Celebrate Your Wins: Live Talk & Practice 3/11/22

Celebrate your wins.

So let me briefly introduce my work here on Insight Timer.

And I think it rests on two pillars.

And one pillar is that I would like you and everyone to learn to be as kind and gentle and compassionate and loving towards yourself as you can be.

And not just like that.

I teach that because I know from my own experience and from my experience as a meditation teacher that this is the prerequisite for whatever change you want to see in your life.

Whether this is just in your own family or your friends or your community or even globally on a more global level.

So you might've encountered my courses here on Insight Timer.

So the very first one that was launched in 2019 is how to deal or how to tolerate challenging opinions and behaviors.

And this is a 10 days course where I'm really targeting you starting to embrace yourself with love and kindness as a way to start tolerating others.

And with tolerance you might think,

Oh,

So I have to like something that I don't like so much.

Yeah,

In a sense.

But what I teach there is self-empowerment.

I'm teaching you in this course how you can embrace so much who you are and fully accept who you are,

What your visions are,

What your perspective is,

How you want to be treated,

How you want to treat others,

That you start to live this.

And with this,

All other folks that are ruffling your feathers for whatever way,

Whatever reason it is,

And sometimes,

You know,

They are ruffling your feathers because there can be nasty people in the world,

But they lose their power over you.

And in this way,

You empower yourself to find your own voice,

To find your own stance,

And to act and speak from there.

So I think this course is really a good example of the core of my work.

In that sense,

I've translated it in a more political environment.

It's about political tolerance.

Why is that?

I'm a political psychologist.

I work at the University of Leiden here in the Netherlands as a researcher,

As a professor,

Where I teach political psychology research,

All kinds of things,

But I also study the impact of meditation on political behavior.

So this course is really close to that other profession of mine,

Which actually I like to blend all my professions together.

I've been in a lot of careers,

And I really love how everything is coming together,

Especially my work here on Insight Timer.

So self gentleness,

Self kindness,

That is something that's really important for me.

Another thing is,

And that is the other pillar,

Is that I like to teach meditation in a way that you can make it your own.

I,

As a meditation teacher,

Don't believe that there is just one way,

One recipe that everyone has to follow.

I believe that anyone can learn to meditate in a way that is pleasant and comfortable,

And that you just have to find a way that fits you,

That suits you.

So the workshop I'm doing now,

It's an eight week workshop here on Insight Timer.

Sunday,

We are going to have the sixth class from the hall,

So we are over half,

And it's really lovely where we go through the different techniques,

So the folks in it can really find out what resonates with them,

What works for them,

So that they can come out with a technique that fits them.

And these two things really go together very well,

Because for me,

Meditation is one of the best tools that we have to take care of ourselves.

There are many other ways,

But taking the time to be with yourself,

To tune into your heart,

To tune into your intuition,

To actually ask yourself,

How am I doing,

What can I do for myself?

This is powerful.

So today,

Celebrate Your Wins is all about that.

We're going to celebrate our wins,

And what do I mean with that?

Because if you hear,

Celebrate your wins,

You might think of the salary you make,

The beautiful job that you have,

The grand family,

The important friends,

And really well done.

That's really great if you feel that is important to you.

And I'm not saying anything about that,

But what I want you to feel is what your wins are for you,

What your wins are for your heart.

So if this is the salary you always dreamed of,

And you have this,

And this feels good in your heart,

And this is your win.

But if you are proud of the salary because you're comparing yourself to others,

Or you're realizing what others might think of you,

Or how they might feel that you're more worthy because of that,

Then I wouldn't call it so much a win,

But I would encourage you to think of the wins that are about your heart,

Are about your soul,

That are about you being kind to you.

So maybe your win is just your beautiful smile.

Maybe your win is conquering a disease.

Maybe your win is being ill,

But learning to deal with it because you know it's chronicle,

And you're really proud of yourself and the way you're handling yourself,

How you're dealing with it.

Your win could be that you are able to be kind to people in the morning when you're actually a little bit grumpy.

It could be anything,

Right?

So I would love to hear from you actually.

What do you consider as a really big win for you that you would like to celebrate?

And there is no right or wrong answer because what you feel is your win,

Whatever it is,

This is your win.

So just let me know.

Bringing peace to those around me.

Wow,

Laion,

That's really,

Really,

That's a great win.

That's beautiful.

And I can see how that is reflecting on you also,

How you can feel good about that.

Being able to bring peace,

Being able to bring love,

That is something that is so valuable for you and also for others.

So that's really great.

Kate,

Making and sticking to healthy boundaries.

I'm so proud of myself.

Oh,

I'm so happy that you're writing,

That you're so proud of yourself.

That's really great because healthy boundaries,

That's not easy.

Boundaries are a beautiful thing in our heads,

In theory,

But actually living upon it,

Dealing with it,

Having to sometimes face the pushback that you can get when you're setting those boundaries.

I'm also really proud of you.

Well done.

Jay,

I made soup and got dressed today despite being exhausted.

Way,

Way to go.

And I really hope that you like the way you dressed,

That it was something that you felt good with and that your soup was tasty,

But I have no doubts because otherwise you would not have made it.

Well done,

Jay.

And you know,

When you're exhausted,

It's good that you know that you're exhausted.

Take some time now to meditate and maybe time for a nap,

Time for some sleep.

It's about weekend.

I don't know how your weekend looks,

But here and there,

Some time just for you.

Even when you're sitting in a restroom,

Just sitting with 10 minutes closed,

Following your breath can do already wonders for your exhaustion.

So Joss,

The raising of my children,

They're adults now,

Which was quite a challenge.

Yes,

Joss,

I hear you.

I have two kids,

My own.

One just an adult and the other one getting there.

And it can be a challenge,

But also so fulfilling.

I hear you.

Well done,

That's a great win.

Nayyan,

My win right now is to get the publication for my PhD work.

Oh,

Nayyan,

Yes.

I'm sure you will.

I'm sure you will.

It's,

That is this first step,

Right,

From your PhD,

Getting this first publication out.

I know what you're speaking about,

But you will get there and you will find your own voice and it will get easier and easier.

So good luck with that.

That's a great win.

John,

Learning to live for me and not worry about what others think.

Yeah,

That's a really great one.

And I think we are all suffering a little bit from that,

Right,

What others think.

Even if we think we don't,

We still do.

And it's not so weird because we're social animals.

We live together,

We interact together.

A lot of people in our environment that are important to us and yeah,

We like them to think nice of us,

But I've also learned,

And I would like to share that with you,

That it can be a really fulfilling feeling at a certain moment when you feel that someone has an opinion about you and that you don't agree to just think,

Okay,

You know what?

If you think like that about me,

That's okay.

Because I think what I think and you think what you think and I don't have to convince you otherwise because I would spoil my own mood.

I would spoil my own good feeling about me.

I would throw myself into that.

So this is something that I discovered the last few years and it's such a relief to start feeling that.

So maybe there's some value for you in those words.

Eleanor,

My win,

Conserving more of my energy and attention for myself instead of automatically giving it all away to others.

That's really great.

And that starts with taking a time to just know what you're feeling,

Right?

To not get immediately in that mode of being there for others,

Helping others,

Adapting to others,

But just take a pause,

A moment to know,

Hey,

Is this actually what I want to do or not?

Well done,

I'm so happy with your win.

That's really great.

John went on an early morning walk,

Those are the best.

I have a dog,

So I have a lot of early morning walks and I love them.

Luanne,

I blessedly keep overcoming significant health challenges.

Yeah,

Luanne,

That's really great.

I know that you're dealing with it and I also know that you are dealing with that in a really beautiful way with a lot of self-care,

With a lot of self-reflection.

I'm also really proud of you.

Thank you for sharing that.

Joe,

Learning to play the piano.

Oh,

That's lovely.

Mona,

Relying on my faith in difficult times and in good times.

That's beautiful also,

Yes,

To have faith,

Whatever your faith is,

That's something to know because there is some sense of goodness in allowing to trust that everything will work out,

Whether it goes left or whether it goes right.

I'm not just translating a Dutch saying.

I don't know if it's also appropriate in English,

But you will be okay.

So that faith,

Whatever faith it is connected to,

That's really valuable,

That's beautiful.

Dora,

Being a voice for one of the most misunderstood species,

Foxes.

Wow,

I dedicated my life to this charitable work.

I'm poor,

But I have purpose,

And I'm rewarded by magic moments,

Looking into the eyes of a wild fox.

Oh,

That's so beautiful,

Dora.

I agree that foxes,

I for a long time thought that they were like dogs,

And to only learn later that they're way more related to our house cats.

Maybe I'm wrong,

You know way more than me,

But they're beautiful animals,

Yes.

And I love sometimes to run into a fox when I go into the dunes.

We have,

I live about half an hour from the sea here,

The North Sea,

And we have beautiful dunes there,

Which is like a nature preservation.

And you have deers there,

But also sometimes you run into a fox,

Especially when you go there,

You know,

When the night starts to fall and the twilight.

Beautiful work.

Well done,

Dora,

That's really great.

Yeah.

Jyoti,

Learning to be kind to myself when I feel like I can't cope instead of being critical.

Yes,

Jyoti,

That's really great.

Because you know,

This critical voice,

I know everyone knows the critical voice that we can have.

I also am very,

Way too familiar with this critical voice,

But I learned to soothe,

To soothe the feelings that arouses and start to be kind.

Yeah,

I'm happy to read this.

So Jay,

I always say other people's opinion of me is none of my business.

That's a great one.

I'm going to keep that one.

Thank you so much.

That's a great insight.

Lynn,

When to continue to show kindness,

No matter what.

Big picture,

I enjoy every breath I am giving.

Everything is okay.

Well,

Lynn,

That's really powerful.

I think my whole path into self-kindness and self-gentleness started when I decided to love someone in my life unconditionally,

No matter what.

To find out that to do so,

I had to start to work to love myself unconditionally.

And that is how I found self-gentleness and the power of it.

So let's start and meditate.

Make sure you're comfortable.

So you can lie down if you like,

You might fall asleep.

Also good,

That's a win.

If you're tired,

You need to sleep.

But if you don't want to fall asleep,

Then just sit up with me.

But you can lean against the back of your chair or the wall or the headboard or your bed.

Unless you just like to sit up,

That's also great.

You can put your feet on the ground.

You can sit cross-legged.

Sit as comfortable as possible.

And take a moment to feel how you're sitting.

Close your eyes.

And feel how you're sitting on your bum.

Resting on the seat of the chair.

Now bring your attention to your feet,

Whether those are flat on the floor or maybe folded under you.

Feel where your feet are touching the ground.

And become aware of a place where you can feel and become aware of a moment of the different touch points in your feet.

It's not just your foot on the ground.

No,

Certain points of your feet are leaning more heavily on the ground than others.

Now bring your attention for a moment to your shoulders.

Are those relaxed?

And if not,

Then just pull them up as high to your ears and then let go with a sigh.

And maybe you can really enjoy that sigh.

Feeling how the tension flows away.

Maybe let's do it again.

Let's pull up our shoulders and sigh.

Ah,

That feels good.

You can put your hands relaxed in your lap,

Maybe even with the palms up to the sky.

It helps you to be more open to whatever's coming your way.

And bring your attention for a moment to your face and feel if there's any tension there,

Maybe in your forehead or jaws.

Maybe you're clenching a little bit your jaws.

So see if you can soften that.

See if you can soften that.

See if you can settle and relax.

Now let's bring our attention just for a few moments to our breath.

Our breath that is flowing in through our nostrils and that is flowing out through our nostrils.

Flowing in and out.

You don't need to alter your breath.

Just observe it as it comes,

Flying in and out.

In and out in your own natural rhythm.

Now if you notice that your mind is wandering,

That's okay.

Your mind is made to think.

When you notice it,

Simply and gently bring your attention to your nostrils with the air flowing in and out.

All right.

Now take a moment to feel again how you're sitting.

Your bum on the chair,

Feet on the ground.

Your shoulders and your face relaxed.

And you might notice that you are relative to before,

A little bit more relaxed.

Now I invite you to use your imagination together with me.

And I'm going to describe images to you.

But if you are someone who imagines without images,

If you are someone who is using their fantasy in a completely different way by just knowing it or feeling it or sensing it or smelling it,

Then that's perfectly fine.

You know best how you fantasize,

How you imagine things.

You don't have to do it with images if that is not natural to you.

But I will guide you in imagery and you just translate it in a way that feels good to you.

All right.

I invite you in your imagination to walk together with me.

To the front.

We will take a few steps and I will count them.

And if you pay attention,

Then you might see that we are walking towards a big gate.

It's a big door.

It's shaped like a heart and it's really beautiful.

It's your favorite color.

And we're going to walk up there.

And I'm going to count until 10 because it's about 10 steps before we are standing in front of it.

And with every step,

You feel how the eagerness to enter through that gate,

The curiosity of what is behind this door lights up your heart.

Let's move.

One.

Two.

Your body remains calm and relaxed,

But your heart is eager and happy.

Three.

Four.

We're coming closer to the door and take a moment to realize how beautiful this door looks,

How beautiful to you.

The shape,

The colors,

The atmosphere,

The way it looks.

Maybe it's modern,

Maybe it's old-fashioned,

Maybe it's a castle gate.

Whatever you like it to be,

This is it.

Six.

Seven.

If you listen good,

You might hear something behind the door,

Which is so enticing.

You cannot really hear it well.

But yeah,

It's your favorite music that is playing.

Whoa,

I cannot wait to enter there.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

And 10.

Now,

We are going to open this door and we don't have to do anything for that.

You just have to order the door to open.

So,

Please door,

Open for us.

And the door swings open and when it opens,

Such a beautiful atmosphere comes to you.

Let's step inside and feel how the temperature is exactly right,

Exactly how you like it.

Not too hot and not too cold and take a moment to get a whiff of the smells,

The aromas.

Oh,

This is so beautiful.

Your favorite smells,

Whether this is a favorite perfume,

Maybe it's the aftershave or you beloved,

Maybe it is your favorite flower,

Maybe it's the dish that your mother used to cook.

Whatever the smell is,

Just sniff it up and enjoy it.

And take a moment to notice the colors.

See the environment because it's like a beautiful garden with the greenest grass possible.

Everywhere your favorite flowers popping up.

And if you love trees,

Then there are trees.

And if you like people,

Then everywhere nice people are walking and chatting and dancing and sitting and reading.

And if you are more of a lone wolf,

Then there are no people.

It's really nice and quiet.

And if you love animals,

I see one of Dora's foxes now.

Can you see it?

I think we are all seeing this beautiful fox with the beautiful eyes.

And oh,

This beautiful tail.

Are there other animals?

Maybe your pets?

Maybe a pet you had as a kid?

Or maybe just that beautiful wild animal that you can only see in your fantasy or maybe in good documentaries,

But it's also here because this is your imagination and everything is possible.

Let's walk into this garden.

And I really would like you to experience how you are shaping this place for you.

If you are more of a city slicker,

Then it might just be a park and you see big skyscrapers around you,

Also perfectly good.

And if you love the small towns with the little shops,

Then maybe you're walking through those streets.

Maybe you're more of a homey person,

Then maybe you're just walking in a really big house.

So make it your own,

Own this place.

All right,

Now when we're walking,

There is this open space.

And I have to tell you,

This open space is really inviting me to come and sit down there.

So would you like to come with me and sit down there?

And I would like you to create a seat that you really want to sit on.

So it could be a chair,

It could be a bed,

It could be just grass where you want to lie on.

Make it your own.

Maybe it's a throne and you want to feel like a king or a queen or maybe even an emperor today.

Make it your own.

So sit down on this beautiful seat of yours and feel how comfortable this is,

How it's supporting you exactly right.

All right,

Now take a moment to acknowledge that you're feeling pretty good,

Lighthearted,

Happy maybe even,

Satisfied with your surroundings.

This is a place in the middle of your heart.

This is a place that you have just shaped to be here,

To come here whenever you feel you want it.

Whether you feel good or not,

This is a place where you can always come and sit on this seat.

And while we're sitting here,

I want you,

Together with me,

Start to celebrate our wins.

I want you to think of the time that you were a kid.

The age doesn't matter.

And I just would like you to think of the very first thing you can think of that you as a kid was proud of yourself.

Don't overthink it.

The first thing that bubbles up,

That's the thing to go.

Yes,

That one.

That's the thing to go with.

You can always come back and celebrate other wins.

But this thing that just popped up,

This is it.

All right,

Now,

I would like you to imagine that you see yourself as a kid.

And if you find it hard,

You can make a movie screen where you can see it,

Or you can think of a photo of yourself,

Of how you look then.

You could even think of maybe your own kid that looks a lot like you when you were a kid,

And imagine this is you.

Whatever you do,

Just try to see yourself.

And I want you to look at yourself and see how you as a kid are looking back to you with a big smile.

Oh my god,

You were such a happy kid.

Can you see that?

Can you see that beautiful smile,

That eagerness for life,

That happiness to be here?

And I would like you to tell yourself as a kid how proud you are of this thing that you just thought of.

I will not give you the words.

I will just guide you a little bit,

But I really would love you to find your own words.

But you could say something like,

I'm so proud of you.

You have no idea that now when I'm looking back at myself,

I'm looking back at you at this age,

That I'm looking at you with awe.

I'm so amazed by the wonderful,

Beautiful,

Sweet,

Kind,

Funny kid that you were.

I'm so proud of you.

I'm so proud of you.

Take a moment to find your own words and express these.

You can express it internally,

But if you feel like,

And your surroundings are OK,

Then you could also express it out loud.

Go ahead.

And notice that smile on yourself as a kid.

You can see it.

Can you see yourself receiving this?

And you know what?

You as a kid want to say something back to you,

Want to compliment you back on your own words.

Wants to compliment you back with something.

And they might convey it in words,

Or they might convey it with a symbol,

Or they might convey it by a thought just popping into your mind,

Or maybe a song,

Whatever it is.

They want to tell you that they are also proud of who you have become.

You,

This little kid,

You were like a seed,

Like a beautiful seed.

And here you are now,

Grown out of this beautiful kid.

So let's take a moment in silence so you can hear,

But you as a kid has to convey to you and why they are proud of you.

Go ahead.

Listen and receive.

This is so wonderful.

And if you feel that this is making you emotional,

That's OK.

That's really normal.

Can you feel,

Can you receive this compliment?

Can you receive this love from this little kid you once were?

All right,

Now say goodbye to them and just know that you're always with you.

I would like you now to think of something you were really proud of when you were a teenager or young adults.

And again now,

The first thing that pops up in your mind,

That's the one to go with.

Yes,

That one.

You can always come back with something else later on.

All right,

Now picture again yourself or know yourself to be here or say your name or think of a photo.

Make a movie screen of you on this age as a teenager or as a young adult.

And take a moment to acknowledge how wonderful you were.

So young,

So ready for life,

Even if you might have had a hard time at that age.

I mean,

Who didn't have a hard time as a teenager?

But that's OK because all that contrast,

All those struggles brought you insights,

Brought you knowledge,

Brought you where you are right now.

So take a moment to acknowledge how wonderful you were.

How sweet.

Even if you were a big rebel,

Then still,

You know,

It came from a good heart because you know you.

You have a good heart.

You had it also right then.

Now bring to mind that thing you were proud of.

You are proud of when you were this age as a teenager or young adult.

And whatever it is,

It is OK.

You know,

Maybe it's your smile.

Maybe it is because you stood up for yourself vis-a-vis that stupid teacher.

Or maybe it was because you had good grades,

Because you discovered you really,

Really liked mathematics.

Don't laugh.

There are people like that.

I like mathematics.

Whatever it is,

Just bring it to mind and see if you can see yourself in this win.

And I would just like you to express again to your younger self how proud you are.

Why you consider this element a win?

Because this win has brought you something right here.

Why you're still thinking back with pride,

With satisfaction of that moment or that period in your life?

That is because it brought you here.

It was a quality that started then and that you still have deep within you.

Even if you think you don't,

You do.

You do.

So I'll give you a moment to express your pride,

To express your gratitude,

To express your satisfaction with this win of you as a teenager or young adult.

Go ahead.

And can you see yourself receiving this with a beautiful smile,

A heart that glows up?

And you know what?

Also now your younger self here wants to tell you something.

You know what?

You're not going to be able to tell yourself what you're going to do.

You're not going to be able to tell yourself what you're going to do,

But your younger self wants to tell you something.

And maybe these are words,

Maybe they convey it in a different way.

Maybe it's just an image or a song.

But let's take a moment to listen what they have to tell you,

Why they are proud of you,

Out of this young person.

Go ahead,

Listen and receive the love.

Oh,

That's so beautiful.

Can you feel the smile in your face?

Can you feel this glowing place in your heart?

I would like you to think now of something you're really proud of,

What you really consider a win now in your life.

You've just mentioned a lot of things in the life.

It could be something like that.

It could be something else you're thinking of.

Take a moment.

Yes,

That one,

You don't have to overthink it.

And I would like you now to imagine that you are looking in a mirror,

Looking at yourself like you might do every day when you wake up and brush your teeth.

Take a look,

But really look yourself in the eyes.

And I would like you to tell yourself how proud you are of yourself,

Of this win,

Of this thing that you are so happy with,

So proud of,

So satisfied with,

That you are doing this,

Dealing with this,

Coping with this,

Being this,

Whatever it is,

Doing this.

I want you to look yourself in the eyes and say,

Oh my.

I've seen you grown up from a small kid to where you are right now.

And I'm so proud of you,

How you got here,

With everything going on in your life and in the world,

With all the ups and downs that you've made,

The world,

With all the ups and downs of life.

You are here.

And there is this particular thing that I just want to thank you,

That you have created this in my life,

That this is something I can feel so proud of.

This is something I can feel so good about.

And you did it.

We did it.

I did it.

I so love myself.

I'm so proud of myself.

I'm so worthy.

I would like you now to find your own words for a moment to express whatever you want to express to yourself.

Go ahead and see yourself receiving this love.

And because it's a mirror,

Can you feel how it reflects back to you,

How the love that you're sending yourself immediately pours back into your own heart,

How this satisfaction with yourself glowingly comes back to your own heart?

Yeah.

That's so beautiful.

It's so beautiful.

All right,

Last thing.

I would like you to think of something that you would like to be a future win.

And I would like you to pick something that you can wait for.

It's not hurting when you think of it not being here yet.

It's something that you can look forward to with happy anticipation,

With an eagerness of where you are and looking forward to this win that is on its way to you,

Whatever it is.

Think of this win.

And you might even give it an image or sound or feeling or a knowing or a projection of something.

Just take a moment to give it a shape,

To give it some substance for you,

Some meaning.

Yeah.

Right.

Exactly that.

And I would like you now to picture or know this to be in front of you,

Hoovering,

Hoovering in front of you.

And I would like you to look at this and to know that this win is about to come your way,

That this beautiful situation or thing or person or feeling or whatever it is,

It is on its way to you because you are now imagining it.

You are now knowing it to be.

And as long as your heart feels light,

As long as you feel that you can trust it will come.

It doesn't have to be today.

It doesn't have to be tomorrow.

It doesn't have to be next week.

You can just live your life with joy and knowing that this is on its way.

And that in itself is giving you so much joy that you want to smile right now.

And if you have a hard time believing that,

Then I would like you with me together to put your hands on your heart and to bring all your attention to your heart in the middle of your chest.

Maybe you can help yourself by imagining there is a light there in the middle of your chest,

Beautiful warm light,

Loving,

Loving light.

And I would like you to listen to the voice of your heart and the voice of your heart whispers.

It never shouts.

It always whispers with patience and love.

And if you listen well,

This is what it whispers.

Don't be afraid.

Trust.

Don't be afraid.

Love.

Don't be afraid.

Enjoy.

Don't be afraid because you are so lovable.

You are so unique.

You are so special.

Trust.

Trust and every win you want will come your way.

Can you feel that connection with your heart?

If you find it hard,

Then just bring your attention to your breath again,

Breath flowing in and out from your nostrils while your hands stay on your heart.

It might be easier to hear what your heart is saying when you calm your mind because your heart always whispers the same.

I love you.

Trust me.

You're lovable.

Trust me.

You're worthy no matter what.

Trust me.

All right.

Now,

Let's celebrate our wins.

There's so many more wins you could think of from your childhood,

From your present moment,

The wins that you would like to see.

The win can be to just wake up in the morning and pay some attention to what your needs are,

Your wants are,

And to take care of those.

Your wins can be as simple as maintaining patience when someone you love needs some patience.

And your wins can be big,

Achieving those goals that you've set for yourself,

Whatever it is.

Enjoy.

Enjoy every step on the way going there.

You know what?

Let's get up from this beautiful,

Soft,

And gentle seed.

Let's put up your favorite music and just take a moment in your imagination to just celebrate,

To dance,

To swing,

To jump,

To laugh,

To run,

To climb on the slide and just slide from it.

Feel the joy in your heart.

And you know what?

The joy is always there.

Even when we think it's not,

It's always there.

We just forget sometimes to connect with it.

And that's OK.

We're human.

Life happens.

Just know that the joy is there,

And you can always connect back to it.

All right.

Let's wrap it up together.

If you want to continue to dance here,

Then by all means,

Dance and be happy.

But I'm going to walk back to this beautiful gates.

And if you want to come back with me,

Then I invite you to walk back with me to the gates.

And let's come back from 10 to 1.

And know with every step that the joy,

The eagerness,

The pride,

The satisfaction,

The happiness,

The love that you felt is coming with you.

You're not leaving it behind.

It's all within you.

So 10,

9,

8,

7,

6.

And you know what?

You might want to wiggle your fingers and toes to start to feel that you're getting back into your body,

Getting back here,

But with all these pleasant feelings in your heart.

5,

4,

3,

2,

1.

Let's step back through the gate.

And when we close it behind us,

We don't close it off.

Because we know that we always have this space to come to.

And you can get here whenever you want to celebrate whatever you want to celebrate.

To look forward to what still has to come and to look back at what was good.

All right.

Now,

With the door closed,

I would like you to take some time to get out of the meditation.

Keep your eyes still closed,

Because they were closed for some time.

And when you just open them like that,

It might be not so pleasant.

So really take your time.

Take some moments.

And I'll be here waiting for you.

I'm also taking my time to open my eyes.

And when you're ready,

I'll be happy to hear from you how it was for you.

If you want to share any insights,

That would be really great.