What’ does it mean to 'let go'?
As Essential Somatics Educators we often say to the client “ can you sense that tightness and just allow it to let go” ( or something similar ). But what is it we are letting go of? Why are we holding that tension in the first place and what would it mean to “let go” of it.
On the surface we are talking about a pattern of muscle contraction, a habituated contraction that is possibly causing us to have restriction in our movement and cause pain. We are helping the client to bring awareness to a part of their body and assisting them to allow it to release or gain awareness of it; helping them to achieve greater movement and reduced pain or discomfort.
BUT is there a deeper meaning to ‘letting go” ? What else are we holding onto in our life that is stopping us from moving? Are we trying to ‘hold it all together’ in a society that is so demanding emotionally and physically? And what if we stopped?
Have we got so stuck in a pattern of ‘holding it all together’ that we don’t know how to ‘let go’ anymore? An unhappy marriage, a sick parent, a history of abuse or trauma isn’t something that can just be ‘let go’ of can it?
What is it about being stuck in this pattern of tension and restriction that is preventing us from moving forward physically and emotionally? What if we need help to learn to let go of the restrictions within our body so that we can start to change the restrictions within our lives?
Can creating a calming and safe environment, to allow our clients to start to let go of the restrictions binding them together, allow them to start to explore the freedom of movement in their body and in their life?
