Who Are You?

So welcome to this meditation in which we'll soften into who we are.

We use meditation as a tool to connect to our deeper selves.

So you can go ahead and find your posture,

Find your meditation seat,

Chair or cushion.

Allowing yourself to close your eyes or lower your gaze,

The hands can relax in the lap or on the legs.

Feeling into the stability of the lower legs.

Allow yourself to sort of nest settle in like a dog taking whatever time you need to get situated comfortable.

Taking a quick scan of the body and noticing anywhere that's obviously holding and without shaving that or being aggressive with it,

Just see it,

Feel it and it might soften a bit.

Just a noticing that allows a release.

You don't really have to do much about it.

So just scan the body noticing where you're holding things,

Sort of like the armor around you.

It's not a problem,

It's not a unique situation to you,

It's what we do.

But here we have the time to notice.

If you haven't already you can connect to the breath.

On the inhales I want you to notice where you sort of meet the edge,

Sort of where you meet the inside of that suit of armor where you can't open up anymore.

It's just a noticing.

You might notice if you meet that in the chest or the shoulders or maybe it's in the head,

Mind is full,

There's no room for the breath.

And without judgment just noticing as you inhale where the inhales meet a block,

Stuckness.

And again we're not trying to change that to control the breath,

It's just a gentle noticing.

But perhaps as we continue just to sit gently with the breath without expecting anything of it,

We're just allowing ourselves to come home to it.

We might feel that armor soften a little bit,

Expand.

Allowing yourselves a few moments now to come home to the breath,

Let it become your stability so anywhere you're holding,

Bracing in the chaos can relax and release.

You might get distracted,

It's just what minds do.

Just beginning to gather attention to the breath now,

It's not a problem.

Just notice when you get pulled away.

And time and time again make the choice to instead come home to the breath,

Sense into how it feels as the chest opens and the shoulders make a trip backwards.

Can you be curious about the variations in the breath as we naturally sit with it?

Letting this breath become your anchor,

Letting it guide you to a place within you that feels more steady,

That feels safe,

It's beneath the thinking mind,

It's not washed in the weather of the emotions.

Let the breath be your anchor,

Be your guide and take you there.

And we'll keep this breath as our anchor as we begin to excavate away the layers that we've gotten buried under over our lives,

Begin to soften and dissolve,

Sort of like a gobstopper or Russian doll,

The costumes,

All the misperceptions or masks and come home to who we are.

So maybe even setting that intention now,

That invitation to yourself of I'd like to,

I'd like to get to know me.

I'd like to remember who I am according to me,

What's true for me.

And setting the intention to meet that person with the love,

Understanding that you would give your most cherished loved one,

Which maybe when you remember who you are,

You'll remember that's who you are,

Your most cherished loved one.

The beginning now simply by breathing,

Keeping that anchor.

Just with the breath as the anchor now sensing into that layer on the outside,

Maybe it's skin but it's more than skin,

It's a projection of your persona,

Your energy.

It's how you present,

Not according to your own eyes,

Although you may have fashioned yourself in a way to appear a certain way.

With an honesty,

Non-judgment,

Not getting emotional or personal about it,

Just seeing.

Seeing yourself as if through the eyes,

The stranger or acquaintance and how do you present?

This don't have to be negative or positive things,

They could be all over the map,

But just opening up our eyes to how we show up to others out there.

Maybe it's category of person,

A label,

A label we choose to comply with or is forced upon us.

Again,

Losing the resistance to it or just being curious observers.

What do people see when we show up?

And some of this you might feel proud of,

Seen as,

Much of this has probably been told to you.

You're either acting apart or conforming to who you have been told you're supposed to be.

Noticing those parts now,

Did you put on lipstick because you liked it or because you were told that's what a woman does?

Are you driving a certain car because you like it or because that's how you told to show up?

You're supposed to,

To meet the version of yourself to play the role society needs you to play.

Are there any cracks in that veneer that don't feel right to you?

How do others see you?

It doesn't matter.

What are you presenting in their way or your way?

Being compassionate with yourself as you feel into this and just noticing where it hurts to be told where you find congruence.

In any way that you're showing up for others in a way that does not feel right for you,

Decide now to let that go.

That's not who you are.

Stop pretending you don't have to.

You are enough based on the truth.

Where can you let go?

Where can you take off the mask?

And if there is resistance,

Meeting that with compassion,

Are you afraid you won't fit in?

Are you afraid you won't succeed?

Are you afraid others will judge you negatively?

Let that go.

Who cares?

All the energy in that outer layer of living up to what others want,

Of meeting the comments,

The looks,

The demands of what others want from us,

They need us to be a certain way,

Many of them.

But you don't have to meet their needs.

Let this outer layer go where it does not serve or protect or reflect you.

It doesn't matter what they think.

What matters is that you're showing up in a way that feels good to you.

Dig deeper.

Dig deeper now.

The next layer of beliefs about who you are probably reflected in how you show up.

What is your belief system,

This sort of structure that holds you together?

Getting up in the morning,

You get dressed a certain way because you are meeting a belief about yourself.

You act a certain way to reflect a belief you have about yourself.

If you believe you're not worthy,

You show up small,

Quiet.

If you believe you have to prove something,

You show up with too much bravado.

The belief system is impacting who you think you are and it's probably not true.

Where did you get these beliefs?

Who told you you weren't good enough?

Who told you that that was what you had to be?

There's some lies right now that are telling you who you are.

If any of them make you feel small or afraid or not good enough,

Let them go.

That's not who you are.

You might have some beliefs that make you feel more open,

More grounded,

More in purpose.

Those beliefs,

You have a beautiful soul,

You have a creative potential.

Those beliefs,

Hey,

Let's sit with those for a little while.

Let them take up space,

Let them become incorporated into yourselves and notice where they came from not out there.

The truth,

The real beliefs,

They are coming from within and the most true ones are the ones you're a little shy about.

You're a little bit hesitant to say because you don't want to seem egotistical,

Toot your own horn.

Those are the true ones.

Scream,

Shout,

Laugh,

Sing to yourself.

Others later,

Sure.

What is true for you?

A belief system is a structure that supports you being fully you.

We all need a framework of self.

It's not chaos but most of our structures are built on a false foundation that will never meet.

I am needing to be perfect.

If I'm not perfect,

I'm unworthy of love.

Let that belief go.

What is true that can be a strong foundation for you?

What do you believe about yourself?

You might be scared to say it.

You might be from the heart.

What do you really believe about yourself?

Releasing this layer now and going to the place that's deeper,

That is beneath the structures.

It's our center.

It's our very being,

Our essence.

You can use whatever word means something to your spirit,

Soul,

Light.

It's not a thought.

It's not a story.

It's not a belief system.

It's a flavor.

It's a feeling.

It's an energy.

Sense now into your center.

Who are you?

Who have you always been before the world knocked you around,

Painted you up,

Dressed you up,

Told you what to be?

What's within you that's your unique essence?

Can you feel that?

Maybe it's got a color,

An energy,

A song,

A cartoon character,

Anything at all.

Sense into what's within you before you forgot.

Before you got burdened.

Before you were told it wasn't right.

Soften into the heart,

Into your center with love and open up to that true self that's been there all along.

Resting in this heart space,

Opening up with compassion and interest to yourself.

Nice to meet you.

Tell me about yourself.

Oh my gosh,

You love art,

You love music,

You love to dance and sing and nature.

Interesting.

Feel into this presence.

This basic center within you.

Feel its flavor.

Feel any way that it's been ignored.

Not shaming yourself or judging yourself for doing so but it happens.

Where has this true self been sort of put aside,

Talked out of?

See if you can't let that go.

What if you allowed yourself to be and to know truly who you are?

And I'm not just talking the good stuff.

You can also sense into the stuff that maybe the shadowy stuff,

The stuff we're still working on.

Quick temper,

A tendency to sort of be a little shady,

Take the last chocolate,

You know,

That stuff.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's usually just the flip side of something else that's good.

So just sort of imagine meeting yourself and giving yourself a big hug and remembering that you love yourself fully.

You're cute,

You're funny,

You're negative stuff.

Come on,

It's ridiculous.

We're going to work on that because we are something bigger and better.

It's all okay.

Who you are is 100% okay.

There's no part of you that you need to cover up,

That you need to bury in the sand.

Meet yourself wholly and fully and remind yourself it's more than okay.

All of it.

Who you are,

You would not be without the funny bits,

The crazy bits,

Loving fiercely,

Standing back and watching.

Whatever you do,

You're you.

Stop judging.

Stop saying you need to be anything but that.

Breathe,

Be,

Allow,

Get to know yourself,

Sense into it.

Feel this flavor,

This energy,

Whatever you're sensing into,

Allow it to just be freed.

So feel it coming out of the heart space or the center,

Wherever it is for you and just coming out into the shoulders,

Out the arms,

Into the fingertips so that your actions will be a reflection of who you are.

Allowing this truth of who you are to come all the way into the belly so your passions,

Your hungers,

Your creation will be guided by who you are.

You won't be subject to primitive fight flight reflexes because you just don't know who you are.

So you're scared.

You are secure when you know who you are,

What you stand for and what you are capable of.

Allowing your beautiful self-awareness to move down your legs to your toes,

Imagining now walking a path that is authentic and true to who you really are.

This path,

Of course it will have challenges,

They all do.

But you're guided and purposeful because it's in line with your deepest sense of self.

What you love,

What you can do,

What you offer,

Who you are.

Allow this energy now to move up into the mental space,

The brain,

The head,

The senses.

Seeing life from your true perspective,

Not how others have told you to see it.

Hearing what is true for you,

Not how others have interpreted for you.

Wake up,

Release the filters,

The mass,

Breathe in air to who you are.

Let your thoughts be beliefs that are reflective of what you really think,

Consistent body,

Heart and mind,

Who you are,

This beautiful,

Unique,

Amazing person.

Allow yourself to be.

Meet this inner self with whatever compassion,

Understanding it needs to feel safely seen.

Building this beautiful knowledge of who you are gently and kindly with wisdom.

You don't have to shout it to people who don't need to know,

Ruin it.

Who you are matters to you alone.

Feel how that changes the way you are in this world.

The stability,

The guidance,

The foundation this gives you.

It's always going to be there,

Who you are.

Keep connecting to it.

Maybe there's a word that can remind you.

Don't be afraid of yourself.

We'll close this meditation with a reading by Marianne Williamson.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light,

Not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant,

Gorgeous,

Talented,

Fabulous?

Actually who are you not to be?

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking.

We are all meant to shine as children do.

As we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

Thank you for your practice today.

Continue to shine with the beautiful light of who you are.