Dear friends,
Welcome to this end-of-year meditation,
Your invitation to look back on the past year with gratitude and look forward to the new year with hope.
We'll be looking back at the past,
Especially the past year,
And we'll be giving thanks for it.
And,
If there are aspects that were not what we would have hoped,
We'll give thanks anyway and try to let any disappointments fade away.
See if we can let them fade away into the past,
Just as clouds float by across the sky.
Try to let them go,
And we'll resolve to begin again as we approach the end of one year and the beginning of a new.
To begin,
Let's see if we can centre ourselves and bring ourselves into this present moment.
We are here in body with the best of intentions,
But we may not be here in spirit just yet.
There may be things on our mind keeping us from being present in the here and now.
We might still be thinking of gifts to buy,
New year cards to be sent,
And even wondering have I the time to be sitting here at all?
So let's pause to bring body and mind into harmony,
Becoming really present in the here and now.
Always beginning by making sure we are sitting comfortably,
Because meditation is not meant to be a trial or an endurance test,
It's meant to be something helpful.
So feet firmly on the floor,
Place your hands wherever they feel comfortable,
It might help to close your eyes or at least cast your eyes downward to avoid distraction.
Your back reasonably straight,
But still relaxed.
Don't forget to drop the shoulders,
Let the shoulders relax.
Very often we hold tension in our shoulders,
So roll them a little and then let them relax,
And let the jaw and the mouth relax.
Next become aware of your breathing,
Notice your breath coming in and going out.
No need for big breaths or special breaths,
Just noticing the breath as it is,
Coming in and going out,
And you just being here.
Breathing in and being aware that you are breathing in,
Breathing out and being aware that you are breathing out.
We can lose concentration during a breathing exercise,
We've all done that,
No worries at all.
Just gently return to awareness of your breath as soon as you realise you've lost the awareness.
Remember,
That realisation is itself an act of awareness,
So well done if that happens.
Let's allow a 60 second pause for this breathing exercise,
Just one minute.
Welcome back.
Next we are going to reflect on 10 aspects of the past year,
The year now ending.
I'll call out a prompt and I'll allow you a short time for reflection after each prompt.
You don't have to struggle to answer the questions,
But some prompts might trigger a feeling of happiness or gratitude,
That would be great.
Or maybe you will get the feeling that something has to be let go,
That would be even better.
My hope is that all of us will find something useful in one or more of these 10 prompts in relation to the year now ending.
So the first question,
What were your best or happiest moments in the year now coming to an end?
See if you can recall some act of unexpected generosity that you performed this year.
Think of how good you felt at the time,
And how good you feel now,
Now that you recall the event.
Have you changed,
And how have you changed since the beginning of this year?
Next question,
Have you had some success this year,
Or anything special that should be celebrated?
This is a time to remember that with gratitude.
Have you changed your opinion on anything this year?
Well done,
If you have.
What difference has that change of opinion made to you?
Who do you have to thank for helping you through the year?
Have you been on the receiving end of some kind deed,
Or some act of unexpected generosity?
Have you been putting up with something you've tolerated for a long time?
Maybe now is an opportunity to call a halt and say,
I won't put up with this any longer.
The next question,
Did you let go of any old prejudices or beliefs this year?
Or are you holding on unquestioningly to your old views?
Was there some event that you found really difficult at the time,
But looking back over the year,
You see it all worked out for your benefit?
And the final question,
Thinking back over the year,
Is there a resolution you made at the start of the year that you're sorry you haven't kept?
You know how a year seems so much longer when we look forward on the 1st of January?
And then when we look back on the 31st of December,
We notice how short it was.
So the question is,
Can we try better to keep one of next year's resolutions?
Time now for another one minute pause.
Welcome back.
We will now turn our attention to the year ahead.
And just as we had reflections and pauses to allow us to look back on the past year,
We will have prompts to help us approach the new year.
In the year ahead,
Can we look at each new day as a gift?
Can we remind ourselves of what an amazing thing it is to be alive?
Try to see the world as if looking at it for the first time.
If we find this hard,
See if we can borrow a child and notice their sense of wonder,
Even at the sight of very simple things,
Looking at a blade of grass with great interest.
Can I approach each new evening in a spirit of gratitude for the gift of the day?
How can I bring focus to that gratitude?
Maybe a notebook kept by the bedside where I might jot down maybe three things for which I'm grateful in that day.
Or maybe a joy jar,
A simple jar recycled,
Into which I can drop a note to remind me of one or two things that I'm thankful for in that day.
Question for you.
Is there something that you have been putting on the long finger?
Let this new year be an inspiration to finally get it done.
Is there someone I need to forgive,
Or whose forgiveness I need to seek?
This life is short,
And the time to do these things is now.
Is there someone who has not been told how much you love or appreciate them?
Beautiful words are said about people after they die.
Why don't we tell them while they're alive?
An idea for the year ahead.
We live in a wonderful,
Highly connected but always connected world.
In many respects it is wonderful.
But when do we pause the connections to just contemplate the miracle of our own existence?
This year,
Can we find half an hour in the day to stop and just be?
To realise that we are here and alive.
So the final idea for the new year.
A new year is a new beginning.
A clean sheet.
Is there one gift,
One attitude,
One approach to life that I want to bring into the world in the year ahead?
A final one minute pause now before this meditation comes to an end.
A big thank you for taking the time to listen to this meditation.
I hope it brought you to a place of gratitude for the past and resolution for the future.
May each day bring you many reasons for gratitude and lots of opportunities to do good.
So that our world will be a better place because of the gift of your presence in it.
Namaste.
