Hello,
My friends.
My name is Kalyani,
And I invite you to join me for a short and sweet,
Powerful break from your day.
Each Mindful Minute's practice is a soft landing,
A gentle reorientation,
A way of remembering yourself in the midst of the busyness of everyday life,
Bringing peace to your mind and ease to your body as we regulate our nervous system in small,
Bite-sized practices.
Today's topic is You Are Not Your Wound.
Please find a comfortable position for your body in a place where you will not be disturbed.
Take a few long,
Slow breaths as together we push the pause button on our day,
Inviting the eyes to close gently for just a few moments.
Sitting up tall in a chair,
Scan your body quickly from the top of your head all the way down to your feet,
Noticing sensations without judgment,
Observing any areas that are tight or tense,
And becoming aware of the place where you store stress and negative emotions in your body.
Let's take three cleansing breaths together.
Imagine,
As we inhale through our nose,
We can gather all tightness and tension.
Open the mouth and sigh it out.
Inhaling gather any emotions we discovered hiding out within,
And exhaling let them go.
Finally,
Inhaling anything that no longer serves you,
And exhaling through the mouth surrender it to be transformed.
Then invite your mouth to close gently,
And trust your body to maintain a comfortable and easy,
Relaxed breath in and out of your nose.
Each time your mind wanders off,
Simply notice and return your awareness back to the rise and fall of your breath.
We have all experienced wounds,
Deep hurts that seem to linger just below the surface.
If we're not careful,
They begin to take over.
They begin to define who we are,
How we see ourselves,
And they change how we see the world around us.
They may make us feel overly sensitive and raw,
But that wound is not you.
You are the awareness that discovered the wound buried deep within.
You stopped long enough to hear its cry,
To hold it tenderly with compassion for that younger version of you that experienced the pain.
This wound,
Long held,
Began to protect itself.
Wanting to protect that younger version of you from ever having to experience that pain again,
Layer upon layer of hardness built up until it became an impenetrable wall.
That survival mechanism is no longer needed,
And yet you grip tightly to its protection.
Take a moment to come fully present into this stronger version of you.
See yourself as the one who has learned to survive and overcome.
Give yourself credit for all of the many life lessons you have accumulated since then.
Imagine yourself standing tall and confident.
The breath is slow and steady as you stand in your power.
Now see that younger version of you standing before you.
Now look deeply in their eyes and see them still trapped beneath the weight of that wound.
See them through eyes of empathy,
Compassion and love.
Tell the younger version of you,
I am here now,
And you can put it all down.
Looking into your younger eyes,
Say thank you.
Thank you for trusting me,
For never giving up.
Thank you for the highs and lows.
The many life lessons.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Then tell them,
I am so sorry for all that you went through.
You didn't deserve to be treated that way.
I'm so very sorry for all of the times where you felt all alone.
I see all that you have been carrying.
The heaviness.
The sadness.
The darkness.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so very sorry.
Please forgive me.
Forgive me for holding you back.
Forgive me for holding so tight to this pain.
Forgive me for ever letting you down.
For judging or blaming you.
We don't need to carry this pain any longer.
Please take my hand,
And let's move forward together.
Forgive me.
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
And finally,
As you gaze deeply into your own eyes,
Say,
I love you.
I love you exactly the way you are.
I love you for being authentically you.
I love all of your unique gifts and talents.
I love you for never giving up,
And for coming such a long way.
I love you.
I love you.
I really,
Really love you.
And now rest as you integrate everything that came up for you.
Simply listen to the music as your breath falls in and out with ease.
And remain in comfortable stillness for a few more moments.
And then you will hear my voice guiding you once more.
Come back to your breath now,
Allowing your breath to find its own comfortable rhythm and pace.
Allowing yourself to be filled with gratitude.
Sending gratitude into your body and mind,
For the ability to pause the busyness of your day.
Gratitude for this brief moment of awareness.
And this reminder to return to the breath whenever life overwhelms.
When you feel ready,
Simply blink your eyes open with a smile.
And look around the space around you through new eyes.
