Learning to Let go Like this Zen Monk

Oh I love this story so much. Let me know what you think...

In the depths of a remote mountain range, two monks journeyed together on a sacred pilgrimage. 

As they reached a rushing river, they encountered a young, delicate woman struggling to cross the fierce currents. 

With a solemn vow to never touch a woman, the senior monk paused, hesitating to act.

But in a moment of pure compassion, he lifted the young woman onto his broad shoulders and carried her safely to the other side, without a word. 

The younger monk was stunned by his companion's actions,

and the weight of the experience lingered for hours, suffocating their conversation.

Finally, unable to contain his confusion any longer, the young monk questioned the older monk's decision, 

"How could you break our sacred vows by touching that woman?"

With wisdom beyond his years, the elder monk gazed at his companion and simply replied, "Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?"

The poignant lesson of this Zen story rings true even in modern times. 

We often cling to past hurts and resentment, carrying their weight with us long after they have passed. 

But just like the senior monk, we have the power to let go of these burdens and embrace the present moment. 

Until we find peace and contentment in the present circumstances of our lives, we will always be weighed down by the past.

This weight creates an inner conflict, an inner stress on the system in the way that a computer virus runs in the background and slows the computer down creating havoc with some of the programs. 

Quite often in my private consults with clients, especially in Kinesiology an old would or event arises as creating stress and driving certain behaviours. 

I hear so often "But I haven't even thought about that in years" or

"I thought I dealt with that" 

If you scan the the timeline of your past and a certain memory creates a contraction of energy, a gulp in your throat or holds any emotional charge, this may be a great place to start unpacking some of the burdens you're still carrying. 

Sometimes once the event has the space of time we're able to reflect with a more balanced view.

Meditating or journaling on it can sometimes help. Also bypassing the busy conscious mind with a breathwork journey has often uncovered hidden unresolved turmoil for me (which is why I love guiding breathwork journeys)

And then other times we need someone to help us unpack and process this load. 

Ahhh, the freedom of that feeling is second to none. 

I've had to unpack many bags in my days such as resentment and guilts and this is what I get to do with my clients on a regular basis. Help them lighten the inner load.

Where would you start?

Warmly

Larissa xx