Hello and welcome back.
Today's meditation will help you release anxiety related to the past and the future.
To begin,
Make yourself comfortable and relax your body.
Begin any tension in your belly and shoulders and find a position that feels both relaxed and alert.
Now,
Close your eyes or look downwards.
Rest your hands in an easy and effortless way.
Take a few moments to scan your awareness.
Be aware of the sensations of your body and wherever possible,
Soften and release obvious areas of physical tension.
Be aware of your body,
Your breathing,
Your chest rising and falling with each breath.
Allow yourself to become very,
Very relaxed.
This is your time to simply be.
Now,
Imagine that you are standing in the street outside of your house with two heavy suitcases.
One of those suitcases is full of worries about the future and the other suitcase is full of regrets about the past.
As you are standing there in the street holding these two heavy suitcases,
Take a moment to reflect about each one.
Reflect about the future,
How it will come on its own accord whenever it comes and that most of what we worry about will never happen.
Standing out there in the street,
Reflect about the past,
The other heavy suitcase.
Consider how the past cannot be changed.
All we can do in the present is to learn from it,
To make changes based on what we've learned.
To become more skillful,
To become a better person and move on.
Standing there in the street,
Feeling the weight of these suitcases and absorbing the wisdom of your own reflections right now,
Make a conscious decision.
Do you want to drop the suitcase of worry about the future?
And if so,
Simply drop it.
Then,
Standing there in the street with the other suitcase so heavy about the past,
Make a conscious decision.
Do you want to drop it?
And if so,
Just drop it.
Just drop it.
And as soon as you have dropped the two suitcases,
Walk back into your home and take your seat right where you are.
Sit down with ease,
Feeling so relaxed,
Like someone coming home from a long trip,
Dropping suitcases and just relaxing,
Resting in the present moment,
Just breathing,
Resting in the natural well-being of your body,
Resting in the well-being of awareness itself,
Awareness that has no worries or regrets.
Allow yourself to simply rest,
Feeling a sense of peace,
Of joy,
Of well-being,
A natural happiness,
Always your true home.
Without carrying heavy suitcases of worries about the future or regrets about the past,
Simply rest here in your body right now,
With total relaxation throughout your body and mind.
For the next few minutes,
Continue to rest in the peaceful perfection of this moment,
Appreciating the many blessings of your life.
Now,
Notice how you are feeling.
As you continue on with your day,
Bring this feeling of peaceful presence with you.
Let it be easy.
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness back to your physical surroundings and open your eyes.
This is Mary Freeth,
Wishing you a peaceful day.
We'll see you again soon.
