Take a moment and find your breath.
Slowly,
Gently,
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest with each inhale and exhale.
Notice whatever you are sitting upon is supporting you in this moment.
Allow the chair,
The floor,
Or wherever you might be to provide that support in this moment.
Continue this noticing of your breath for just a few moments.
And when you are ready,
You can begin to breathe with intention.
Inhaling deeply from your diaphragm,
Up through your ribs and into your chest,
And slowly exhaling in the reverse order.
Throughout our time together in this beautiful meditation on developing a container,
You will allow your breath to guide you and to help you to slow down.
And so,
If it feels safe in this moment,
You may close your eyes or softly avert your gaze and all you need to do is just listen to the beautiful music and allow my voice to guide you on a journey of imagination,
Creativity,
And let's begin.
So for today,
I want you to imagine a container.
This container will be strong enough so that it may hold whatever you place inside of it.
And it must be soft enough on the inside so that what you place into your container will be willing to stay.
So think about what does your container look like?
Is it an object that perhaps you have access to daily?
Or is your container something more elaborate?
Something you can use your imagination to create for just this one resource.
Maybe your container is a simple box with a lock on it.
Maybe your container is an old traveling trunk from the 1900s.
Maybe your container is a bank vault with huge brass locks that sound heavy as the wheels turn,
Allowing them to align and to secure whatever is inside.
And maybe your container is a glass jar that is indestructible glass and that you allow to live deep within the ocean where no one knows it exists except for you.
Whatever your container is,
Know that you may use this whenever you need to place a person,
A thing,
Or a situation into it that perhaps you just don't have the ability to deal with in this moment.
And it will stay there with safekeeping,
Ready until you have the time and the energy to work through.
Then take a moment and now describe your container.
What color is it?
Does it have a shape?
Is it heavy or is it light?
Is it small and portable or is it large and stationary?
Does your container have a lock or a passcode?
Some way so that only you can access what goes in or what comes out.
And remember to breathe deeply throughout this entire beautiful practice,
Allowing your breath to guide you.
And now let's shift our attention back to this beautiful container.
Where might you want to keep your container?
Perhaps you want to keep it in the back of a closet.
Perhaps you want to bury it.
Or send it out to sea.
Or maybe your container exists in a beautiful tree in a forest.
However you want your container to be is your decision.
And remember to breathe deeply.
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest with each inhale and extended exhale.
I want you to shift your awareness back to your container.
And just notice if there is anything that your container needs on the inside.
Perhaps the inside of your container needs some soft carpeting or furniture so that when you place people or things inside of your container,
It will be just soft enough for them to stay comfortably.
Noticing how it feels to be able to create this beautiful resource for yourself.
Noticing any sensations in your body or nervous system that perhaps in this moment might just begin to send cues of safety and cues of softening.
Allowing the body to be able to rest.
Feeling supported by wherever you are.
As you inhale and exhale slowly,
Notice any sensations of peacefulness,
Of relaxation,
Or contentment.
Just notice if any of these sensations are showing up anywhere in the body in this moment.
And if they are,
Do they have a color associated with them?
Is there a temperature associated with these feelings?
Or perhaps they might have their own shape and size.
But as you begin to notice a shifting toward softness,
A shifting toward contentment and relaxation and peacefulness,
Focus in on those important sensations.
And imagine as you inhale,
They continue to grow and become stronger.
And as you exhale slowly,
You notice that the sensations of anxiety,
Worry,
Fear and anxiety seem to slowly begin to slip away.
And let's turn our attention back to this beautiful container again that you have created.
And perhaps your container would like to have a name.
What might you call your container?
Whatever you decide to call it,
Simply close your eyes if it feels safe enough,
Imagining this beautiful container and saying the name slowly 10 times.
As you inhale and exhale,
Following the path of your breath,
As you're noticing the gentle rise and fall of your chest.
By saying the name of your container to yourself,
As you softly and gently breathe,
You are solidifying this beautiful creation with your breath and anchoring it safely into your nervous system as a resource that you can use at any time and any place.
Let's take a few more breaths as you softly and quietly say the name of your container while imagining your container.
Notice any sensations that may arise within your body after you have created this beautiful resource that can contain people,
Places and things that perhaps are too much in the moment or need more time in the moment that can be given to process,
To ponder,
To work through.
How does it land to know that they can be kept safely until you are ready to work through them?
What,
If any,
Shifts have you noticed as we have been together for the last bit of time together?
And just return to your breath,
Feeling your body lying there or sitting there,
Being supported.
And take a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to be here in this moment.
And let's take a few more deep breaths together,
Focusing on extending your exhale slowly,
Allowing your breath to guide you.
And just begin to gently bring some movement back into your body,
Wiggling your fingers or your toes,
Fluttering your eyes open if they have been closed,
Allowing them to wander around the room,
Not focusing on anything in particular.
And take one more nice deep breath and just allow your body to move in whatever way is needed in this moment.
And thank you for taking the time to be here in this moment with yourself and with me.
May wherever you wander be filled with love and light.
And may you face your shadows with compassion,
Kindness,
And curiosity.
Thank you.
