In this podcast episode, Angela Hoogeveen and Geneva Robins discuss the power of surrender and how to let go. A big topic! Surrendering is difficult, but it’s truly the secret sauce in life. It’s where you can connect to your power and transformative change. There’s a lot of growth and all kinds of good stuff on the other side of surrender or letting go.

What does “Surrender” Mean?

The ego does not like surrender. Generally, when you hear the word ‘surrender,’ it relates to a negative experience. For example, when you’re fighting with someone or in war, and you surrender, you’re on the losing side. But there’s another definition of surrender, and that is to let go.

Surrender is basically radical acceptance. You surrender into a situation rather than fighting it. 

You might think, “Well, I don’t want to be here. I don’t like where I’m at.” So you fight it, and you push against it. But when you have that radical surrender and acceptance, you stop all the fighting against the present moment. And then, when you surrender to it, you can start to change the situation. You’re coming from a more positive place rather than fighting against it. You can even learn to embrace change. and begin to not only deeply accept the situation, but use it a fuel for new growth.

Letting go is the opposite of what the ego wants.

The ego wants control. And surrender, or that radical acceptance, often feels counterintuitive. Surrender is a trust fall into the Universe. It’s letting go of holding on so tightly and just doing that trust fall.

The key is when you surrender, that doesn’t mean you allow yourself to drown. It’s not totally giving up. 

There’s a difference between letting go and giving in. So when we’re talking about surrender here, what we’re really talking about is letting go. We do not mean letting go to the forces of chaos or letting go to shame. You need to guard against giving in to the suffering of the mind. 

True surrender is when you let go of that struggle with awareness of what you’re letting go into. You let go into peace or let go into that trust within yourself, trusting your skills, trusting the loving nature of the Universe itself. Letting go to something bigger, compassionate, and wise is best.

Why is surrendering so powerful?

When you gain radical acceptance, rather than using your energy trying to fight against the moment, you can use your energy to move forward. You quiet all the negative chatter, and you turn to the positive. You can focus on finding the positives or moving out of the situation.

Surrender brings you peace of mind. It drops you out of the anxious and ruminating thoughts. It puts you into a state of harmony and mindfulness. You can accept it even if you don’t like where you are. And that act of acceptance brings enormous relief. 

In that softness and gentleness of letting go, you access the greater space and awareness where all the energy that’s trying to get in to soothe the pain can reach you.

Why is Letting Go so Difficult?

Sometimes we cling and get into a state of control when faced with uncertainty. It can be hard to surrender because it might feel like the things coming up are big, scary, and unknown. 

You might be facing something really big in your life, and a lot of it might be out of your control. But when life has put you in an intense place, trying to grab on and push and pull tends to not work very well. 

Surrendering and getting to a place of acceptance of what is known and refraining from filling in the question marks, is another way of finding peace. 

As best as possible, try to leave anything that is unknown as a question mark. And do your very best to not fill in the blank with something based in fear. Let the future rest like an unopened present. You don’t know. Accept the not knowing.

How do you let go?

Get still and BE

The first step is to let go and just come to stillness. Just float. The Universe is always moving, and it’s impossible to stay stationary. And when we let go into that bigger field of awareness, it’s moving you to a better place. And so sometimes you get further by floating than flailing. Letting go of the struggle and bringing yourself to the point of stillness lets the earth carry you rather than holding the whole world on your shoulders alone. When you let go, the energy and wisdom inside you will start floating you toward better places.

In trying to struggle away from your pain and discomfort, it doesn’t go away. Until you just sit with it. And in that stillness, you can connect to these moments of grace. The stillness, simply sitting with what is, can connect you to moments of great wisdom and comfort. You go into this present peaceful moment, then the voice of your wise-self can be heard. 

You can start embracing life as it is rather than trying to change everything.

Visualize Support

One of the things that might help you let go is to visualize handing over your worries to a positive, loving being of the Universe. Remember that you have a spiritual connection with something greater. Some might call it a higher power, God, Creator, Source Energy, Mother Earth, or just something bigger than you that is loving and kind. 

Breathing Relief

Accessing the power of mindful breathing is also helpful for letting go. Simply take a big sigh of relief. You can make a breathing practice of relief. When everything has worked out, you will breathe in a particular pattern. It’s usually a big sigh of relief, like setting down 1000 pound backpack. Just set a timer for 5 minutes and practice letting your breath go with sighs of relief. It’s amazing how calming that alone can be. Notice the tension dropping out of your shoulders when you do this one!

Shift your Energy

Meditation, Reiki, and self-healing are all wonderful ways to shift your energy into acceptance and surrender. It can help you connect to the universal oneness that gives you the feeling of support. You can shift your state to calm, peace, and trust within a few minutes of meditation. 

Practice Mindfulness Five-Minutes at a Time

Mindfulness is really great for gaining radical acceptance and letting go. Simply focusing on the next five minutes is a powerful tool. Just do life five minutes at a time. Completely surrender to your own skills, knowledge, and capability. Let go into that loving force in the Universe that’s looking out for you, at least for the next five minutes. When something new happens, you’ll meet it then and not a second before. 

Set Your Intention and Deliberately Choose to Let Go

Sometimes the simplest practices are the best. Set your intention to radical acceptance and shake off the ruminating mind. When spiralling thoughts come up, calmly let them go and set them down. Remind your inner child gently, “No, no, dear one, we’re not going there now. Let that go, and let me take care of you.” Be gentle, firm, and kind with your mind and redirect to the positive, peaceful, and loving.

When you surrender, let go, and get into that radical acceptance, it brings you back into a state where you can respond. Then you become more powerful, intuitive, and connected. 

 

 


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