Hello everyone, and welcome to September.
As the light begins to soften and the seasons start to shift, I’ve been reflecting on the theme of surrender; not as defeat, but as an invitation. A loosening. A softening into what is, rather than gripping tightly to what I think should be.
Surrender has never come easily to me. I’m a planner by nature. I like clarity, structure, and knowing what to expect. For years, when our kids were in school, their schedules gave me a built-in rhythm that I could lean on. That routine helped me feel anchored – like I knew where the edges were.
But now, every September, when fall begins to whisper its way in, I’m reminded that life rarely moves in straight lines. Seasons change. Children grow. Structures dissolve. And no matter how tightly we hold on, some things are simply beyond our control.
This month’s edition is a gentle invitation to explore what it means to let go; not as a loss, but as a return. A return to trust. A return to the self. A return to the deep inner knowing that even when we don’t have the answers, we are still held.
💬 A Story From My Life
I once thought surrender looked like giving up. Like letting the pieces fall without trying to hold them together. I’ve since learned it’s the opposite.
Surrendering is trusting that even when I don’t know how things will unfold, I’ll still be okay. It’s choosing presence over prediction. It’s unclenching the grip I have on timelines, outcomes, and expectations, and remembering that I’m not lost just because I’m not in control (control is simply an illusion anyway, right?).
This is a lesson that I am still learning; from family changes and multiple moves to a major career pivot, and the quiet grief of outgrowing parts of my life that once fit so well. There are still times, I try to force clarity, but the more I push, the more I realize that pushing is simply a form of resistance. By letting go, I can feel free.
Each day, I work to shift my perspective and allow the uncertainty to be a teacher, rather than a problem to solve. Practicing, finding wisdom in uncertainty and staying open to all possibilities. I am not saying this is easy; on the contrary, it has been a challenge but one worth enduring!
What I’ve found, each time, is this: when I release the need to control, I make space for grace, opportunity and inner peace.
🌬 A Centering Practice
Breathe into Surrender
Here’s a simple practice you can use when you’re feeling tight, overwhelmed, or trying to “figure it all out.” I have had a busier than usual schedule this past month so I have been using this exercise often.
- Sit comfortably. Place one hand on your heart, the other on your belly.
- Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4.
- Hold for 4.
- Exhale through your mouth for a count of 6.
- Repeat for three rounds.
As you breathe, say quietly (or aloud):
“Be here now, in this moment, I am safe, and all is well.”
“I trust the timing of my life.”
“I surrender to what’s unfolding.”
Stay here for a moment. Let your body be the one who leads.
🌀 Coaching Prompts for Reflection
Use these questions as gentle invitations—not to solve, but to see more clearly.
- What am I currently trying to control that may not be mine to carry?
- Where in my life do I feel the most resistance?
- What would it feel like to loosen my grip just a little?
- Who might I become if I trusted that life is still working for me, even when it doesn’t look like I expected?
💚 What Has Been Helping Me to Surrender
I have had to be very intentional lately as I have felt some resistance towards summer ending and embracing fall. Here are a few things I have been putting into practice that have been helpful:
- Taking a time each day to feel my feet on the floor and breathe into a moment and remind myself to “be here now”. This is especially helpful when I get caught up in my “have-to’s”
- Shifting my words from “I have to…” to “I get to…” (seems trivial, but it works!)
- Finding presence in mundane tasks like washing the dishes or eating a meal; making this a mindfulness exercise seems silly but I find it sooths my nervous system.
- Looking at things I see everyday as if I have never seen them before! For example, a tree, take a moment to look at a tree as if you are seeing it for the first time. Again, a small shift in perspective can offer big rewards!
💞 A Final Thought
Surrender doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you trust something bigger than your plans.
May this month bring you small moments of softening. May you feel supported by what you can’t control and liberated by what you no longer need to hold.
You are still becoming. And that, too, is enough.
With love,
Adriana