Welcome to Step 5.
Admitted to God,
To ourselves,
And another human being,
The exact nature of our wrongs.
Parts of this meditation were inspired by a renowned meditation teacher,
Cez Christensen from Denmark.
This meditation will not teach you how to do Step 5.
Rather,
It is going to suggest tools to help you prepare for and approach Step 5.
Let's begin.
Find a posture that is comfortable for you.
If you are sitting,
Your feet are flat on the floor.
It helps to be upright and find some balance,
Noticing if you are balanced right to left and front to back,
And just becoming very grounded in your seat.
You can imagine a drop line going from the top of your head down your back,
Parallel to your spine,
So that you are sitting up straight but relaxed.
In this position,
Let your whole body relax and your face soften.
Let your upper eyelids rest very gently on your lower eyelids,
Your lips gently touching or apart,
And your jaw relaxed.
Feel your whole body be at ease,
With hands gently resting on your lap or thighs.
The palms may be facing up in a receptive position,
Or the palms may be down in a more grounded stance.
Feel your stability,
Your muscles becoming heavy.
Breathing allows your body to teach your mind to be relaxed and open.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Take a deep breath through your nose,
Pause,
Gently release through your mouth.
Again,
Take a breath through your nose slowly,
Hold for a moment,
And exhale through your mouth,
Perhaps making a gentle sighing sound.
Continue that breathing pattern as you become relaxed and present.
Listening to the following questions,
Take time to focus for a few moments on the question and consider how you would respond most authentically.
You have been given a year to live,
365 days of life.
You will hold the same capabilities you have now for the entire year.
How will you spend this year?
What part of you will you share with those around you,
And what will you let go?
What if you have one month left to live?
You have been gifted 31 full days.
How will you spend this last month?
How will you show up every day?
What will you let go,
And what will you give to others?
Now you have one day to live,
24 hours.
How will you spend this day,
And with whom?
What quality of yourself will you offer others in this one day?
What no longer matters to you,
And what matters most?
It is now your final minute of life,
60 seconds.
Who is with you?
What should they know?
What do you need to thank them for?
What part of you do you offer them in remembrance?
Breathe in,
And hold it in your body for a few seconds.
Release it slowly out into the room.
Was there a theme that ran through these four time frames?
Was it the people you spent the time with?
Was it your surroundings?
What was constant with you this whole time?
You may have had feelings of fear,
Anger,
Guilt,
Shame,
Regrets,
Or remorse in your time frames.
These feelings may represent your response to mistakes and failures from your past,
And may contribute to a negative view of yourself.
What techniques can you use to lessen these underlying negative feelings,
And over time find peace of mind and heart?
Step five is an effective and freeing tool where we acknowledge and admit to the best of our ability our fears,
Anger,
Guilt,
Shame,
Remorse,
And regrets.
People like the idea of change,
But they may not know how to change.
Step five,
As the second action step,
Is a major factor in experiencing change.
Keeping it simple,
There are two qualities that will facilitate step five,
Trust and willingness.
Affirmations will help you focus on trust and willingness.
An affirmation is a short phrase or sentence that affirms a desired result,
And they are repeated multiple times each day.
Affirmations reduce negative self-talk.
I will say each affirmation once,
And then we'll say it together two times.
You may say it out loud or softly to yourself.
Trust I release fear and choose trust.
Trust is a risk worth taking.
Together,
I release fear and choose trust.
Trust is a risk worth taking.
I release fear and choose trust.
Trust is a risk worth taking.
Willingness I am willing to accept that all will be well,
That I will become well.
Together,
I am willing to accept that all will be well,
That I will become well.
I am willing to accept that all will be well,
That I will become well.
In closing this meditation,
Move your muscles,
Gently wiggle fingers and toes,
And roll your head from side to side.
Slowly bring your attention to the room,
Back to your breathing,
Back into the present moment.
I wish you many blessings,
Trust,
And willingness as you proceed one day at a time.
