Welcome to your practice.
I want to start with a quote today by Dr.
Seuss.
Today you are you that is truer than true.
There is no one alive that is you-er than you.
I love this quote.
It has always resonated so deeply with me about the uniqueness of each of us.
I think it's so funny how people around us can see how awesome we are,
But we don't necessarily see it in ourselves.
Or how we can see the best in other people,
Always searching and giving the benefit of the doubt,
But we don't turn around and give that to ourselves.
I'd like to pose the question to you today of why.
I have many theories about this,
But today I want to offer you a practice that was created out of my own experience in learning to be my own cheerleader.
Part of this learning came from a scientific basis in understanding how the brain actually works.
Putting it simply,
There is a part of the brain called the RAS,
Reticular activating system.
It functions in repeating patterns that are familiar and loops that served us at some point in our life.
Spaces and places that we needed protection or safety,
These patterns are created there.
But when they are no longer needed,
They will continue to work in this way until we create new ones.
This is also in the science of neuroplasticity,
In which I am not an expert,
But I have experienced and done research and learned that we can reprogram the mind to work for us instead of against us.
So if you're at all a science-y nerd like me,
You can actually Google this research.
But for today,
Just know this meditation will be a starting point in helping to retrain your mind and connect you to your true self.
To see your awesomeness the way that others see it.
It has been my experience that this is instrumental for me to embrace the changes and the circumstances in my life.
To be able to move away from the victim mentality into a space where I could receive all of the blessings.
I hope that this can help you in the same way.
And if you are listening to this,
There is something that you want to change or need a little more support with in order to do that.
As you settle into your space,
Getting comfortable,
I would like to offer you some food for thought.
Taking a moment to think about any particular struggle or challenge that you may be experiencing now or have overcome in the past.
And taking some moments here to notice your thoughts around that experience.
The thoughts of why it happened,
Your part in it,
The people around you,
In the experience.
And start to notice if the thoughts there were actually yours or came from a repeating pattern,
A familial system,
A societal conditioning.
Often our beliefs and values are born out of this.
I remember when I was very young,
My mother always told me that I was my own worst enemy.
Meaning that I expected perfection from myself and I was my own critic and I didn't need anyone to judge me because I had that covered.
It wasn't until many years later when I started to make major changes in my life.
Leaving my career in midlife and trying to carve a new path that I realized that that was not actually a good thing.
It had become a hindrance because I was so hard on myself and had this perfectionist attitude.
And these thoughts were just looping and looping in my brain.
It was hard for me to get out of my own way and choose a new path,
Let alone restart my life at that point.
But I'm happy to say at this point,
Everything that we think we couldn't overcome,
There's actually an example in our life of where we have.
So we do have the strength and the resilience.
And sometimes in getting out of our own way,
We just need this quiet space to be able to get quiet,
To go inward and to really connect with ourselves.
To be in that place of inner knowing that is filled with truth and love and joy.
So let's begin our practice together.
As you are settling more comfortably into your space,
Allow the body to soften and relax.
All the way from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes.
Noticing any areas that might feel tense or tight.
Just allow them to get heavy.
Give yourself permission to be quiet in this space and surrender to this moment.
And if you haven't already done so,
You can bring your eyes to a soft gaze or even close them completely.
And let's bring our attention to our breath.
Observing the flow of the breath as it comes in and out of the body.
Feeling the rise of the heart space and the softness in the belly as it releases.
As we continue to deepen into this surrender,
I want to guide you through a quick body scan.
Starting at the crown and bringing your attention to the forehead.
Softening the wrinkles across that area.
Relaxing the muscles of the jaw down through the neck and to the tops of the shoulders.
Allowing yourself to feel weightless in this space.
Any tightening through the arms,
The elbows,
Or the wrists,
Just relax them here.
And bringing your attention to your collarbones and your heart space.
And bringing your attention to your collarbones and your heart space.
Gently softening as we continue down through the belly and the hips.
Any areas that feel tight or tense,
Just let go even a little bit more.
A gentleness and a tenderness through the knees,
Down through the shins,
And the ankles.
The tops of the feet.
The sole of the feet.
All the way into your toes.
I'm going to invite you to take a deep,
Full breath into the belly,
Feeling that expansion and openness.
Sipping in last sips of air.
And then release,
Letting go.
And then release,
Letting go.
Cleansing.
Breathing out anything that you do not need in this moment.
I'm going to guide you through a breath work practice,
Which is a six count breath.
Where we inhale for six counts,
Hold for six counts.
And release for six counts.
Working to keep the breath in control.
And steady.
We will do three rounds of this breath.
Let's take another full cleansing breath in through the nose.
And maybe release that breath out the nose or the mouth with a sigh or a gentle hum.
And now we'll inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Five,
Six.
And exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Five,
Six.
Again,
Inhaling for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And release for one,
Two,
Three,
Five,
Six.
Last round,
Inhaling for two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Pause for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Five,
Six.
Take another full breath in and a long releasing breath out.
And then just bring your attention to my voice.
Letting all the other thoughts that might be swirling around in your mind just float away.
I will be offering you a series of positive affirmations to connect with yourself in this peaceful and quiet space.
As I say the affirmation,
You can quietly repeat it in your mind.
And gently notice and observe what comes up in your thoughts or your sensations in the body.
Do not attach to them,
Just observe them.
Feel the feelings without judgment and continue to notice.
Be the observer.
I love myself.
I love myself.
Repeating gently in your mind and observing.
I choose to be kind to myself.
Softly repeating and noticing.
I choose to be kind to myself.
I am grateful for me.
You may notice a fluctuation in your breath pattern.
Again,
Just observing,
Not judging.
I am grateful for me.
I am grateful for my gifts and talents that I can offer to the world.
I am grateful for my gifts and talents that I offer to the world.
Stay with the affirmation and if your mind starts to wander,
Just gently come back.
I honor my life as a precious gift.
I honor my life as a precious gift.
I appreciate my uniqueness.
I appreciate my uniqueness.
Stay with the affirmation and just notice the sensations in your body.
I am calm and relaxed.
Feeling softer and lighter as we keep moving forward.
I deserve joy and happiness.
I deserve joy and happiness.
Let yourself feel the feelings.
Be with whatever is coming up.
Don't resist,
Don't change,
Don't try to control.
I am powerful.
I am powerful.
Keep your attention on the words and my voice.
I am proud of myself.
I am proud of myself.
Notice what you notice.
Continue to be the observer.
I forgive myself.
I forgive myself.
I trust my process and my journey.
I trust my process and my journey.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Breathing in again,
Full and big into the belly.
And release that breath out of the mouth with that soft hum or sigh.
We'll do one more like that.
Breathing in,
We might even sit up or stretch a little taller.
And breathe out.
Coming back into this space.
Coming back into this space.
Taking a few minutes to observe your physical body and your emotional body.
I want you to know that in this space,
In this quiet and stillness,
You have created an opportunity to connect with yourself.
Your truest,
Most authentic self.
In all that it is,
In its beauty and magic,
Uniqueness and wonder.
Sometimes it is hard for our conscious mind to hear the good things that we want to spread to others.
It's hard and feels tight to receive.
But you are worthy and you deserve this.
You deserve this time,
You deserve this space,
You deserve everything that you ever wanted in your life.
So in reconnecting with ourselves,
It gives us a glimpse to really see what that is.
Daily life has us so busy and caught up in others' needs and expectations,
We often forget about ourselves.
Especially this part.
It is good and healthy and necessary to connect and reconnect with ourselves to live a heart-centered life and to support ourselves on the journey.
Be your number one cheerleader.
Who else will do it for you?
I hope you revisit this meditation as many times as you need to support yourself each day.
Give yourself the space and time to prioritize your needs and desires.
They are important.
You are important.
Take another moment and maybe just notice if any of the affirmations landed.
One or two.
Maybe some were louder than others.
And I encourage you to write that down.
You can use this as your personal mantra as you navigate through the rest of your day.
It is also my practice,
And I believe a good practice,
To encourage you to take some time to write and journal after meditations.
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Memories,
Whatever comes up in that space.
Repeating affirmations and mantras can be especially powerful,
Especially if they stood out.
And you might even notice things that surprised you.
It's good to keep record of this.
You are a beautiful and unique being in this world,
And I thank you so much for practicing with me today.
And I am proud of you for showing up.
Sending you so much love and light on your journey.
Namaste.
