Welcome friends to this meditation where we reflect on retirement,
In the feeling of loss that is sometimes felt during this period of transition,
Just taking a few moments to reconnect with who you are beyond your past roles,
Titles,
And accomplishments.
To begin,
Take a comfortable seat and close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a deep breath in and exhale.
Let it all go.
Begin to notice the natural rhythm of your breath,
Maybe feeling the rise and fall of your belly or feeling the air flow in and out through your nose.
Just observe for a moment and allow your body to soften and your mind to still.
In life,
We often become attached to a career,
A title,
A sense of usefulness,
Especially if it was one we enjoyed or gave us a sense of fulfillment.
When we retire,
It can feel like a loss,
Not just of work or friends,
But of who we are as a person.
If we look to the Gita,
It teaches us that this attachment is an illusion.
You are not your job.
You are not your past actions.
You are something eternal,
Unchanging,
And whole.
You are a divine light or inner soul that you were born with,
The Self with a capital S.
You are the same soul or self that you were before your first job,
Before college or high school,
Before kindergarten,
And you are the same soul or self right now at this moment.
The essence of who you are has never changed.
Your work or Dharma is not done.
You are evolving,
Transitioning.
Opportunities await you.
In your mind's eye,
I invite you to envision writing the name of your job or title on a piece of paper.
See yourself bringing that piece of paper to a stream or a gently flowing river.
Place it in the water and watch it flow away,
Not feeling loss,
But liberation.
You are still here.
That divine light is present within you.
Feel what remains and breathe.
I invite you for the next few moments to repeat the following mantra.
You can say it out loud or whisper it or repeat it in your mind.
I release my attachment to my old identity.
I welcome this new chapter with grace.
I release my attachment to my old identity.
I welcome this new chapter with grace.
I release my attachment to my old identity.
I welcome this new chapter with grace.
I release my attachment to my old identity.
I welcome this new chapter with grace.
Friends,
It's time to release the mantra.
Take a deep breath in and exhale.
Let it go.
Slowly open your eyes.
Come back to the space around you.
Remember,
You are not your work or your job.
You are not your past.
You are whole,
Unchanging,
Eternal.
Carry with you this stillness.
Carry with you this truth.
You are not what you did.
You are what you are always.
Namaste.
