Welcome.
This meditation is to develop an appreciation and an acceptance of aging.
It is to express gratitude for all the ways that our body has served us throughout a lifetime and all the wisdom that we gain as we go through life and grow older.
So I'd like you to get comfortable.
You could either be seated with your hands resting in your lap or lying down.
Closing your eyes if that's comfortable.
Beginning to tune into your breath,
Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation.
At first not trying to control the breath in any way.
And for the next few breaths,
Beginning to inhale as deeply as you can,
Drawing the air to the back of the throat into the low belly just below your navel.
Filling your belly,
Feeling your ribcage expand,
Inhaling as much as you can,
Pausing the breath at the top and slowly exhaling all of the air out.
Feel the chest fall,
Feel the belly compress,
And at the bottom of that breath pausing and inhaling again.
Keep going on your own for a few deep breaths,
Pausing at the top of the breath and pausing at the bottom of the breath.
If you feel light-headed at any time,
Allow your breathing to go back to normal.
Now relaxing your breath,
Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation.
Noticing perhaps the qualities of your breath,
The cooling sensation on your nostrils on the inhale and the warming on the exhale.
Noticing perhaps that your breath is easy and smooth and feeling a deep sense of gratitude at being able to take deep breaths and fill your lungs with air.
To begin,
I'd like you to call to mind a time when you were a child.
And if you can,
Pick a pleasant time,
Whether it's riding a bike,
Spending time with friends,
Playing games.
If that's available to you,
Take a moment to think of all the ways that your body supported you as you grew.
Being able to do all the things you wanted to do,
Running,
Jumping,
Laughing.
There's a certain vibrancy and energy.
If there's a particular memory that you'd like to recall,
Just allow it to float up and feel that moment.
And now gently return to your breath,
Allowing those images to float by like clouds.
Next,
I'd like you to call to mind a minor annoyance from childhood,
Not a heavy trauma.
It's a minor situation where,
Whether it's a scraped knee,
A bad cold that kept you home from school,
Your body seemed to have failed you.
Just remember the frustration of your body not doing what you expected it to do.
Then fast forward.
You healed.
You learned about resilience.
Your body became stronger from it.
You became stronger from it.
Then you returned to health.
So let's fast forward.
And it could be today.
It could be a moment from your past.
Call to mind a time when you were in the peak of physical condition.
You felt fully engaged with life and at your best.
Without directing the thoughts too strongly,
Notice what surfaces,
Noticing what activities you thoroughly enjoy doing and the ways that your body supports you,
Be it hiking,
Having the physical condition to be able to travel or participate in sports,
The mental clarity to go to school and pursue an education.
Whatever it is,
I'm going to be quiet in this stage for just a moment or two.
Now slowly bring your awareness back to your breath,
Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation,
Allowing all those thoughts to float by.
And now we reach the tricky age.
Now for some people listening,
You might not feel you're in this stage yet,
And that's okay.
For most listening,
Your ages might span decades,
And there are stages within those stages.
And what's interesting as we age is that for a long time,
We're growing and improving,
And our body is changing with us as we exercise our muscles and get stronger.
As we experience life,
Our body is there to support us throughout this lifetime,
Which is a pretty amazing thing.
But the one constant is that our body is continually changing.
And we may notice with age that muscles feel a little sore.
Notice a few more wrinkles on our face,
A few more gray hairs.
And sometimes society doesn't perceive that in a positive way,
And perhaps you don't perceive that in a positive way.
So before we kind of flip the switch on that mindset,
Just take a moment to check in and see how you're feeling about yourself and your body at this moment.
Doing a little internal scan.
How are you feeling physically?
How are you feeling emotionally?
Just breathe into that for a moment.
And consider for a moment how your body has served you throughout your lifetime.
Instead of focusing on perhaps what it cannot do that it used to be able to do,
Focus on the fact that for many of us,
100 years of age is a possibility.
And being able to hug loved ones and participate in things that bring us joy throughout a lifetime,
Even if we need to modify,
Is a gift.
And it's pretty miraculous that our body is stuck with us,
Allowing us to do these things.
So in a moment of gratitude,
We thank our body for being able to stretch and move and participate in life.
Perhaps we begin to look at physical changes,
Those wrinkles and gray hairs,
Not as defects and flaws,
But as markers of character and wisdom that have been acquired throughout a lifetime.
You are uniquely you.
And that's a beautiful thing.
Consider how emotionally you've grown.
Consider the wisdom you've gained throughout a lifetime and the knowledge you continue to pursue.
Consider that centeredness that you begin to feel with age,
That emotional security,
That emotional awareness of knowing who you are,
Knowing your purpose,
Which may change throughout a lifespan,
And really developing a comfort,
The comfort of being in your own skin,
The comfort of knowing who you are and what you believe,
And even the comfort of the uncertainty,
Knowing that your beliefs could change,
Your body will most certainly continue to change,
And embracing and accepting because it means that you've had and continue to have a life well lived,
Filled with a wealth of experiences.
And the more you know,
The more you get to pass on to younger generations who could benefit from your wisdom.
I'm going to be quiet for a few minutes.
See if you can sit with that comfort,
Being comfortable in your body,
Being comfortable with who you are.
So as we begin to bring this meditation to a close,
We're taking another final moment to thank our bodies for all the ways that it serves us to be able to take life giving us a chance to take a moment to take a moment to take a moment to take a moment to take a moment toga your breath to another moment to take a moment to take your breath to another Whenever you're ready,
Coming back into the present moment,
Perhaps wiggling your fingers and toes,
Rocking your head from side to side.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
