BLISSFUL BALANCE

THE ART OF RELEASING

How To We Learn to Let Go Creatively

In life, the hard road is the one we tend to resist. Especially after all we’ve been through the last two years. We are worn out and on edge with little left to give; even to ourselves. We tire more easily, and we avoid it by partying hard or by continuing to stay put because it feels a lot safer for many of us. Unfortunately, that is what’s holding you back from reconnecting with your joyful self. Joy is your true essence and until we learn the art of releasing that which no longer serves us or our growth, we stay stuck in limiting patterns and beliefs. Learning how to let go creatively means trying new things and the potential for an expansion of our hearts.

Throughout our lives, we are tested by our deepest fears that can prevent us from our expanding our souls. This is just here to prove to us our own humanness and what makes each of us precious beings. We are here to learn from and then conquer them. We have listened far too much to outside opinions, expectations and advice that wasn’t always in our best interest. As if, had we not tried to live up to them or adhere to the “rules,” we were inherently failing ourselves and those who we believed were judging us. That’s where our first errors happen. It usually stands to bear that no one is paying attention to what we’re doing as much as we imagine. Their happiness isn’t hinging on anything we do most times. Funny that we hold that up as fact and run around people-pleasing & acting within societal norms. If I did my artwork in accordance with what others thought, I never would have made a single piece.

BY LISA WAGNER

Have you ever ventured out of your comfort zone and done what you know resonates more divinely to your soul? It’s scary that first go-around but completely worth it! Try to imagine what would happen if you did that scary step. What if you wore that cute bikini to the beach or started dancing in public? You probably don’t know anyone, and you’ll never see any of them again. Once you do that hard thing, it suddenly hits you that you’ve allowed yourself to reconnect to your joy. It’s the bliss we rarely allow ourselves as adults. We lose it along the way towards adulthood. Imagine a three-year-old worried about anyone’s opinion and they’re the happiest people I’ve ever met.

Each step we take to remove our own beliefs about what is keeping us safe from pain, we move ourselves closer to feeling alive again. Another simple thing we can do is set intentions about how we want to feel going forward and what we will need to release to achieve that. The Universe is always conspiring to bring us what it is we wish or hope for. Some emotions or patterns are easier to let go of than others. So, start with simple ones like wanting to control outcomes of things that matter to you; if you’ll get promoted, find the love of your life or, as an artist, how the work I had all planned out in my head looks nothing like it once I’ve finished it. All those hopes, dreams and plans we have for ourselves usually pale in comparison to what the Universe has in store for us. But only if we can allow them to take the lead and trust that we will be guided and held. When we try to control the outcome, we are actually blocking what we wish to attract to us. You were born with the innate ability and inner guidance to know exactly how to find your purpose and then shows you how to get there. Joy is your truest essence and it’s the most patient and loving constant in our lives; even when times are the hardest. How many times do we pray and spend the entire time asking instead of sitting quietly and just listening to the guidance available to us? When you imagine what it is you wish for, how does it feel? Stay in that feeling and then allow in the support that awaits you. Watch for signs that are meaningful to you as a confirmation that you are on the right path. They’re always showing up for you as a means of encouragement and comfort.

Grief can hold us in its grips like a strait jacket that is continually tightening around us. We are left feeling out of breath and out of control. Yet, we are always being supported by something greater than ourselves. If we lean into the love that is offered to us, grace and some good therapy can then allow us to start healing. We are meant to move forward once we’ve fully experienced its throws. There is more for us to see, experience and offer the world. Your pain can and will offer others hope. It’s in that moment that we are our most powerful. We can affect positive change.

Today, try breaking out a piece of paper and write out exactly how you’re feeling without judgment. Write down whatever you’re being called to let out. Then begin to draw and scribble over the top of it. A line, a hard scribble, a shape that represents how you feel. Use colors that you are being drawn to and fill the paper. Just let go and let whatever

“The art of releasing what no longer serves you will begin to alter your mindset for the better.”

happens be perfectly imperfect. Feel free to embrace whatever emotions this brings up for you. Now, take a few deep breaths as you witness what you’ve put on the paper. How does it feel to put it all down on something other than your heart? Do this as many times as you need. You’re doing sacred work to heal your pain. I sometimes do this on the canvas before I paint over it or will bury the paper I made a mess out of, letting Mother Earth transmute it and regenerate it into energy for her. It feels as though I’m allowing myself to be lighter and rise up again. You deserve to feel that way, too, using whatever loving means or ways that feels good.

For the students in my intuitive painting workshops, their methods to get to that feeling usually use one of these two different approaches: sometimes they begin with quiet color choices that should their trepidation and, as they began to feel the loving ripples throughout the space, would make a complete color palette shift to bright, bold colors, shapes, or paint strokes. Their smiles were contagious. For students at the other end of the spectrum, the exact opposite would happen. Harsh, loud colors they originally had applied would suddenly not suit them. They’d begin to go over the top of them with softer, quieter color choices. Their faces would relax, and their body language would feel looser and more uninhibited. Around this point of the workshops, there was a marked shift to joy, laughter, and fun. They begin to talk about their shared experience and the strides they made. When we have someone to share our journey with, there’s a communal feeling of love and support that’s undeniable and beautiful.

I’ve also seen students who are in a completely different portion of their self-love journey. They sometimes have left feeling frustrated and not ready to explore that area of their lives just yet. And that’s okay! We aren’t always in that headspace because it’s way too raw. If that resonates for you, allow yourself time and space to become ready to process that pain. You’re allowed that. Be willing to seek the help you need without shame or judgment. We all benefit from qualified help and it can be incredibly lifesaving.

The art of releasing what no longer serves you will begin to alter your mindset for the better. Whether it be through therapy, art, meditation, yoga, tapping or dance (of the millions of loving choices), you can begin to allow for the better in your life. You are worthy of love, joy, and happiness. That is your birthright. We are the ones who tend snuff it out with fear. Once you choose to have a more loving reaction to the difficulties you experience and root them in that love, there’s no way you can’t connect to your joy. There’s always someone who wants to help you be your best self and will love and support you through the pain. Let go and allow for the light that awaits you to pour in and take hold so that you can be nourished and grow into all that you are meant to be. Get excited that you are about to flourish and live with loving intention. I look forward to your heart being happy and fulfilled!