Okay,
Let's start right where we are.
This meditation can be done sitting with your eyes closed or open.
You may want to try this as a walking meditation.
If you feel you want to bring some movement to your body,
There is no right or wrong for today.
You are here and that is enough.
However you came to this moment,
In whatever state you find yourself in right now,
Begin by bringing your attention to your breath.
As you inhale,
Allow the breath to fill up your lower belly,
Your diaphragm.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath empty out of your lower belly.
Just repeat this cycle,
Breathing into that lower belly and then exhaling through the nose to empty out.
Keep going with this style of breathing and as you exhale,
Really elongate the exhale.
Make it slow and as drawn out as you can.
On your next breath in,
I want you to bring awareness to your heart space or your chest,
The energetic center of your body where we hold pain,
Melancholy,
Suffering,
And also where we hold joy,
Lightness,
Love beyond what we knew we were capable of.
Let your attention rest here and notice what you're feeling today in this area.
Breathe in deeply and just allow yourself to notice and observe how you are feeling in this moment.
Meditation allows us to access how we are feeling.
It allows us to witness ourselves without judgment.
It allows us to be with the big heavy emotions that we run from.
Keep breathing in through your nose and slowly out through your nose.
And notice that you're doing it right now.
You are sitting with your emotions.
You are being with it.
It's one of the hardest things to do and we are never taught how to do this.
And right now you are doing it on your own.
You're capable of being in the discomfort or comfort of this moment.
Taking a deep breath in and letting it go.
Happiness is not a natural state.
We have to remember that it is one emotion of many.
Discomfort is a natural part of life.
It passes and meditation reminds us that we are capable of feeling deeply,
Of sitting in those uncomfortable moments,
Of being with our thoughts and breathing through it.
Our breath is our ally.
It is our safety net.
It is generated by you for you.
Keep breathing and keep connecting with your breath.
A challenge when we are moving towards sobriety is that it is a letting go,
A shedding.
And when we are in the letting go phase,
We often are really focused on what we're giving up.
We're mourning or grieving a version of ourselves that got us to this point,
That helped us make it and survive to this point in our life.
But we're also holding the possibility that this version of ourselves no longer exists.
You know,
It takes a lot of courage and humility to put down our masks,
To stand in our vulnerability,
To be in this place of uncertainty and sit while we're releasing previous versions of ourselves.
Keep breathing and keep bringing your attention to your breath.
On your next breath in,
Ask yourself the question,
What will I gain from letting go?
What words come to mind?
Freedom?
Safety?
True connection?
Alignment?
In an unshakable manner?
If you're comfortable with this,
Bring one hand to your heart center or your chest and take a deep breath in and say to yourself,
To you,
From you,
I've got this.
I'm right here.
I'll catch you.
Take a deep breath in.
Keep your hand there.
Right on your heart.
And again,
Say to yourself,
I can be in the unknown in this moment.
I can chart a new course.
I can write a new chapter.
I can unlock new levels within myself.
Take a deep breath in and before you release that hand,
Just say to yourself,
I love you no matter what.
Take a deep breath in.
This time,
Let it go out of your mouth.
Just sigh it out.
My name is Tess.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for showing up to this.
And thank you for meditating with me.
