So this is a Lodestar beginning of the year reflection and meditation.
And most of us know that New Year's resolutions don't last.
They're often unrealistic,
They're goal-driven,
They're often lofty and full of striving.
So I'd like to offer you an alternative.
This reflection and meditation is about finding a Lodestar,
A guiding intention for the year ahead.
Just one,
Maybe two words that will serve as a compass that you can come back to again and again.
This is about values and qualities that you would like to cultivate,
Not external goals but an internal inspiration and something to help you navigate through the coming month.
Over the course of this reflection and meditation something will emerge as a beacon which not only sums up the year just gone by but will be a guiding light for the year ahead.
So I invite you to find a comfortable place to lie or sit down for meditation.
Make sure you're comfortable,
Aligned,
Warm and in a quiet place.
So I'm going to give you a moment to do just that.
So once you're in your position for meditation,
However that might be,
I invite you to take a moment to bring awareness into the body.
Rest your attention in your body as your body now senses it can rest.
Give the weight of your body to the floor.
Feel supported,
At ease and balanced.
Letting the weight of the body rest,
Settle so that you can feel grounded,
Noticing the points of contact with the floor beneath you,
Allowing the awareness to filter down through the body,
Settling,
Releasing and grounding.
Bring your awareness to the flowing sensations of breath in the body,
The gentle rise and fall of breathing and letting each out breath allow the body to relax and rest a little more.
Relax and rest a little more,
Releasing tension with every exhalation and notice if there are any areas of discomfort in the body and we can suffuse them with a kindly breath.
If our mind is drifting,
Guiding our awareness back into the ever-changing sensations of body and breath,
Inhabiting the body with awareness,
Noticing what's arising without any judgment,
Watching sensations,
Feelings and thoughts come and go with the breath and just being with our experience as it is right now and into this quiet space.
We can now allow a few words to emerge,
Which encapsulates our experience of the year just gone.
Don't think too much about them,
Just notice any words that emerge and how they make you feel,
But be gentle with your responses to these words and if you do feel a little overwhelmed by a response,
Come back to the body and to the breath and allow the words and the responses to them to disperse and now we can all come back to the body and the breath and we can all let the words and our responses to them disappear and we begin to prepare for what is yet to come.
So in your own time,
I'd like you to allow a color to emerge in your mind's eye.
It may be a mixture of colors but I want you to notice the depth of color,
The shade,
Is it dark or light?
Just let that image,
That visualization just begin to emerge in your mind's eye.
I want you to allow this color to be like a mist surrounding you,
A mist surrounding you which you can breathe in and out.
How does it feel when you imagine breathing in and out this particular color that's emerged for you?
So I'm going to read out some qualities associated with colors and you can reflect whether they resonate with the values,
Intentions and qualities you would like to cultivate this year.
Maybe some of the words shine out for you.
So be open to your responses.
The color red can signify strength,
Courage,
Energy,
Love,
Altruism or generosity.
Let those words settle within you and see if that responds to qualities you would like to develop in the year ahead.
The color blue can be associated with calm,
Serenity,
Trust,
Openness.
The color yellow can be associated with optimism,
Confidence,
Creativity,
Positivity.
The color green can suggest harmony,
Rest,
Balance,
Growth.
The color purple can suggest inner richness,
Authenticity,
Spirituality.
The color orange can suggest warmth,
Joy,
Fun.
The color pink can suggest nurturing,
Care,
Love.
The gray may suggest neutrality,
Balance.
White may relate to purity,
Simplicity.
Black may relate to safety,
Steadiness,
Quietness.
Quietness.
And brown may relate to groundedness,
Reliability.
So let's sit for a moment with these words,
These colors,
These responses and see what emerges for you as important qualities,
Values or intentions you would like to cultivate in the year ahead.
Maybe other words may arise for you and maybe one or two words stand out as your lodestar,
Something that you would like to guide you,
A compass for the year ahead,
A quality,
A beacon.
And maybe the colors can help you envisage and embody that particular quality.
So let's come back now to our body and breath and we can let the images and the words gently disappear.
We notice our contact with the floor,
Sensations arising and passing.
And in a moment we're going to finish this meditation.
But I'd like you to think about the word or words that may have arisen for you and whether you would like to visibly display your guiding word so you're reminded of it daily.
You might want to find quotes related to that word or words for inspiration and you may even want to use it to help you make decisions or choices in the year ahead.
So when you're ready,
In your own time,
You can open your eyes and end the meditation.
