What are you letting go of?

I’ve not written to you in a while. I’ve been busy spinning multiple plates of business growth, parenting and socialising. In and amidst the spin, in November, I slowed down time with a breath workshop and it’s changed the way I’m moving into winter this year. With New Year round the corner, I feel like there’s a tendency to add more to our plate in the hope for a better, more productive, more successful year. In the process, we overlook what our bodies want and need.

Back to the breath workshop.

I’m sat there tucked under a blanket in a gym space in central Bath, we’re exploring different breathwork as part of the qijong practice; with the promise of reducing stress and tension. As someone who has experienced chronic pain since September with a trapped sciatic nerve, I’ve been trying everything, from floatation pods to breath workshops to dispose of tension or pain in my body. So I’m sat under this blanket, going in with an open mind.

The season of hibernation

Qijong was developed as part of Chinese Medicine looking at ways to optimise the energy in the body. In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with an element. Autumn is metal and it’s associated with the Lungs and large Intestines - with the lung primarily allowing us to breathe in fresh and nourishing air, whilst the intestines remove toxic waste from our system. A balance between both organs is needed and as the seasons change, the body needs to adjust accordingly.

Autumn is preparation for hibernation, like the shedding of the leaves from the tree, we must let go of the additional weights we carry on our shoulders. Like a heavy laptop bag with too many books in it.

After we do our first breathing exercise, all of the above is explained to me, alongside the question that almost stopped my breath there and then “What are you letting go of?”

We continued to run through the guided breathing, being in a communal space and breathing in harmony with others was sensational and the thoughts that came up for me during that time led to small individual releases that I clearly needed to let go of, like a sports massage but where tension exists in little knot-pockets in the mind and need to be ironed out through space, breath and exhalation.

After the workshop, I packed up my blanket and went home, I slept beautifully and felt refreshed the next day. But the question I was asked still stuck with me; what do I need to let go of?

A purpose-led career

The reality is that I’ve been adding more and more books to the metaphorical backpack since the summertime and my shoulders now feel heavy. In a bid to move into a more purpose-led career, I’ve said yes to everything, generating a huge amount of momentum in being able to serve others, but now the weight is slowing me down - my energy and attention are the most precious resources and they are depleting.

At the same time, the last 6 months have been amazing. I look back with a huge sense of pride at my courage to do something new: I’ve started up a fitness coaching business, a content strategy business and I found extra hours in the day to create marketing materials, keep on top of admin - oh, and be a present wife, mother, friend and daughter.

I’ve come to the realisation that a purpose-led career has to be one that is sustainable, financially, mentally and physically.

As a result of this I’ve decided to lighten the load and let go of a few things: I’ve been so quick to add complexity to my programme offering, in the process, I’ve overlooked what my clients want and what the market is looking for. So I’m sticking to basics and sparing myself the additional hours of work, sometimes for little return, in a bid for a little more balance.

I’m also letting go of working all hours around the clock, and will now be looking to schedule quarterly rest weeks whereby I’m still working but not billable hours. Think creative personal projects like wall art or introducing new virtual stationery into my branding.

So, over to you - what are you letting go of?