I'm Iman Khan with Blooming Minds and this is an urban meditation.
The purpose of this meditation was to challenge some of our preconceived notions about what we think we need in order to do something and receive the benefits.
For instance,
In meditation,
Sometimes we believe we need a zen-like,
Peaceful,
Quiet environment and that's not always possible.
So this meditation was designed to teach you how to make some of those things that may not be ideal work for you rather than against you.
By allowing things to be as they are,
We create more of an opportunity to learn and grow.
Let's begin.
Close your eyes if you're so inclined and take a deep breath in and release.
And again in and release.
I'd like you to take a scan of your body and just really get a sense of yourself and the space that you are occupying.
Feeling yourself connected to the chair or the floor,
However you have chosen to posture yourself with dignity and strength.
Just begin to allow the outside to be an awareness that you have.
Hearing the sounds yet not needing to make them be any different than how they are.
Noticing the chatter without needing to pay attention to the specifics of what is happening.
This is how we learn to observe our own mind and our own body.
Understanding that when we allow things to be as they are rather than how we wish them to be,
We decrease resistance and we create a space to grow and breathe.
Our environments have a natural rhythm to them.
They flow in and out with energy and observing this rather than reacting to it is one step towards understanding ourselves and each other.
I invite you to begin to find one aspect of the sounds that you hear to pay attention to.
Paying attention without judgment,
Without a need to make it different,
But just observing it from a very neutral standpoint.
And as other things that you may hear distract you from whatever you have chosen to pay attention to,
Just acknowledge them with grace,
With compassion,
And come back.
Breathing in gratitude and breathing out any need to control or make something different.
In this state of acceptance,
We begin to understand our environments are rich with life and love and beauty.
When we listen with open hearts and open minds,
Magic happens.
The beauty of the world opens up our eyes to the understanding that we create our special space.
At first,
We must become within.
Some sounds are easy to be soothed into a place of peace,
But it's what we give attention to that really helps us ground in truth,
In compassion,
And in wholeness.
Take a few moments now to really breathe in the music,
The life,
All that you hear.
Allow it to fill you with an understanding that when we stand in our present moment,
Regardless of what it may look like in that moment,
When we allow things to be as they are rather than how we wish them to be,
We can begin to create open and receiving energy,
Possibilities.
We begin to feel free knowing that whatever may be uncomfortable or disturbing will soon pass and eventually we will come back again to a place of calm,
A place of understanding,
And a place of release,
Releasing all notions,
All narratives that try to lure us into the belief that we need things to be a certain way.
In this moment when we decide,
We become free,
Free with possibilities,
Free with appreciation of all that surrounds us,
All that we learn from,
All of the beauty.
We are able to understand that even in the most challenging and difficult moments,
We can stand sturdy and tall knowing that they will pass,
Understanding it is all part of the human experience,
Not just the quiet moments,
Not just the beautiful moments.
All of our moments,
Positive or negative,
Are all part of the human experience and we are learning to move with the rhythm,
Move with the rhythm of our life and our environments and our communities,
Our moods,
Our fears,
Our vulnerabilities.
We're moving with them,
Moving,
Releasing,
Allowing,
Accepting,
Forgiving,
Loving,
And learning.
We are moving with them,
Moving,
Releasing,
Allowing,
Accepting,
Forgiving,
Loving,
And loving,
Being with them.
Thank you for sharing this moment with me and give yourself gratitude for taking this time.
Be well.
