Hello,
Hello and welcome.
My name is Lou Redmond and I really appreciate you showing up to practice with me today.
Depending on when you're listening to this,
We are in the midst of a pandemic going on with the coronavirus and it's something that I don't think any of us could have expected nor could really understand the mass impact that it is currently having and who knows the impact that it eventually will run its course and have.
And what is so interesting for me to reflect is really how it's affecting people in industry at least for one.
I mean personally of speaking at events and obviously events are canceled,
Of trying to sell a retreat to France and Spain and obviously no one's going on planes right now and all different ways that this is having an impact.
I won tickets to a Broadway show,
I live outside of New York City and obviously that's not happening so I also found it funny.
I was playing basketball with a group of guys,
Very different than the meditators or the spiritual people that I hang out with,
So much of dads that get together to play basketball and one of them was saying how he was a bookie and so there's no sports to bet on,
Which I had to laugh just to see how every industry in some way is being affected.
This is regarding financially but also I think we're all being affected in just that atmosphere of fear and anxiety that seems to be pervading the world at this moment.
And even though that there is this separation and this fear,
We're trying to be separate from each other and not to get too close to people,
But there's also this sense that we are coming together.
It's what these tragedies,
These epidemics they do is they really bring us together as a unit.
We are all on the same mission,
We are all working for the same goal and there's this sense of unity that I also see coming around and we have to really appreciate that without getting lost in the fear and in the anxiety of it.
And there's this quote by Will Smith that seems to be going around and I'd like to share it because he talks about the difference between fear and danger and Will goes,
Fear is not real.
The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future.
It is a product of our imagination causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist.
That is near insanity.
Do not misunderstand me.
Danger is very real,
But fear is a choice.
And I think it's important to note that we are in a state of danger,
But just because there's danger,
We don't have to react to that danger in this widespread fear.
We have to take precautions,
We have to do what's necessary and this is where our meditation practice really can come in handy because it's all about stimulus response.
What is present?
Danger.
Reaction.
What do I want to do about that?
Do I want to fear?
Do I want to choose that?
Let my thoughts get into those anxious loops?
Or can I be a little bit more responsive,
A little bit more aware of what is going to best serve me?
What precautions can I take to mitigate danger?
And then how can I serve my spirit,
My soul,
Myself in a way that is most nourishing to my life,
To our life and to our families and our communities and the people that we're going through this with.
So we're going to work with that fear and work with that anxiety today as we move through our practice.
So go ahead and allow yourself to get comfortable,
Maybe taking some movements to allow your body to settle.
Close down the eyes if they were open.
And maybe collectively,
Let's take just a good breath in through your nose.
And open mouth,
Sigh that breath out.
One more of those,
Breath in.
And let it go.
And allow your breath to find its normal rhythm.
Allowing your body to get heavy and feeling the support of whatever is beneath you,
Whether that's your cushion,
Your chair,
The ground,
Your sofa,
Your bed.
Feeling the comfort,
Feeling the support,
Allowing yourself to feel held wherever you are.
Allowing thighs to relax.
And shoulders move away from the ears.
And I'd like you to invite a sense of softness,
Ease and relaxation throughout the whole body.
So maybe that includes doing a little body scan from head to toe and just inviting this sense of relaxation.
And as you settle in,
I'm going to assume that many of us are listening in our homes.
And so you have this comfort of a familiar setting.
Maybe you're stuck at home,
Whether by choice or by mandate.
And as you breathe,
See if you can find the comfort and the feeling of safety and just what it feels like to be at home.
A place that you know,
Maybe you're surrounded with people you love.
Breathing in that sense of comfort.
Allowing it to move into your body and ease your physiology.
Ease your nervous system.
And then together,
Let's take a full breath in and a breath out.
So we're going to begin by really working with the fear or the anxiety that we may be feeling right now.
I'd like you to just think about what that might be.
And not so much get lost in what it is,
But as you think about what is causing you anxiety or fear,
I'd like you to see where is it in your body.
Can you feel the anxiety?
Is it a tightening through your temple region?
Is it an unease in your stomach or clenching in your chest or your neck?
Just for a moment,
Not getting swept up in what the fear is,
What the thoughts are.
Just noting where in your body,
What is the manifestation of this fear?
And once you've just allowed yourself to be with it for a few moments,
We're going to start to allow and imagine that this energy is going to start coming out of you.
So you're kind of moving the fear and the anxiety from inside to outside.
And to do this,
I'm going to have you imagine that the fear is moving into a picture that is right in front of you,
Almost like a portrait.
And you get to decide what the fear,
What the anxiety looks like to you.
Maybe it's a color that's on the portrait.
Maybe it's images.
Noting how big your portrait is or how small.
Right,
Almost like you're painting this blank slate with your fear and your anxiety and getting it out of your body.
Get it all out.
And then once you have it out,
By seeing this picture in front of you,
Whenever it came to your mind.
And we're just going to note the intention behind this picture and this energy.
Because we have a body,
We have a nervous system,
We have a mind that wants to keep us safe.
It is programmed from our birth to keep us safe in the midst of what might harm us.
And so what it does is it elicits fear,
It elicits stress,
And it causes us to be anxious.
So it has these really amazing intentions.
It wants what's best for us.
So let's acknowledge this fear for its intentions.
And almost like you're saying this to this picture in front of you,
Sharing with it,
Thank you for caring for me.
Thank you for wanting me to be safe.
Thank you for wanting me to be well.
And continue to send any other words or feelings of appreciation.
Notice if that changes the relationship to this fear.
It might and it might not.
As you appreciate it,
We're just going to let this picture be there.
Kind of off,
Going to be a little bit in the distance away from your body.
We'll let that be there for a moment.
We're going to move on,
But first let's clear that out by taking a breath in,
Full.
And let that go.
I'd like you to start to bring your awareness to the center of your body.
That's behind your heart,
Maybe it's at the center of your chest,
Wherever that feels good and right for you.
I'd like you to imagine this bright white light of well-being that is at the center of your body.
And as you imagine this light,
See if you can sense its brightness,
Sensing its vitality and its spiritedness.
This bright light of well-being.
We're going to work on growing this light through the practice of some gratitude.
Because we can't be grateful and fearful at the same time.
So I'd like us to first find gratitude for the breath.
Maybe getting a sense and feeling the air again moving in and out.
Maybe finding gratitude for the life and the energy that it gives to you.
Maybe finding thanks for the clearness that you feel in your lungs.
The ability to just take these normal breaths.
And as you breathe,
Feel that light of well-being start to brighten and start to get a little larger.
Maybe even imagine that your whole body was breathing in and out.
So it's as if every pore of your body was taking in that breath,
That oxygen in.
And every pore of your body was breathing out.
And doing that and finding thanks,
Finding gratitude as we stay here for a moment.
And then we're going to let that go and starting to find some gratitude for the heart.
Where that oxygen is going so the heart can pump blood to our entire body.
So maybe you sense and feel your heartbeat.
Maybe you bring a hand or two over your heart,
Over your chest.
Any gratitude that you can feel for having this heart,
For what it's done for you,
What it's allowed you to experience,
To feel,
To love.
The good,
The bad,
All of it.
Breathing and finding that gratitude.
And as you do that,
A light of well-being just starts to get a little brighter and a little bigger.
Bring more and more energy in your body.
And then letting that go.
Moving to finding gratitude for something that is good right now.
Our mind is programmed to focus on what's wrong and we have to take a choice.
We have to find experiences that are good right now.
And so seeing if you can sense what that is for you.
Maybe this experience has brought you closer to family members.
Maybe you're more connected to people you haven't spoken with.
Maybe finding gratitude for your kid's health or the ability to be at home and spend quality time.
And if you're like,
Lou,
I'm having a hard time.
I can't find anything that's going good.
I have a business that's failing.
I have this going on.
Maybe just thinking about something in the past couple weeks that have went good for you.
And finding,
Seeing if you can put your attention on the gratitude for that.
And as you do again,
That bright light of well-being starts to get bigger and brighter with each sense of gratitude.
Feeling what is good.
And eventually that light gets so bright where it's circling your whole body.
And letting go of whatever came to mind and seeing just sitting in this light and circling your whole body,
Feeling that well-being,
Feeling the energy course through your body.
And then as that light moves into the picture that was still around,
You see that the picture with the light,
With the truth emanating into it,
That picture is just a mirage.
And as you notice this,
You start to see that the picture kind of just starts to dissipate.
And it starts to float away out of the distance.
And you're left with just resting in your light of well-being.
And then together,
Let's take a breath in and let that go.
And I like it to just keep that light bright as we move through our last portion.
Because in these times,
It's helpful to find some reassurance,
To find hope,
To find trust,
And find guidance in places that are meaningful to us.
And often,
At least for me,
I know that it's something bigger than myself.
So I'd like you to imagine a symbol of reassurance for you.
That symbol can be a person,
Place,
Or a thing.
Something that helps you to find faith.
Maybe it's God,
Maybe it's Jesus,
The universe,
Buddha,
Krishna,
Mohammed,
Sura,
Astar,
Any of the avatars.
It could be maybe a loved one who's deceased,
A book,
A mentor,
And someone who embodies reassurance and faith for you.
Imagine that that symbol,
That person,
That place,
And it could also be nature,
Just the nature of the world,
Or nature in general.
That is that sense of benevolence and regenerativity and faith for you.
Whatever it is,
Feel the symbol start to come around your light,
Almost like it's holding you,
Comforting you.
Learn to stay here and see if you can feel that support,
Feel that nurturance.
That this energy is guiding you,
It's supporting you,
It's intuiting to you,
Reassuring you the peace of mind that you need.
I'd like you to imagine that this symbol is all around and it starts to share with you just a couple words.
Imagine that it's saying this to you.
May you feel safe.
May you feel at ease.
May you feel safe.
May you feel at ease.
Take in these words of comfort and see if you can surrender to this energy that is supporting your light.
And if it feels right to you,
Maybe asking it to guide you,
Be asking it to keep your family safe and healthy,
To keep your community,
Your loved ones,
Whatever,
Anything that you'd like to say,
To your symbol of faith.
You're taking a few moments to doing that now.
Take these words of comfort and be counselling with respect.
And then slowly start to let go of any thoughts,
Of any intention,
Allowing your body,
Allowing yourself to settle back in to your body and to that light that's within,
Knowing that this light is still there with you.
Whenever you need it,
Maybe you close your eyes and take a breath and remember this light of well-being within you.
Remember that it's looking out,
It's getting comforted by that support,
That reassurance.
Allow it to walk with you,
To be with you through these historic times.
Whenever you're ready,
You can go ahead and open your eyes and come back into your room.
I feel blessed that I,
In these times,
Can still work and offer these practices to you and hopefully offer some support in a time when we all can use it.
So I just thank you so,
So much for taking the time to sit and I hope that it was supportive to you.
If it was,
Definitely share it with someone that you know.
And I hope to practice with you soon again,
Sending you so much love.
Keep that light bright.
Namaste.
