The Hold and Release Practice: A New Way into Meditation and Mindfulness

I initially developed the ‘Hold and Release Practice’ (HRP) whilst working with enhanced-care service users in the NHS and private practice (between 2005-2009). The HRP was subsequently developed and introduced to BA(Hons) Psychology & Society undergraduates between (2011-2014) and to Interdisciplinary Psychology MA students at Leeds Metropolitan University (2013-2014), and to over 100 participants at various ‘Yoga Manchester – Meditation for Beginners’ workshops (from 2013 onwards). More recently the practice was offered as a workshop during the 18th Annual Transpersonal Psychology Section Conference, ‘Contextualising Mindfulness: Between the Sacred and the Secular’ (10th-12th October 2014). This short and seemingly simple practice, serves as an embodied and experiential introduction to the relationship between posture, breath and mind, and is also a potent ‘preliminary practice’, preceding and supporting any style of sitting meditation practice. In addition to outlining and describing the technique, this paper will provide transpersonally-informed, reflexive interpretations on the practice - inspired by traditional Daoist cultivation techniques, Kabbalistic and Vedantic perspectives. It is hoped that in addition to being of use to novice meditators that the HRP will also serve as a useful supplement for those with an established practice.

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