Hi and welcome to this beautiful meditation called The Essence of Life.
I'm glad you could join me.
Take a moment to make yourself comfortable.
That could be laying down or seated.
And just notice the breath in and out through the nose if you can.
And the sense of settling that this brings as we breathe.
And as you settle back and just notice the breath.
Just let the story I'm about to read float into the ears and into the soul.
So the other day I noticed every time I was looking for an essential oil to use in my yoga class it was empty.
Bottle after bottle was empty.
At first it seemed like nothing but as more bottles were empty I just knew it meant something.
I'm just feeling the breath now slow and steady through the body.
Settling the mind.
Now when we notice in the outer world something like this it can be mirroring something within us.
Carl Jung called this synchronicity a meaningful coincidence.
Not just a random event but moments where the inner and outer world seem to align in a way that feels significant.
So what does it mean when you keep coming across empty bottles?
Maybe it's nothing but maybe it's a gentle sign,
A reflection.
A sign that somewhere along the way you've been pouring yourself out.
Breath in,
Breath out.
Drop by drop,
Day by day,
Giving it energy,
Attention,
Care.
Showing up,
Pushing through and staying responsible,
Staying strong until one day you look around and all the bottles are empty.
Take a nice long slow breath in and notice the ribs rise and as you exhale notice them settle.
And maybe if you're honest you feel a little empty too.
Not dramatically,
Not all at once,
Just a kind of depletion.
The kind you don't notice until something small like an empty bottle brings it into your focus.
And this is the subtle power of synchronicity.
Just feeling the body relax to the earth or in your seated position.
Take a nice slow breath in and a nice slow breath out.
And this is the subtle power of synchronicity.
It doesn't shout,
It doesn't demand,
It simply places something in your path and lets you feel the meaning for yourself.
The empty bottle doesn't accuse you,
It doesn't say you've done anything wrong,
It just asks the question,
What have you been giving without refilling?
What have you been giving without refilling?
Just slowly reflect on that for a few breaths.
Essential oils are interesting things.
We use them for calm,
For clarity and for healing.
We reach for them when we need support,
But even they run out.
And when they do we don't blame the bottle,
We don't expect it to refill itself.
We recognize it needs replenishing.
So why do we expect something different from ourselves?
Why do we keep pouring our attention,
Time and energy without pausing to refill?
And just let that breath,
Let your breathing just gently refill you.
To ask,
Where am I running on empty?
Where have I been giving too much for too long?
And would it feel good to just refill even for a little bit?
A moment of rest,
A deeper breath,
Maybe putting in a boundary you didn't put in before.
A refilling doesn't need to be dramatic,
It can be as simple as acknowledging I'm allowed to need replenishment too.
Quite often the outer world reflects the inner state and what you're feeling.
The empty bottles are reminding us you don't have to stay empty.
You can pause,
You can restore,
You can begin again,
Full or at least filling,
So that the essence of life remains sweet within you.
Just breathing slow and steady,
Letting this all sink in.
So next time you notice something small,
Like empty bottles of essential oil,
Don't dismiss it too quickly.
It might not just be a coincidence,
It might be a moment of meaning waiting for you to listen more deeply.
Slowly now,
Feel the breath as it moves the ribs,
The belt,
Stretch out your fingers and your toes,
And thank yourself for finding a moment to refill.
