Step 11: Listening — A 12 Step Recovery Meditation

17:23

17:23

Step 11: Listening — A 12 Step Recovery Meditation

by Ade Anita Johnson

Rated

5

Type

guided

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

Plays

21

Step Eleven invites us to slow down and listen. Guidance is often present long before we notice it. This guided meditation explores Step 11 of the 12-Steps through breath, stillness, and reflective storytelling. You will be invited to settle into the body, soften the mind, and open to the possibility of conscious contact with a power greater than yourself — however you understand that power. This meditation is part of a series exploring the Twelve Steps through mindfulness, nature imagery, and compassionate self-reflection. Music: Samaruna “Soft Currents 417” + Freesound “Gentle Ocean Waves”

Meditation Recovery Breathing Mindfulness Self Reflection Stillness Inner Wisdom Guidance Nature Imagery Mantra Step 11 Meditation Three Count Breath Inner Wisdom Access Stillness Exploration Guidance Listening Ocean And Moon Story Supportive Breathing Mantra Repetition

Meet your Teacher

Ade Anita Johnson

Durham, NC, USA

Meet your Teacher

Ade Anita Johnson

Durham, NC, USA

Transcript

Welcome to today's meditation. In today's meditation, We will drop into stillness and explore the eleventh step. So I invite you to get super comfy wherever you are. You might sit or lie down. There's really no perfect posture, Only the one that allows you to stay present. If it feels okay, Allow your spine to elongate so your breath can move with ease. I invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze. Notice what is holding you, The chair, The floor, The ground. Allow yourself to be supported. In step 11, We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with this power of our own understanding. Praying only for the knowledge of its will for us and the power to carry that out. You see, There is no definition here, Only connection. So we'll begin with a simple three count breath. We will inhale through the nose for three counts, Hold for three counts, And then exhale through the mouth for three counts. So let's begin. Inhale through your nose for three, Two, One. Hold, Three, Two, One. And exhale through your mouth for three, Two, One. Good. And inhale for three, Two, One. Hold, Three, Two, One. And exhale for three, Two, One. And again. Inhale. Hold. And exhale. Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm. Step 11 is not about striving. It's not about achieving spiritual perfection. After having journeyed through steps 1 through 10, Step 11 guides us to develop a practice to access inner or higher wisdom on a daily basis. It is about listening. Listening for guidance. Listening for steadiness. Listening for the next right step. Step 11 speaks of guidance that rarely shouts. Often it waits. It waits for you to slow down enough to hear. So there once was an ocean in the north called Rage. It was wide and deep. It prided itself on movement. Waves rising. Waves crashing. Currents shifting constantly. Its waters were turbulent. Rage believed that power meant motion. If it was not moving, It feared it would dry up and disappear. But high above, The moon did not crash. Luna watched quietly. Luna did not surge. She did not compete with the waves. Luna gently controlled the tides. She simply shone in the darkness and sent down a shimmering silver light. Night after night. Unhurried. But Rage, The ocean, Restless and loud, Rarely noticed until one evening, Exhausted from its own turbulence, The ocean grew still for a moment. Just long enough, In that brief stillness, The ocean felt something subtle. A pull. A rhythm. A steady influence that had always been there. The tides were not chaos. They were connected to the moon. The moon had never demanded attention. It had never forced obedience. It had simply been present. The ocean realized it did not have to create its own direction. There was guidance available. But it could only be felt when the waves softened enough to listen. You might notice what the story stirs in you. Perhaps you relate to the ocean. Are your internal waves turbulent? Constantly moving? Constantly deciding? Perhaps you recognize the moon. Steady light. Quiet. Always there. Step 11 reminds us. Guidance does not disappear just because we are loud. But we may miss it if we never slow down. So let's drop into stillness to listen. We will return to the 3 count breath. So let's inhale for 3, 2, 1. Hold for 3, 2, 1. And exhale for 3. 3, 2, 1. Good. And inhale. Hold. And exhale. And hold. Continue this rhythm. And allow your breath to feel like a tide. Now allow your breath to move naturally again. Notice what arrives in stillness. If your mind wanders, That's fine. Notice the thoughts and let them float away like a cloud. Sit. And breathe. If it feels supportive, You may softly say inside, I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. I am listening. And breathe. You may not receive a lightning flash of insight. You may simply feel a subtle settling. A small next step. That's enough. Simply notice and breathe. I am listening. I am listening. And I invite you to take a final deep breath in with me. Filling your belly. Fill your belly some more. Trusting and knowing you may always return to this stillness within. I invite you to begin to notice the surface beneath you. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Turn your head from side to side. And when you are ready, Open your eyes. Guidance is not somewhere else. It is a connection. A relationship you can return to again and again. Thank you for practicing with me today. It is always my honor and my privilege.