I want you to start this meditation lying down,
Get into a comfortable position,
Shavasana,
Which is Sanskrit for corpse pose.
Release your tongue from the roof of your mouth,
Unclench your jaw,
Release your head and neck,
And I want you to take a moment,
Since this is corpse pose,
And I want you to envision or imagine today's your last day on earth,
And you're on your way out.
You're on your deathbed.
Take a few moments to just let that sink in.
Maybe you feel or you imagine your skin's a little looser,
Your body weaker,
Your soul wiser.
Maybe you find it a bit harder to breathe.
Perhaps you can feel a bit of peace washing through your body,
Your essence,
Your spirit.
Now start taking a bit of inventory on your life as you've lived it thus far.
You might ask yourself,
If you could do it all again,
Who would you be more kind to?
Who would you forgive?
What truly makes you happy?
What makes you sad?
Would you have set stronger boundaries with those you care about,
And more importantly with those you don't?
If you had a second chance,
Would you have spent more time with your kids?
Less time on work?
More time with your wife,
Your husband,
Your partner,
Your family?
Would you have savored your food a bit more?
Would you have chewed your food a bit longer?
If you could do it all again,
Would you have cared as much about what people think about you?
Did it really matter in the long run what people think about you?
Do you wish you would have slowed down?
And in what ways do you wish you would have slowed down?
If you could do this all again,
My friend,
Would you take more time to smell the flowers?
To feel the cool,
Crisp ocean air flow through your hair,
Your body?
Was all that speeding through life really worth it?
Would you have traveled more?
Would you have traveled less?
If you could do this whole thing again,
Would you have cared so much about work,
And earning,
And success,
And ambition,
And striving,
And status?
Was it all worth it?
Did you use up your entire 401k?
Was life really all that serious?
Do you wish you would have laughed more?
Cried more?
Danced more?
I do.
Do you wish you would have had those deep,
Honest,
Authentic,
Real,
Earth-shattering,
Brain-expanding conversations?
If you could do it all over,
Would you have driven so fast?
Ran so many red lights?
Or would you have slowed down?
Maybe stop at a yellow,
Look around,
And enjoy your surroundings?
When you read books to your kids before bed,
If you could do it again,
Would you have skipped so many pages?
What would you give right now to read one more page to your two-year-old child,
Or children?
To have one more conversation with your mom,
Or with your dad,
With a loved one?
Would you have raced through so many days?
Or if you could do it again,
If you had a second chance,
Would you have slowed down?
And taken in everything this beautiful,
Delicious,
Rich,
Painful,
Wonderful world has to offer?
And take a big breath in.
And a breath out.
A newsflash.
Your life isn't over.
You still have,
At the very least,
This moment.
Everything is constantly changing.
Everything is flexible.
You can start again,
Right now.
With each inhale and each exhale,
We have the opportunity to start again.
It only takes an intention and a belief that change is possible,
My friend.
But know that life tomorrow is not promised.
Life can end at any moment.
I can go outside and get hit by a car,
And boom,
That's it.
I'm not saying it's going to happen.
I'm not trying to be dark here.
I'm trying to be real.
Cherish every moment.
Cherish today.
Cherish every day.
Cherish the pain.
Cherish the beauty.
Cherish the frustration,
The anger,
The sleepless nights.
The joy,
The elation.
It's all beautiful.
Cherish every instance you get to spend with your family,
Your friends,
Your kids,
Your partner,
But more importantly,
Most importantly,
Yourself.
Our days on Earth are limited.
Don't miss them,
Speeding through life,
As if there's no end in sight,
Because there is.
And it's closer than we might think.
Enjoy today,
This new chance,
This new opportunity at life.
And take another inhale.
And an exhale.
And slowly start to open your eyes.
Friends,
I hoped,
I hope,
That this meditation gives you a new perspective.
Maybe shifts you out of a negative state.
And puts you into a position where you can move off your space,
Move off your mat,
Feeling more authentically,
Openly,
And vulnerably,
You.
Where you can soak up all of the richness,
All of the beauty that this life has to offer.
Thank you,
My friends.
Namaste.
