In mindfulness,
We start to explore a willingness to be with things as they actually are in the present moment.
This is also called equanimity.
And this state of balance and even-mindedness helps us to find a sense of stability and calm amidst the changing nature of life.
We naturally start to cultivate equanimity when we practice mindfulness,
But it is something that we can bring extra attention to,
Which is what we'll be doing in today's meditation.
So I want you to start by finding a comfortable position,
Whether that's sitting,
Standing,
Or even lying down.
And I invite you to remain relaxed yet alert in your posture if you're sitting or standing,
Maybe focusing on the spine stacked on top of itself,
Letting the body know that we're not sleeping or resting,
But we're meditating.
Close your eyes if that feels comfortable,
Or you can also soften the gaze in front and slightly below you if that feels better to you.
And let's start by taking some deep breaths in through the nose,
Down into the belly,
Filling the belly with air,
And releasing gently through the mouth with a slight sigh,
In through the nose,
Filling the belly,
Noticing what it feels like for the air to fill the belly up right now.
And out through the mouth with a slight sigh,
In through the nose,
And maybe as you breathe,
You imagine your breath picking up any worry,
Stress,
Or anxiety that's in your body right now,
Picking it up on the inhale.
And as you release through the mouth,
Imagine the stress and anxiety floating away on the breath.
Taking one or two more breaths like this,
And feel free to make as much noise on the exhale as feels good to you.
And now let's use our awareness to bring some relaxation into the body,
Starting with the face.
Bring your awareness to your forehead,
And when you do,
Gently invite this area to relax.
If you notice there's tension,
Imagine some relaxation entering this area in the forehead,
Coming next to your eyes,
Your eye sockets,
Noticing if there's any tension.
And if so,
Just gently inviting some relaxation to enter this area.
Moving to your cheeks,
Notice your lips,
Your tongue,
Inviting relaxation to enter,
Any tension that might be holding in this area.
Coming next to the jaw,
Imagining the muscles of the jaw releasing and relaxing just by using your awareness.
Coming next to the neck,
The front,
Back,
And sides of the neck,
Noticing any tension,
And gently inviting some relaxation.
Next,
Becoming aware of your shoulders,
The tops of your shoulders,
Noticing any tension that might be present,
And gently inviting them to relax and release.
Next,
Noticing the arms,
Down into the hands,
Inviting relaxation.
And coming up to your chest,
Noticing any tension in the chest all the way down into the heart,
The muscles around the heart.
Can you invite some relaxation to enter and fill the whole chest?
Moving to your stomach,
The abdomen,
All the organs that are working,
Maybe inviting them to release and relax,
Even if just a little bit.
Moving down to your hips and your pelvis,
Inviting some relaxation.
And coming to your upper back,
Noticing any tension,
And watching as the relaxation enters and melts down through your mid-back,
Your lower back,
And into your legs,
Your upper legs,
Lower legs,
And then down into the feet,
Letting any tension melt away.
Taking a few breaths into your body as a whole,
Just noticing what's present now in the whole body.
Maybe you notice more relaxation.
Maybe you don't,
And that's okay.
Just taking a second to notice what's here for you right now.
Now we're going to add in some phrases to support the willingness to be with things just as they are here in your body,
Mind,
And heart right now.
If you want,
You can bring to mind a specific situation or challenging emotion that you're having stress and anxiety around right now.
And just imagine directing these phrases towards the situation.
You could also just offer these phrases to yourself and your life here right now in general.
I'm going to offer some suggestions,
And you choose what feels best to you or make one up.
So we're just going to repeat these phrases silently in the mind.
May I be with things as they are.
May I be with myself just as I am.
And if this feels too stressful right now,
Maybe the phrase is,
May I one day be with things just as they are.
May I one day be willing to be with myself just as I am.
Some other phrases you could try are,
This too shall pass.
May I know I'll get through this.
Just repeating silently in the mind,
Whichever of these phrases or all of these phrases feel good to you in the moment.
May I be with things as they are.
May I be with myself just as I am.
This too shall pass.
May I know I'll get through this.
Continuing to repeat these phrases and directing them towards yourself or this challenging situation that you find yourself in.
Really letting the words and the energy of the phrases speak to you,
Comfort you,
And open you up.
May I be with things as they are.
May I be with myself just as I am.
This too shall pass.
May I know I'll get through this.
Continuing to repeat these phrases to yourself silently in the mind,
Listening to the words and letting in the energy of these phrases.
And you can gently let go of the phrases and sit with your body for a few moments here.
Once again,
Noticing what's here now.
Has anything shifted?
Do you notice any ways you were affected by this meditation?
No right or wrong,
Just paying attention to what's here for you now.
You can take some gentle movements to wake the body back up.
And whenever you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
