I don't know about you,
But now that I'm getting older,
My birthdays just seem less exciting and I kind of feel funny in the lead up to them.
There's all this anticipation,
This expectation,
Perhaps from when we were younger and it was the biggest deal in the world.
I had a countdown and I was so excited for my birthday and I,
You know,
Just loved,
Loved,
Loved the day.
Looked forward to it every year.
And so nowadays I'm left with this sort of strange,
Funny feeling on my birthdays.
So I thought I'd create a meditation to be done specifically on your birthday and can be practiced at any time as well,
Just full of self-love and just making sure that you cultivate and feel that,
That worthiness from within.
So closing down your eyes,
Getting really nice and comfortable,
Making sure your back is supported,
Your head is upright,
Unsupported,
But if you prefer to lay down,
That's no problem at all.
Laying out a really big sigh.
So what's there for you right now?
Embracing it,
Accepting it,
However it is you're feeling.
Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you have to be having the best day ever.
Doesn't mean you have to be feeling uber excited.
However you're feeling is right,
Because that's how you're feeling.
Whether you're feeling a little bit disappointed,
Perhaps let down.
Whether you're feeling lonely,
Nostalgic.
Maybe you're feeling afraid,
Regretful.
And perhaps you're feeling really grateful and you are feeling excited.
Whatever is there for you is perfect.
So really making room for it now,
Making space for it.
Scanning down your body to find the source of this feeling,
To find any physical sensations that are accompanying this feeling.
Because all of our emotions have a physical correlate.
Just resting your awareness on the place inside of your body where you're feeling some sort of sensation.
And again not resisting it in any way,
Just exploring it with a kind of curiosity.
Maybe there's some tingling,
Some tension or tightness,
Some heaviness,
Some numbness.
Just exploring the sensation that you're feeling without judging it,
Even telling it that it's welcome here.
Now tuning in to your breath,
A natural rhythm of your breath without changing it in any way.
Noticing the way that it rises and falls all on its own without any intervention required.
This is our ever-present life force sustaining us and nourishing us all day every day.
From the moment we came out of our mother's womb,
That we lay down for our final rest,
This breath is our constant.
It never stops.
Perhaps feeling some gratitude for this breath and for this body that houses this breath.
And our circulatory system taking all of that oxygen around our body,
How perfectly designed the human body is.
Sitting here in all the time it took to get you to this moment.
And right from the start,
Right from that big which instigated this whole thing,
All of the stars,
The planets,
The galaxies,
The solar systems,
Into perfect alignment.
So that our planet earth is conducive to life.
That first organism evolving into existence.
And from that first human being,
The groove and the evolution,
All of our ancestors that have come before us to our great-grandparents who found each other amongst all the billions of people and had our parents,
Who then found each other.
And on that particular day,
In that particular way,
They came together to produce you,
And that embryo was formed.
That embryo was nurtured.
Your mother carried you and loved you and anticipated your arrival.
And then this day,
Some years ago,
You were ready to come out of that warm,
Nurturing right now and enter this physical world.
And the moment you came out with love,
With gratitude,
And excitement,
Meant to be here in this world,
Meant to live this life,
There's only one of you,
With your color eyes,
Your color hair,
And your personality in this life.
Because you're meant to be here,
And you have a right to be here.
You have this moment,
And you've been gifted this time on this planet to be,
To receive.
So thank you for being here,
For coming into this world at exactly the right time,
In exactly the right way.
And thank you for who you are and for what you do.
All of the energy and effort,
The love,
The patience,
And you are appreciated.
Even if the people around you don't always show it,
Know that they feel it,
Need from anyone else.
There's nothing you need to prove.
You have everything you need inside of yourself.
You are pure love.
You embody pure bubbling up inside of you now.
Reaching far into that infinite well inside of you.
Unconditional love.
This is the true you.
It is your core rendering to this feeling.
In the center of your chest,
Ever so gently.
It's warm like the sun,
And bright,
And it's starting to grow outward in every direction,
Flowing through every cell of your body,
Flowing into your veins,
Through your blood,
This golden,
Warm,
Bright spring.
Right to the tips of your fingers,
The tips of your toes,
Your whole body flowing with this love.
Basking now in this feeling of love,
Of appreciation,
Of fulfillment.
There's nothing that you need to do nowhere.
No state you need to achieve.
Your awareness is drifted off into thought.
This is such an important,
Normal,
Expected part of the effortless meditation process.
So not letting it concern you in any way.
And then gently in your own time,
With love and grace,
Gently flowing back to this feeling you've cultivated from within.
That's flowing through your whole body,
Beings in your physical presence,
To your street,
Any people,
Animals,
To your suburb,
To your whole city,
Everyone being enveloped by this feeling.
All the beings in your country experiencing the same loving,
Loving,
Joyful feeling.
Imagining it flowing into our entire planet now.
Enveloping all the countries and the oceans and within this globe of ours,
Solar system.
Envelop our entire universe.
This is your power.
This is what you are capable of.
This love to everyone and everything in your midst.
So thank you for being here,
For arriving on this day all those years ago.
And for bringing your presence.
Thank you for all you have done.
And thank you for just being you.
Because that is enough.
And coming back to your breath now.
Noticing your surroundings once again.
Noticing what you can see behind those closed eyelids.
And then bringing very gentle movement into your fingers and your toes.
And gradually expanding this movement into your arms and your legs.
And twisting your spine.
And noticing once again what is present for you.
Allowing whatever is there to be there.
And knowing that it's right.
Because that's what's there.
And if you wish you can place a hand over your heart.
And there's absolutely no rush to get up.
And take as long as you need,
As long as you have.
It's your day to celebrate you.
Thank you for taking this time for yourself.
