Sometimes the biggest challenge to ideal health is letting go. The Yogi, the Buddhist, and all the self-help books tell us we need to live in the present, to be grateful for this moment. To be able to live in the moment you have to let go of the past. In letting go of the past you need to not only shed it mentally and emotionally, but also physically as our cells can still hold on too.

If every night you lay down to sleep going through old choices made or not, the body will start feeling it. For some people they feel it as an anxious feeling and are not able to fall asleep. The past and your choices are important to understand and acknowledge, but for you to move forward you must also let it go.

Letting go is also important in day to day activities. I have learned over the years that my coworkers can get into situations where they can't let things go because they dwell on them when they are under stress. I'm guilty of this too. We all worry about, think about, and judge everything from years ago to earlier that day. Even what's going to happen in the future! Our minds are constantly racing with to-do lists, past hurts, past mistakes, and everything in between. Obviously, this is not very productive.

These thoughts can have an effect on the environment around us, not just ourselves. Everything from people you have relationships with, your job and work, to a simple to-do list can be affected in a negative way. Letting go of our past, our preconceived notions and our fears, can free us to experience peace, a peace the body needs. This peace is often the missing piece in our busy lives and in our health. So in letting go, you are leaving the bindings of the past and allowing for a more productive and healthier life.