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Jacket by Princess Closet, tank by Joie Joie, sandals by ??.

I had the opportunity to help at an event this evening for an all-women's group. Team building was part of the agenda, including two different activities that specifically stood out to me. After enjoying a delicious meal, each women came to the front individually, stating "I'm letting go of...." and filled in the blank. This was a very moving experience even for me as a spectator; to hear women from all walks of life divulging past fears, struggles, failures, and disappointments. Having written it on a piece of paper earlier, they then tore their papers in half and placed them in a bag which was to be burned later in the evening.

Each woman then took a delicate folded paper which held a butterfly inside and was to release the butterfly after stating her goals for her future into the rolling vineyards. I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of this experience, though I was more of a bystander than anything - though I was able to release a butterfly. I had imagined there being a mass exodus of butterflies from hands across the patio - fluttering into the distant skies in a sort of uniformed chaos. But the reality was, the release was more of a "set the butterfly on the ledge, watch it for a few minutes and then blow on it to see if it would fly." Somewhat anticlimactic to say the least but regardless, the practice of acknowledging a goal and releasing new life into the world surged energy through my veins.

After experiencing this myself, I would highly recommend you trying this out. Here's how one might do it without burning a house down or ordering a slow-moving butterfly off Amazon.

1. Write down a fear, insecurity, road block, etc. down on a piece of paper.
2. Read out loud, "I am letting go of ___________" and fill in the blank.
3. Tear up the piece of paper - aggressively if you must!
4. If you have a safe place to burn a piece of paper, then burn it and allow the negative energy to burn away with the smoke.
5. Then do some sort of sensory action, i.e. spray your favorite scent into the air, put creamy lotion on your hands and arms, or perform a yoga pose reaching to the sky. While you do something of the like, say the following out loud, "From now on I am going to _____________"
6. Breathe deeply truth and life.

I honestly hope you try this exercise! I know it may sound a little cheesy, but I believe it works. Sometimes we all need moments like these to look back on to remind us who we truly are.

XOXO,

Jennica