BELL Take a deep breath.
At the top of the breath,
Hold your breath for the count of eight.
Then release your breath slowly out your mouth and resume breathing naturally and easily.
Gently close your eyes.
Cast aside the worries of the day.
Let them fall away as you exhale,
Letting go more and more.
Letting your body settle.
Now take your attention to the top of your head and scan your body by slowly bringing your awareness down through the length of your body.
Be aware of any tension or tightness in your body.
If you become aware of any tension in any part of your body,
Take your breath to that place.
Breathe in and out of that place,
Feeling the tension drain out of that place.
Breathe in and breathe out of that spot,
Feeling the resistance draining away with every breath.
Letting the breath be like an internal massage,
Soothing you.
And once you are done,
Take your attention all the way to the top of your head and scan your body once more.
Releasing all tension that exists within your body.
Relaxing with every breath more and more.
Continue to breathe freely and easily,
Listening to these words and allowing them to be there,
But letting them come and go.
Taking a deep breath and as you breathe out,
Acknowledge that you are here just for you.
Mentally say to yourself,
Just for me.
Just for me.
My time,
My space,
Just for me.
Thank you.
Why is it okay for me to be doing this?
What emotions came up when you asked that question?
Was it guilt?
Was it the feeling of being in trouble?
Was it the feeling of defense?
Or the feeling of despair?
Was it the feeling of empowerment or relief?
What feeling was it?
Spend some time without feeling,
Without asking it to change.
Just observe it and experience it,
Like a child experiencing a texture for the very first time.
Right now,
Exactly what you are thinking and feeling is exactly what you need to be thinking and feeling.
There is no right or wrong way to feel.
Notice that you are doing nothing at all.
Why should you do nothing at all?
Run through the benefits of doing nothing at all.
Run through the benefits of taking time just for you.
Why is this time,
Just for you,
Worth it?
Why is this time,
Just for you,
Worth it?
This time is just for you.
You are not being pushed around by anyone.
There is nothing to do.
There is nowhere to go.
Underneath all the sounds you hear is quiet.
Beyond my voice is quiet.
Thoughts are distant.
Thoughts are distant.
They haven't gone away,
But underneath them there is quiet.
Quiet where your breath breathes you.
You are at the center of the world.
Continue to feel exactly how you feel.
It is exactly how you are supposed to feel.
Nothing has gone wrong.
Feel your body sinking into the floor or chair that you are sitting on in the absence of control.
In the absence of should or shouldn't.
In the absence of expectations.
In the absence of threats and incentives.
There is no watcher.
You are free.
You don't need to try.
You don't need to not try.
You just need to be.
Feel that relief.
Feel that feeling of letting go.
Now imagine yourself on a beach.
Look around yourself at this place.
What color is the water?
Are there clouds in the sky?
Is it stormy or tranquil?
What time of day is it?
Is the beach made of sand or tattered rock?
What can you hear at this beach?
Are the waves crashing on the shore?
Can you hear the sound of distant cars passing by?
Or is this sound the sound of absolute silence?
Listen to these sounds.
Just allowing my voice to come and go.
Hearing the words but not holding on to them.
Breathe in and breathe out as you sink into this place.
Feeling the feelings of this watery place.
Imagine yourself sitting down near the ocean.
Feel yourself settle into the sand or rock.
Feeling the ocean mist on your face.
Smelling the smells of the ocean.
And as you sit on this beach,
Close your eyes.
Reflect back now through your life.
Reflect over the times that you didn't feel good about yourself.
Times that you felt stupid or wrong.
Guilty or angry with yourself.
Reflect on the times that you judged yourself harshly.
Criticized yourself.
Felt disappointed with yourself for not being acceptable.
When you may not have seen yourself as successful.
Or beat yourself up when you didn't get the love that you needed thinking there was something wrong with you.
Reflect back on the times that you blamed yourself for making mistakes.
Felt ashamed of yourself.
Or took too much responsibility for others.
Reflect on the times that you lost confidence in yourself.
And sabotaged yourself by trying to please or placate others.
Think back on the times that you put yourself down in front of others.
Or allowed them to use,
Control,
Manipulate you or put you down.
Recall any times in your life when you didn't feel good enough.
As these recollections come alive you may feel the feelings arise within you.
You may feel the feeling of despair or shame,
Rage or anger,
Sadness or grief.
Do not push these feelings away.
They are here because they need to be felt and acknowledged.
Imagine yourself standing up from your place near this ocean but with your eyes closed.
And with your eyes closed walk slowly straight into the waters of this ocean.
This is the first step to not abandoning yourself anymore.
You may feel afraid and feel tempted to open your eyes but don't do it.
Just place one foot in front of the other.
Feel the temperature of the ocean waves as they begin to envelop your body more and more the further that you wade into the water.
Without opening your eyes sit down in the water at a depth where the waves smash into your chest and face as they roll into shore.
These ocean waves are feelings.
By feeling these feelings you are finally being completely with yourself here and now with no conditions.
It is what you have wanted from others all your life.
And now for a time as you breathe in and breathe out affirm to yourself again and again,
I am completely here with myself now.
I am completely here with myself now.
I am completely here with myself now.
Keep imagining these feelings as waves in the ocean.
You may be tempted to turn your head away from them but instead turn to face them.
And imagine yourself surrendering to them more and more.
Feel them as they toss and turn you and crash against you.
Feel any feeling that may be there.
And let each in breath and each out breath carry those feelings through you and over the top of you like waves pushing ocean foam towards the shore.
Releasing the holding that these emotions have on you.
Now imagine yourself interacting with someone who is trying to manipulate you in some way.
How does it make you feel?
Imagine yourself expressing yourself to them with integrity.
Express yourself honestly and in a way that is aligned with your truth.
Tell them what you need and what you want.
Tell them who you are.
Tell them how you feel.
See,
Feel and hear yourself being assertive,
Firm and resolute.
Letting go of all feelings of guilt and standing your ground.
Now see,
Feel and hear them getting really angry,
Putting you down or withdrawing from you.
Imagine any painful response that is most familiar to you.
As the waves crash against your chest and your face and try to toss and turn you,
Imagine that they represent the anger or rage or guilt being pushed at you by this person.
Imagine yourself allowing these waves of negative energy being directed at you to crash into you and roll past you like the waves roll to the shore.
Feel yourself remaining strong and resolute.
Feel the feeling deep within you of being indestructible.
Knowing that if you allow it,
The negative energy directed at you from others will roll right through and right past you like waves towards the shore.
Feel the feeling deep within you of knowing who you are and admitting who you are to the world.
And now with every breath,
Know that you are breathing in your truth and with every breath know that you are breathing out old beliefs that no longer serve you.
Imagine yourself only keeping promises that feel good to you.
Imagine yourself only making promises that feel good to you.
Continually ask yourself,
Do I want this?
Is this me?
If not,
Make no promises to anyone.
Let yourself feel that feel good feeling within you that occurs when you do what is right for you.
You are unique and deserving of love and respect.
Being truthful to yourself and honest with others allows you to feel good about yourself.
As you breathe in and breathe out,
Affirm to yourself,
The more honest I am and do what is right for me,
The more others respect me and the freer I am.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
And now for a minute,
As you breathe slowly and evenly,
Imagine that you are breathing in integrity.
Know that you are breathing out what no longer serves you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
And for a minute,
As you breathe slowly and evenly,
Imagine that you are breathing in your truth and breathing out the way that others want you to be.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
And now for two minutes,
As you breathe slowly and evenly,
Imagine that you are breathing in your honesty and breathing out constriction,
Fear or embarrassment more and more.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
The more you acknowledge it,
The more you will do what is right for you.
Continue to breathe freely and easily,
Breathing out your old ways more and more,
Becoming brave more and more,
Being willing to show yourself to the world more and more,
Committing to your pure,
Authentic self.
As you breathe in,
Feel the trust within you rise.
Know that you are trusting in the idea of making your own decisions more and more.
And as you do,
Say to yourself,
I know what is right for me.
I value myself.
I no longer abandon myself.
I hear myself now,
And I care what it is that I need myself to know.
How I feel and what I need is important to me now.
I know who I am,
And so as I let go of fear,
I show myself to the world more and more.
Breathe in this newfound bravery within you.
You may not have even known that you had it in you before.
Sit with this feeling for as long as you like.
And when you are ready,
Imagine yourself standing up and walking,
With your eyes still closed,
Out of the ocean.
Feel the waves pushing and pulling at your legs and ankles,
As they are forced past you and then sucked back towards the ocean.
When you have reached a place where you instinctively know that you are no longer within the ocean's reach,
Sit down and with your eyes closed,
Pay attention to your breath.
Watch it come in and watch it go out.
Feeling this newfound bravery and commitment to yourself pulsing through your veins.
And when you are ready,
Imagine your consciousness moving through the dimensions and re-entering your body.
As you breathe in,
Imagine your soul entering your body,
Infusing your body with this newfound sense of yourself,
Feeling the brand new hint of self-esteem.
And mentally counting from five backwards to one,
Imagine yourself becoming more and more aware of the here and now,
Until you are ready to open your eyes.
And when you do,
Take a deep and clearing breath,
While reaffirming to yourself,
I am completely here with me now.
Now having completed this meditation,
It is a good time to reassess your life.
Have you made any promises that you need to cancel?
Do you have any needs or desires that you need to express to someone you love?
Do you have anything you feel ready to be honest about?
Something you feel that you need to do?
And ask yourself this question,
If I am being honest with myself,
With my needs and wants,
With my likes and dislikes,
With my aspirations and dreams,
What needs to change about my life right now?
And if you are ready,
Act on the answer that you receive.
Thank you.
