Hello,
My fellow meditators.
My name is Amelia,
And we aren't going to be bored together today.
It's so rare that we really let ourselves be bored,
Because why would we when we have seemingly limitless entertainment at our fingertips?
You know,
When I'm standing in line at the grocery store,
If I'm on the train on the way to work,
What am I doing?
I'm on my phone.
If my eyes aren't on my phone,
I'm listening to music.
But boredom,
This emptiness that we so rarely feel,
It's important for our creative process as human beings.
Boredom is where our mind is allowed to wander,
Where we have epiphanies and breakthroughs,
And as long as we're consumed by this entertainment,
We are missing out on the world.
And what's even more destructive is that we're missing out on ourselves.
So for this meditation,
We're cultivating boredom,
Which means it's not going to be your typical meditation.
In fact,
I'm actually going to encourage you to let your thoughts roam,
To follow them down these winding paths.
I'm going to offer you three prompts,
But if you're feeling motivated,
If you're flowing with your current river of thought,
Feel free to tune me out and there will be plenty of silence because that is where boredom is,
In the emptiness.
You start thinking about your job and the next thing you know,
You've wandered off into the forest and found fertile soil to plant new seeds in.
Try your best to stay in the meditation and not write anything down.
I'm a compulsive note taker,
So I understand how difficult a request this may be,
Especially if you find something new.
But in a therapy session once,
My therapist said something profound and I went to write it down and she stopped me and she said,
When you're ready for it,
It will find you.
So go ahead and lean into that trust that what's significant was relevant,
Will stick with you when you finish this and trust that it's safe to let all the rest go.
And one last thing before we begin,
I want to make it clear that we're not controlling our thoughts right now.
We are following them.
So forget about that imagery of the clouds passing by in the sky,
Noticing them and letting them go.
No,
I want you to notice the cloud and then I want you to find a shape in the cloud.
And then I want you to follow that cloud until it dissipates into nothingness.
And then I want you to pick another cloud.
I encourage you to follow these rainbows of thought,
Even and especially when you don't know where they're headed.
Because,
You know,
Maybe you'll find a pot of gold.
If throughout this meditation,
You find yourself wanting to move by all means follow that instinct.
But let's start together in stillness.
And I'll let you know when we're ready to move again,
If that suits you.
Let's get started.
Take a moment to pause to find a position that you can remain comfortable in for a few minutes.
Take your gaze down.
And if you feel comfortable,
If you can,
Go ahead and blink your eyes shut.
And let's connect with the body first.
So you're going to take a brief scan from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes.
And I'm going to give you a few moments to do this.
So if you find an area that feels sticky,
One that interests you for any reason,
It's okay to linger.
For now,
Try to notice the sensation without giving it language,
Without describing it.
We just want to feel it.
Now,
If you were going to describe these feelings,
What words would you use?
What images show up?
Colors,
Maybe?
Express the way the body feels in your mind in whatever way is most fertile for you.
And let's let that go.
And without changing anything,
Simply notice what is your breath doing?
Is it shallow,
Deep?
Is it short or long?
Is it coming in slowly or quickly?
And once you've noticed where you're starting from,
You can let yourself mold the breath into something that feels luxurious in your body.
There's a part of you saying or hearing someone else saying that you should deepen and lengthen and slow your breath,
But that's not necessary if it doesn't feel good.
You know,
Maybe breaths filling your chest are a little more comfortable than filling your belly,
And that's okay.
Follow that instinct.
Find what works in your body at this moment.
And to close out our little warm-up,
Let's finally turn our attention to our mind.
What's the quality of your thoughts?
Similarly to the breath,
Are they slow?
Are they fast?
Are they expressive?
Or are they tired?
Are they winding through?
Or are they jumping over?
And now letting go of that analysis.
If you'd like to,
You can start to bring movement back.
Maybe you want to sway back and forth in your seat.
Maybe you want to open your eyes,
Go for a walk.
Maybe you stay right where you are,
Finish the meditation in stillness.
And as you settle into whatever action or position that is most stimulating for you,
Start by asking yourself this one question.
What am I doing?
Now it's a very simple question on the surface,
But there are many,
Many ways to interpret and answer that question.
You could say,
I'm meditating or I'm walking.
Or you could think about what you do for a living.
Maybe you're in the middle of a particular personal project that springs to mind.
Whatever comes first,
Whatever pops into your brain,
The easy answer for you,
Let your brain wander from there.
And as time goes on,
If you get stuck,
I encourage you to ask simply,
What's next?
Until something comes up or until I call you back.
What's next?
Good.
Take a few moments to wrap up this train of thought.
And when you're ready,
Coming back to center.
Let's take a moment to breathe together,
Exhaling all the air out.
Inhale.
Hold your breath at the top.
And do an open mouth exhale.
And all those thoughts release out of your mind,
Into the universe,
Into the space around you.
Okay,
What's next?
Think about this for me.
What am I feeling?
And again,
Whatever interpretation of this question is most resonant for you,
Follow that.
When you're stuck,
What's next?
Coming back,
Tying up any loose ends here.
And then letting go,
Using this breath.
Together,
Exhaling all the air out.
Inhale.
Holding full at the top.
A little longer.
And through an open mouth exhale.
Maybe shake it out a little bit.
Come back to yourself for one last question to consider.
Where do I find gratitude in my life?
Whatever that means to you,
Where do you find gratitude in your life?
And again,
One last time,
Let's tie up those loose threads and take a breath together.
Inhale.
Exhale all the air out.
Hold.
Keep holding.
And make some noise.
Exhale.
We're going to do that one more time,
And this time I want you to exhale more.
I want you to really exhale.
I want you to make the noise.
I want you to shake it off.
I want you to stick your tongue out.
Ready?
Exhale all the air out.
Inhale.
All the way to the top.
All the air in,
As much air as you can.
And then holding,
Preparing in three,
Two,
One.
And exhale.
If you're still letting yourself move,
Find a resting point.
Join us in stillness for just one moment as I ask one last question before we go.
What is one thing you thought about during this meditation that you'd like to keep?
Maybe it's not a thought.
Maybe it's a feeling.
Maybe it's a hint at something.
Maybe it's an image.
What is it from this meditation that you would like to keep?
If your eyes are still closed,
Blinking them open,
Coming back into the world around you in whatever way is most comfortable for you.
Thank you for meditating with me.
Thank you for being bored with me.
Namaste.
