This meditation aims to help you reset and renew your outlook on the future.
It may feel very appropriate to do it at the beginning of a new year,
When we are prompted to set new year's resolutions,
But there is really no reason not to do it whenever you feel like you need a reset.
It was inspired by a friend who had survived a tragedy in her life and was able to overcome it and continue living and achieving her goals.
With that,
I hope I can at the very best inspire you to believe in yourself or at the very least shift the outlook of your future to be slightly more positive.
So let's begin.
For this meditation,
Find a quiet,
Comfortable place where you can be undisturbed.
Choose to take a lying position in which you can feel fully comfortable and supported,
A position that feels easy for your body.
Go ahead and take any props like cushions,
Blankets or eye pillows,
Anything that you need to support you in finding restoration in this pose.
Feel free to pause the meditation until you have everything you need for this short self-care practice.
Begin by closing your eyes and bringing your attention to your natural breath.
Without the need to change your breath,
Become aware of your inhale by noticing where you feel your inhalation the most in your body.
Left nostril,
Right nostril,
Equally in both nostrils or somewhere in your torso.
Similarly,
Become aware of your exhale,
Noticing where you feel your exhalation the deepest in your body.
With that awareness,
Take three deep breaths in through your nose and out through the pursed or slightly parted lips,
Like you're cooling a spoon of hot soup.
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through parted lips.
With each exhale,
Releasing any unconscious contraction of the muscles,
Releasing any heaviness or tension.
With every inhale,
Imagine drawing in calm and soothing energy.
Allow yourself to ground deeper into this moment of stillness.
Feel your body begin to soften and settle.
Notice that you're held by the ground beneath you,
In the embrace of the earth.
With your eyes closed,
Feeling your breath,
Feeling supported,
Grounded and held.
Imagine or let yourself feel standing barefoot on a beautiful beach.
The sand beneath your feet is warm and grounding.
Gently yielding under your feet.
With that sense of grounding,
Hear the sound of the waves rolling in,
Filling your ears.
Maybe even creating that sound with a few gentle oceanic breaths.
With that feeling of grounding and the echo of the waves in your ears,
See the ocean stretching endlessly before you and its shimmering blue waters under the sunlight.
Notice this blue horizon in front of you.
See this vast blue space as a symbol of renewal,
Hope and new opportunities.
Take the time to take in this soothing scenery with all your senses.
As you continue to imagine this scenery in front of your eyes,
Look around and notice your family and friends gathered nearby.
People in your life you hold dear,
Whether present in this life or present only in your heart.
Imagine them smiling warmly,
Radiating support and love for you.
And if it feels nice and natural,
Feel free to smile back,
Connecting to their presence.
Their presence filling you with a sense of reassurance and joy.
Now,
Place one hand on your heart and the other on your lower belly.
Feel the warmth of your hands.
Feel the movement of your breath.
The rise and fall of your breath under your hands.
Your breath slowly taking on the rhythm of the ocean waves.
Breathing in,
Belly expanding like the tide rising.
Breathing out,
Belly relaxing like the tide receding.
Inhaling,
Rising,
Expanding.
Exhaling,
Relaxing and receding.
As you breathe here and now,
Imagine that the blue light of the ocean begins to flow gently into you.
With each inhale,
It fills your body with spaciousness,
With tranquility.
With every exhale,
It washes away any lingering grudges of the past,
Any heaviness.
Making space for compassion and gratitude.
Inhaling spaciousness,
Exhaling gratitude.
And in this present moment,
Take this moment to reflect on your own resilience.
On what you have achieved so far.
On the learnings,
The sacrifices and the bold steps you have taken to be today in this present moment.
Sometimes we need to reflect and realize our resilience.
The experiences we have survived,
The sacrifices we have had to make to be here and now.
Living and breathing in the now.
As you reflect on this,
What is one positive,
Maybe unexpected thing you have learned about yourself from the past?
Can you be grateful for your past experiences?
For without them,
The learnings would not be here in this present moment.
Even if gratitude doesn't come as easy,
Leave the door open for the potential of gratitude.
And let that wash over you as you take a few breaths to bask in it.
In gratitude or the possibility of gratitude.
From this space of gratitude or the possibility of it,
Shift your focus to the future.
See the horizon in front of you.
The vast open space stretching endlessly in front of you.
A space in which you can move forward.
See yourself moving forward.
At your own pace,
Into a life with new opportunities,
With new energies.
With a little bit more hope and faith in yourself and your life.
You don't necessarily have to know the concrete steps at this stage.
Just stepping forward is enough.
Just this energy of possibilities and opportunities is enough.
And before you bring full attention back to the present moment,
Whisper in your mind or out loud to yourself.
I honor my journey and all that I have overcome.
I am grateful for what I have.
And I open my heart to what is yet to come.
One more time.
I honor my journey and all that I have overcome.
I am grateful for what I have.
And I open my heart to what is yet to come.
Slowly feel the support of the earth beneath you.
Feel the feelings you have created within you.
Any shift that has happened within you.
And when it feels easy,
Slowly wiggle your fingers and toes,
Bringing gentle movement back into your body.
Slowly opening your eyes and carrying this sense of spaciousness,
Opportunities and faith with you into the rest of your day or night.
And know that you can always come back to this meditation when you need it.
Namaste.
