Hello,
I am Dr.
Sayiba Aiko and I will be your contemplative meditation guide for the next 15 minutes.
During this time,
I invite you to become comfortable,
Still,
And relaxed.
We'll begin today's meditation with a quote,
Then we'll start with some breath work,
And I'll guide you in a brief meditation and send you on your way with an affirmation.
So let's begin.
Today's quote is from James Clear.
The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario,
But a mindset that can handle uncertainty.
I'll read that twice more.
The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario,
But a mindset that can handle uncertainty.
What comes to body,
Heart,
And mind when you hear those words,
When you contemplate?
The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario,
But a mindset that can handle uncertainty.
For me,
What came up when things didn't go as planned,
I used to freeze.
I'd get stuck and become fixated on what seemed to have failed.
Then,
Somewhere along my journey,
I learned to exercise my flexibility muscle.
Once I did,
I noticed how creative I was and how I'm actually a natural at off-the-cuff moments.
I had to build trust in myself to show up no matter what and be ready for whatever.
What I once was afraid of,
Uncertainty and releasing control,
Eventually became comfortable.
So,
As you sit with those words and what came up for you,
I invite you to close your eyes or lower your gaze,
Whatever feels comfortable for you,
And begin to notice your breath.
Slowing it down,
We'll inhale for four through the nose,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And we'll exhale for seven,
Also through the nose,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Then release the breath and begin to breathe at a normal pace.
And with your eyes still closed or your gaze lowered,
I invite you to imagine a white light from above shining down on you.
Feel this light flow in from the crown of your head,
Your crown chakra,
All the way down your body,
Slowly filling you,
Going through each chakra,
Your third eye,
Throat chakra,
All the way down your heart,
Solar plexus,
Sacral,
And root.
See that light going all the way down,
Filling your legs to the soles of your feet.
And then imagine that white light piercing through the earth,
Through each layer all the way to the earth's core.
And at the earth's core is a bright light.
And you wrap your bright light around the earth's core light,
And it comes back up through each layer,
Through the soles of your feet,
Back into your body,
Completely filled with this light from above and below.
And then the light begins to expand outward until you're completely surrounded by a white light,
A bubble of white light.
And see that bubble slowly expand into all places and spaces of the universe.
Continuing to breathe at your own pace,
Recall a time when you made the perfect plans and they did not flow accordingly.
This can be the most recent or whatever comes to heart,
Body,
Mind first.
And see your plans going awry.
For whatever reason,
The plans worked out differently than you planned.
How was your mind set?
Did negative thoughts come up?
Or were you able to remain positive through those challenges?
As plans unraveled,
How were your thoughts?
How did you respond to the mishaps?
How did it make you feel to see and experience things go differently than you'd imagined or planned?
Were you anxious,
Upset,
Angry?
What emotions came up for you?
What feelings?
Did you become critical of yourself?
What was your mental chatter,
Your self-talk?
Did you blame others?
How did you experience these challenging moments?
Did you kick into immediate creativity and respond accordingly in the moment to each mishap?
Or did you lose focus in your ability to kick into action and recover and bounce back?
Did you respond or react?
Did you feel capable like you could handle any challenge that arose?
Were you afraid or scared of the uncertainty you were met with?
Or were you fearless and ready?
Seeing yourself in that moment.
Then I invite you to take a deep breath.
And now I'd like you to envision your next set of plans.
And notice what desired outcome or desired outcomes you may be attached to.
How can you soften?
How can you release control of those plans and be prepared to flow through whatever may occur?
In this moment,
I invite you to see yourself in those next set of plans that you have.
Flowing,
Responding instead of reacting,
Feeling competent,
Trusting yourself,
Being creative in the moment.
Really see yourself in those plans.
See yourself flowing with whatever challenges may arise that are completely different than what you initially imagined or planned.
And how does that feel?
Notice in your body what sensations may be coming up as you imagine yourself flowing through whatever challenges may arise in your next set of plans.
Where do you feel this?
And what do you feel?
See yourself holding your next set of plans and experiences equanimously.
And then I invite you to take the deepest breath you have taken all day and exhale out of your mouth.
And we'll do that once more.
Taking in a really deep breath and exhaling out of your mouth.
And when you're ready,
I invite you to come back into the space,
Feeling the earth beneath you,
Wiggling your fingers,
Your toes,
Stretching your arms above,
And opening your eyes or raising your gaze whenever you are ready.
In today's affirmation that I'll leave you with,
I am prepared to flow peacefully through whatever uncertainties I am faced with.
And so we'll repeat that together three times.
I am prepared to flow peacefully through whatever uncertainties I am faced with.
Twice more.
I am prepared to flow peacefully through whatever uncertainties I am faced with.
Once more.
I am prepared to flow peacefully through whatever uncertainties I am faced with.
I invite you to be mindful,
Breathe deep often,
And contemplate all the ways you can handle uncertainty in peaceful ways and flow.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
