Hello and welcome to this meditation where we'll be exploring some of the sources of support that help sustain us through life's ups and downs.
Often our attention is drawn towards what is difficult,
What needs fixing,
What asks for our care.
Yet our lives also contain sources of nourishment,
Steadiness and refuge.
Together,
We'll spend a little time reconnecting with some of the things that help us feel supported,
Both around us and within us.
So begin by finding a posture that allows the body to feel comfortable and supported.
Not needing to sit in any perfect way.
Simply allowing yourself to arrive and settle.
Feeling the contact with the chair or ground beneath you.
The feet touching the floor.
The hands resting.
And allow your eyes to close if that feels comfortable or simply lower your gaze.
Notice the natural rhythm of breathing.
The body breathing by itself.
Nothing special to do.
Nothing to achieve.
Just arriving here.
And as you rest here,
Perhaps noticing that not every part of your body feels the same.
There may be areas of tension,
Areas of discomfort.
And areas that feel neutral.
And perhaps there's also parts of the body that feel comfortable.
Or even simply okay.
Nothing special,
Just okay.
Perhaps it's the hands or the face.
Or the feet resting on the floor.
Or somewhere else entirely.
See if you can rest your attention there for a few moments,
Allowing yourself to experience that sense of okayness,
Not needing it to be large,
Simply noticing that it is here.
Our attention is often drawn towards what needs doing,
What needs fixing.
And yet our lives also contain sources of support.
Things that nourish us.
Things that steady us.
Things that help us feel connected to ourselves and to the world around us.
Often these things are quite simple,
Easy to overlook,
Easy to forget.
For the next few minutes,
We will simply be exploring some of the things that help sustain and support us.
I invite you now to allow something to come gently to mind that nourishes you.
There's no need to search too hard,
Simply noticing what arises naturally.
It may be a place,
A favourite walk,
A garden.
A view of the sea.
Time spent in nature.
Music.
A particular activity or hobby.
A happy memory.
Or perhaps the company of someone you care about.
There's no need to picture it clearly,
Simply sensing what it feels like when you bring it to mind.
What is it about it that nourishes you?
Perhaps it brings a sense of relaxation.
Or comfort.
A sense of belonging.
An awareness of beauty or of peace.
There's no need to find the exact words,
Simply noticing what happens in the body as you remember what nourishes you.
Allowing yourself to receive that feeling of nourishment,
Letting it register.
Resting with it for a few moments.
And now perhaps letting that image fade gently into the background.
And gently turn in your attention towards something within yourself that has supported you at different times in life.
Perhaps a willingness to keep going.
And ability to adapt to begin again.
Maybe a sense of humour.
Or patience.
Kindness or caring.
Curiosity,
Courage.
Or perhaps a practice that helps you return to yourself,
Meditation,
Prayer,
Time spent quietly reflecting,
Or something else entirely.
And if nothing comes immediately to mind,
That's completely okay.
Many of us find it easier to notice what we struggle with than to recognise what has helped us through difficult times.
There's no need to force an answer.
Simply staying curious about the question is enough.
Perhaps remembering a time when life asked something of you,
And somehow you found a way through.
Not perfectly,
But in the way that human beings do.
Looking back,
What helped you?
Perhaps there was a quality,
A way of meeting the situation,
A practice that supported you,
Or perhaps someone helped you recognise a strength that you didn't know you possessed.
Perhaps there was something that carried you forward then.
And noticing what it feels like to reconnect with that now.
There is no need to decide whether you have enough of this quality or whether it is present all the time,
Simply recognising that it has been part of your life before and trusting that it may be available again.
Recognising that these capacities remain part of your life,
Even when they are not always at the forefront of your awareness.
And perhaps recognising that the simple act of pausing,
Of becoming aware,
Of meeting experience with a little more kindness and understanding can itself be a source of refuge.
Allowing yourself to rest with that understanding.
And now allowing all of this to settle.
Perhaps recognising that alongside all that asked for our attention,
There were also places of refuge,
Sources of nourishment,
Things that steady off.
Things that help us find our way back to ourselves.
Not because life is always easy,
But because support is also part of the story.
Perhaps carrying with you these simple reflections.
May I remember what sustains me.
May I make room for what nourishes me.
May I trust that support is available when I need it.
May I remember what sustains me.
May I make room for what nourishes me.
May I trust that support is available when I need it.
Now feeling once again the support beneath the body.
The chair,
The floor.
The room around you.
Taking a slightly deeper breath in.
And a slow breath out.
And when you are ready.
Gently opening your eyes.
