So just settle in,
Find a most comfortable position you can find,
Whether that's seated or perhaps even lying down.
And as you settle in,
Finding a comfortable position,
If it feels safe for you to do so,
You can close your eyes,
Or you can just shift your gaze gently downward,
Just allowing your body to settle,
Allowing your breath to be natural.
Now let us take some deep breaths.
So begin by inhaling through your nose,
Filling your lungs completely,
And then slowly exhaling out the mouth,
Releasing any tension,
Again,
In through the nose,
Expanding,
Holding briefly on top,
Then exhaling out the mouth,
And then long,
Slow,
Steady exhalation,
Releasing any tension in your body.
One more time,
Big breath,
In through the nose,
Holding briefly on top,
And then releasing out,
Slow and steady,
Like you're blowing out birthday candles,
And then just allow your breathing to return to normal,
In through the nose and out of the nose.
And as we breathe naturally,
Let us allow our mind to drift,
And let us begin to imagine a peaceful place,
Perhaps envisioning ourselves standing in this peaceful garden,
And this is a perhaps sacred space of healing and clarity,
And standing in this peaceful garden,
Notice that there are several stones in front of you,
Several stones lying on the ground in front of you,
And each one of these stones can represent a current challenge that's in your life.
And now begin looking at each stone without judgment,
Just acknowledging its presence,
Knowing that these stones are not barriers,
These are stepping stones on your path,
Stepping stones on your journey.
With each breath,
Breathing in,
We feel our inner strength growing,
And with each breath out,
We feel our worry softening.
Now we can imagine a gentle light that's emerging from within you.
This light represents your resilience,
Your wisdom,
Your capacity to adapt.
And now watch as this light that's emerging within you touches each stone,
And as this light comes out and touches each stone,
Each stone gets transformed from a challenge into an opportunity,
From a challenge to an opportunity for growth.
And perhaps we can recite some phrases silently in our head,
Matching up with our breath,
And as we breathe in,
We can silently say to ourselves,
I have the strength to face what comes,
And as we breathe out,
We say,
I am growing through challenges.
Breathing in,
I have the strength to face what comes,
And breathing out,
I am growing through challenges.
And last time,
I have the strength to face what comes.
I am growing through challenges.
Remembering that like weather and patterns,
These challenges in life are temporary.
They move through our life,
Teaching us and strengthening us.
And now perhaps we can imagine a future,
Having moved through these challenges of today,
Noticing wisdom within us and noticing peace within us,
Imagining our future self,
Wiser,
More content,
More peaceful.
And as we prepare to close this meditation,
Know that we are carrying inner strength and wisdom with us always,
And with each challenge,
We become stronger and wiser.
Now take three final deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
Holding on top,
And releasing out the mouth,
And with each breath,
Feel your connection to inner resilience grow stronger.
And when you're ready,
Maybe close your eyes,
You can flutter them open,
Just bring your gaze here.
