truly meant for you.

And some desires, honestly, are mirages. When you stop insisting on them, you can finally ask: is this even my desire? Or is it my parents' desire, or society's? Those are all fine. They can stay. There is no need to fight them. But when you stop insisting, the thing that is genuinely meant to unfold for you is free to do so, beautifully.

The meditation

With that in mind, here is the practice. Find somewhere comfortable to sit. You do not even need to follow every word. You can simply be with the body, breathe into whatever is here, relax your attention, and let the tension go wherever it wants to go.

You can watch the guided meditation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxYANjx8O2o

If something opens and you would like support, you can book a free call with me here: 👉🏻 https://calendly.com/keesblok/gratis-kennismaking