Do you ever want to let go of something—an unpleasant feeling, a memory, or a worry? Perhaps all you really need is to remember how it feels to let go.

The following practice is a way of understanding the physicality and feeling of letting go. You can learn to link this physical experience of recognition and release with tightness around thoughts or feelings.

• Breathe mindfully for about a minute.
  
  
• Set your intention. For example, “May this practice empower me to recognize patterns of holding and tightening in myself and to release them.”
  
  
• Breathe mindfully for a few breaths. Then make a fist with one hand.
  
  
• Squeeze the fist hard. Then gently but quickly release it. Repeat, focusing on the sensations of contracting and releasing.
  
  
• Notice how the feelings extend through your body and inner life.
  
  
• Whenever you have a painful feeling or emotion, look mindfully for a feeling of contraction or holding in your body. Work with the physical feeling directly. Explore the effect that easing the physical tightness has on the painful feeling.

adapted from Five Good Minutes®: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long.