Observing sensations in the body without resistance or attachment.
Letting go is a practical skill that can be utilized at any time, as one is always capable of feeling what the body feels. Engaging in this practice requires only the willingness to experience a sensation without the desire to change, retain, or reject it. Over time, this skill improves, and it becomes clear that feelings do not require names, stories, or mental images to be processed; they can simply be felt as they are.
Feelings are energy—thoughts and mental images are merely its expressions. There is no requirement to understand a feeling, look for its cause and where it came from. Through observing feelings directly, the energy behind them runs out on its own. This brings about a sense of invulnerable freedom, because one’s reality and actions are no more dictated by how one feels.
Initially, it may seem that feelings have a cause and that events create feelings, but continued practice creates a discrepancy between external and internal occurrences.
It will also become apparent that with the willingness to see feelings like desire, pride, anger, and compulsion without attachment they lose their specialness and attractiveness, and will simply appear as raw sensations. On the other side, feelings like fear, grief, guilt or shame will not seem dangerous, urgent or toxic, but again, what it is: a feeling-energy. This practice allows clarity to replace confusion, creating space in place of overwhelm. Where there was once stress, there is instead strength and comfort.
It will be discovered that love is not the same as desire, action is not the same as fear, or anger, competence is not the same as pride, compassion is not the same as sadness, Love of God is not the same as guilt and so on.
If sadness and desire subside, love has more space to arise. The release of fear and anger allows for actions that are wise, clear, and efficient. Moving from pride to humility enables one to be constructive and work with reality as it is, rather than forcing imaginary outcomes. Without the weight of sadness, it is easier to understand and strengthen others, than by seeing them as weak, or oneself as of no use.