Welcome to practice.
My name is Neil Seligman,
Founder of The Conscious Professional.
Thank you for joining me today for this guided mindfulness meditation to connect with your inner child.
Please remember that inner child work can sometimes bring on strong memories and emotions,
And so please consider carefully whether today is the right day for this contemplation.
If you're not sure,
I recommend asking a relevant healthcare professional before proceeding.
Remember also to take care of yourself throughout the practice,
And at any time you can come back to a comfortable sensation such as the breath or the feet on the floor,
Open your eyes,
Or even stop the practice.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture and by bringing your awareness to the breath.
Take a few moments to let yourself arrive and allow the breath to draw you gently into internal awareness.
Allow the gaze to soften,
The eyes to close.
Notice the breath in the body,
Rolling in and rolling out.
Tune into the natural rhythm of the inhale and the exhale as you invite yourself to land and ground and come to center.
In this practice we're setting an intention,
Perhaps even an invitation,
To connect with the inner child.
So as you breathe,
Beginning by imagining that you're laying out a welcome box for your inner child and visualize this in the space in front of you.
Perhaps laying out an actual mat and then adding a favorite toy or blanket,
Imagining any objects that would be meaningful to your inner child that would help them to feel truly welcomed and allow them to come forward in awareness.
Allowing yourself to add further things that perhaps bubble up into awareness allowing each thing you identify to be specific,
Remembering the colors,
The shape,
The feel,
The smell of those objects as you lay them out as a ritual of welcoming.
You'll do this lovingly and with care.
What color would be the cushion that you set out for your inner child?
Perhaps choosing their favorite color,
Their favorite material.
And as you sit,
Seeing if the inner child has already decided to join you,
And if not yet just sitting and waiting,
Holding the energy of an open invitation,
A loving welcome and a playful curiosity.
Noticing what if anything comes up as you wait,
And if your inner child has already become present,
Just spending now a few moments breathing together.
Just looking at one another and feeling what it feels like to be in the presence of one another's awareness.
Allowing a sense of deepest love to be present in any way that feels right for you.
And as you sit together,
Even if your inner child has not yet come to sit with you,
Offering some loving phrases to your inner child,
Perhaps saying,
I love you,
I'm ready to know you more fully,
And asking your inner child if that would be okay,
And listening.
Hearing and allowing whatever the inner child wishes to say to come forward,
Quiet listening,
Loving listening.
I'm here,
I'm listening,
I'm ready.
And if it feels okay asking if your inner child has a message for you,
And it's okay if there is a message and it's okay if that isn't.
Offering your inner child just an open space for them to express themselves to you.
And if you have messages and things to say,
Just entering into dialogue now,
If it feels okay,
And if not just continue breathing together.
Opening the heart into this process to the degree that feels right for you,
And perhaps asking the inner child if it would be okay to share a hug or hold hands,
Listening and responding,
And if it feels okay to embrace,
As you embrace your inner child,
Just coming back to the phrases that feel right for you.
It could be,
I love you,
I see you,
I'm here for you,
I'm listening.
Being that loving embrace for your inner child in this moment as best you can,
And the degree to which you can is perfect.
Breathing together,
And just communicating to your inner child that the practice is shortly coming to a close,
But that doesn't mean that the connection between you and your inner child can't continue,
It can of course continue.
So setting your own intention,
If you wish the connection to continue just explaining that to your inner child.
Asking the inner child to remain present in your awareness to the degree that feels okay for them,
Setting an intention to keep your inner child in mind and talk to them more frequently,
If that feels okay for you.
Gradually coming back to the sensations of the body breathing,
The body sitting,
The sensations of loving heart,
Opening to the sounds in the room,
And in your very own time allowing your eyes to reopen.
Thank you for joining me in practice today.
