Hi,
It's Anne.
Welcome to your practice.
This meditation is all about connecting to your why for meditation.
The reason our why is important for building and sustaining habits is because meditation,
Just like any other habit worth pursuing,
Is not always easy.
Actually,
It's usually not,
Especially at the beginning of habit development.
Naturally,
There will be moments,
Or huge chunks of time,
Where meditation won't seem very motivating,
And you'll need a potent why to get you over the hump,
To remind you of what's important about meditation,
Why you wanted to take it up in the first place.
Does it make you feel healthier?
Are you nicer to your kids?
Whatever the reason,
This meditation will bring you face-to-face with it,
So you can use it as a kind of fuel during your I-don't-want-to moments.
Begin by finding your comfortable meditation posture.
This might be seated on a bolster or a chair with your hips higher than your knees,
Or laying down.
In whatever posture you're in,
Make sure that you feel supported and are sitting in a regal,
Yet relaxed way.
Before you find complete stillness in your body,
See if there are any physical adjustments you can make to your posture to become five to 10% more comfortable.
Maybe you can relax your forehead,
Your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Or your hips.
Begin to feel your body as a whole.
Become aware of your whole body in space.
Begin to feel the natural rhythm of your breath exactly the way that it is.
Notice where you feel your breath the most,
Perhaps the low belly,
Underneath your belly button,
Your chest,
Or underneath your nostrils.
Commit to focusing your awareness for the time being on the breath in this area of your body.
Know that your mind will wander 10,
20,
Or even 50 times.
The practice of meditation is in strengthening the part of your mind that notices you're somewhere else and can return to the raw sensation of breath in this moment.
Notice how your breath affects your body Notice how your breath affects more than just this area of the body.
Feel the effects of your breath beyond the respiratory system.
Feel your breath affecting your muscles and your nervous system.
And perhaps you can also get a sense of the breath affecting your organs and vessels.
Imagine that as you inhale,
You're sending nourishment to your whole body.
And as you exhale,
Your body is receiving this nourishment.
As you maintain focus on your breath in your low belly,
Chest,
Or nostrils,
Sense what could relax and soften in your body.
What could relax and soften in your body?
Perhaps your lips,
Tongue,
Jaw,
Belly,
The palms of your hands or the soles of your feet.
Gently scan the body with the breath still in the foreground of your attention,
Sensing what could soften and relax.
Now,
Imagine that your mind is a sweet little child that has recently learned to walk.
When you notice your mind wandering,
That little child getting excited and walking towards something in the distance,
Gently hold the hand of the child and bring yourself back to the anchor,
Your breath.
See just how kindly you can treat yourself as you breathe and relax,
Centering yourself in this moment again and again.
Wherever your attention is in this moment,
Bring it now to the heart center of your body,
The space just beneath your collarbones.
Externally,
You might sense clothes touching your chest as you inhale,
Or you may feel how the breath extends into your shoulders and arms.
Internally,
You might bring your mind's eye beneath the surface of the skin to the heart.
Notice the presence of sensation,
Warmth,
Movement,
Tingling,
Pulse,
Vibration.
Feel breath nourish and receive here.
How much can you feel?
How much can you feel?
Keep your attention on your heart center and allow breath to now go to the background of your experience.
I invite you now to gently connect with your intention for sitting in meditation.
Why are you here?
What motivated you?
What made you feel this way?
Why are you here?
What motivated you to meditate today?
Still connected to your heart center,
Ask,
Why is that intention important to me?
If your intention for sitting was relaxation and focus,
Why is it important to you that you relax and focus?
What does this offer you?
Why do you care about it?
Narrow down the importance of your intention for sitting down to just one word.
If you feel,
For example,
That being relaxed helps you to not react as much to life stressors and therefore make wiser choices,
Your word might be authenticity.
Or if your intention was focus and you care about focus because it allows you to be more present with your loved ones,
Your word might be connection.
Once you choose this word,
Take a minute to just breathe in and out while holding this word in your mind's eye.
As you inhale,
Imagine this value nourishing your heart.
And as you exhale,
Imagine it being received by your body.
Really take it in.
Allow your whole body to be overcome with breath.
Visualize yourself living this value to the fullest and notice any sensations that come about in your body as you do this.
You might choose to stick with this image of yourself living with this value in a variety of contexts and places.
Or you might,
From time to time,
Guide your attention back to the breath,
To this value being breathed in and out of your heart.
Or to a sense of relaxation and self-observation without judgment.
Can you sense a feeling in your body associated with completely embodying this intention?
See if you can build that feeling of goodness up,
Make it stronger.
Make it stronger.
Sense that this value and this feeling associated with it are becoming a part of you.
Allow any visualization or anchor to fall away as you simply rest in the awareness of this moment.
Surrender to exactly what you're experiencing right now.
Sounds,
Thoughts,
Images,
Sensations.
Simply watch how everything changes.
When you're ready,
Send your awareness to your heart and begin to deepen your breath.
Feel your whole body in space,
Breathing deeply.
Check in and see what's changed for you,
If anything.
You can do this type of reflection on values with any activity in your life.
Reflecting on values can help you reject unhealthy habits and behaviors,
Gain motivation to regularly engage in activities you know would enhance your wellbeing,
And also refuel your relationship with these life-enhancing activities that you're sort of in a rut with.
You can gently allow your eyes to open and take plenty of time to move,
Stretch,
And rest as you transition.
