Before we begin,
Find a quiet and comfortable space for yourself.
You can sit in a comfortable position.
In this practice,
We will explore your attitudes toward money.
Should the experience with this practice be overwhelming or overly uncomfortable for you,
You can always take a break or stop the practice at any time.
This practice is intended to help you explore and connect to your money attitudes in a gentle
and easeful manner.
Let's begin.
Now that you have found a comfortable position,
Take a few deep breaths,
Allowing yourself
to settle into the present moment.
As you breathe,
Letting go of any tension in your body or distractions in your mind.
Slowly arriving in the here and now.
Start by bringing your attention to your breath,
Taking a few deep breaths,
Inhaling through
your nose and exhaling through your nose.
Feeling the body expand with each inhale and feeling a sense of grounding and relaxation
with each exhale.
Allowing your breath to find its natural rhythm.
Spending a few moments here,
Bringing you full presence and attention to the sensations
of breathing.
Sensing cool air flowing into your body through your nostrils,
Moving down along the throat,
Expanding the chest,
Expanding the belly and then feeling a sensation of softening
as you exhale.
If your mind begins to wander,
That's perfectly okay.
It's simply what minds do.
The moment you notice your focus has shifted away from your breath,
Gently bring it back,
Acknowledging the nature of the wandering mind without judgment.
Now turning your attention to your thoughts and beliefs about money.
What does your relationship with money look and feel like?
To explore this topic,
You may imagine specific scenarios where money plays a role in your
life.
You could imagine yourself paying bills,
Making purchases or receiving income.
Spending some time with these scenarios as you continue to explore your current attitudes
and beliefs about money.
As you envision yourself in these scenarios involving money that emerged in your mind,
Begin to notice with curiosity and without judgment anything that arises within you as
you do.
Begin by paying attention to your body.
What body sensations can you feel as you envision yourself paying bills,
Making purchases or
receiving income or gifts in the form of money?
Where are the sensations located in your body?
Can you feel any sensations in your head,
Your throat,
Your chest,
Your belly or somewhere
else?
What kind of body sensations are present?
Do you sense tension or tightness?
Any spaciousness or softness?
Now with the same observing curious attitude and without making any judgments about your
experience,
Bring your attention to your emotions.
Can you notice any emotions that arise within you as you envision your relationship with
money,
Yourself paying bills,
Purchasing things,
Receiving income?
Are you feeling relaxed and at ease?
Or do you feel emotions of anxiety,
Stress,
Pressure or sadness?
Simply taking a note of any emotions that you are experiencing as you explore your relationship
and beliefs around money.
There is no need to change or judge anything.
You are noticing the intention is to simply become aware of your emotions as you explore
how you relate to money in your life.
Next explore the thoughts that are emerging within you surrounding money.
Can you notice any specific thoughts arising?
You might take note of judgments,
Fears or attachments or some positive thoughts coming
into your awareness.
Without getting too wrapped up in any thought,
As we have practiced before,
Simply taking
note of whatever thoughts are arising,
Observing them with a sense of openness,
Curiosity and
acceptance.
Without feeling the need to change,
Hold on to or reject any thought,
Allowing these thoughts
surrounding money to arise and subside.
Curiously noting any thoughts coming up and seeing if any insights are emerging as you
do so.
Next,
Directing your attention to any impulses to action that might arise within you as you
contemplate your relationship with money.
Can you notice any impulse to act,
Move or do something?
Without needing to follow the impulse or act on it,
Simply taking a mental note of your
observation once again without judging the impulse or seeking to change or adjust it.
Spending a few moments becoming aware of any action impulses that are emerging in your
awareness related to your contemplation about money.
You may notice a desire to acquire more money or an impulse to distance yourself from money
or anything related to it.
Perhaps also paying attention to any patterns or habits you have around money,
Such as impulse
spending,
Avoiding financial planning or feeling guilty about indulging in luxuries.
Noticing how these habits affect your overall well-being and satisfaction with your financial
situation.
Finally,
Coming back to your breath,
Collecting your attention and centering it on the sensations
of breathing.
Taking some time to notice the effects the contemplation of your relationship with money
had on you physically,
Mentally and emotionally.
Again,
Without feeling the need to change anything about your experience,
Just noting
any insights that arise.
Allowing yourself to cultivate compassion for yourself.
Recognizing that your attitudes and beliefs about money are part of your experience and
it's okay to have a range of feelings.
Cultivating a sense of understanding and kindness toward yourself.
At this time,
As we near the end of this practice,
You may take a mental note of what you learned
about your relationship to money.
You may mentally note any new realizations or insights you may have gained in this practice.
Perhaps there are any active steps you can take in your life related to these insights
as you move out of this practice.
Perhaps your insight was that you need more time to contemplate your relationship with
money in order to arrive at any conclusions.
Whatever your experience was,
Is okay.
As we conclude,
Bringing your attention back to your breath,
Taking a few deep breaths,
Expressing gratitude for the awareness you have cultivated,
Allowing this awareness to
guide you in making conscious choices about your relationship with money.
Now slowly bringing your attention back to the space you are sitting in,
Taking note
of any sounds around you,
The temperature of the room or space around you.
Taking a few deep breaths.
Taking one more clearing breath in and a clearing breath out.
And then slowly,
When you're ready,
Opening your eyes.
This meditation can help you develop a deeper understanding of your relationship with money,
Allowing for greater mindfulness and conscious decision-making in this area of your life.
Thank you for taking the time to practice today.
I look forward to our next session.
Until then,
Take care.
