Hello and welcome.
Whether you are a seasoned meditator or this is your first day being curious enough to give meditation a try,
Or you are somewhere in between,
I'm so glad you're here.
If you can,
Please relax,
Get comfortable,
Let out a sigh,
Close your eyes.
After a little story,
We're going to meditate together for one magical minute,
And it is my hope this one minute will bring you joy over and over again.
I first learned about meditation in the late 80s and though I enjoyed the benefits of regular time and conscious connection with divine breathing,
I did not develop a consistent practice until I discovered two keys.
First was a simple app on my phone called Insight Timer.
It helped me with accountability and offered me the diversity of teachers and approaches to meditation that I craved.
The second and more important one was the epiphany that I could,
Should,
And would finally grow my meditation practice into a daily nurturing,
Beautiful thing if I did so on my terms and not some ideal illusion of enlightenment.
I committed to meditating every single day for not just one week or one month,
But for one whole year.
I gave myself permission to allow the meditations to be as brief as one or two minutes,
But to strive for many more.
As long as I was putting in a sincere effort to focus my mind on gentle breathing for even one minute every single day,
I accepted this to be enough.
My intention was to develop and stretch my capacity to find lasting peace of mind regardless of my life circumstances and the shenanigans of people around me and on the world stage.
It just happened that a friend introduced me to Insight Timer that weekend while I was on an off-grid women's retreat.
When I returned home and connected to the internet again,
I downloaded the app and began my daily commitment.
That was over seven years ago,
And yes,
I have meditated every single day since.
I love the wonder,
Curiosity,
Gratitude,
And joy my meditation practice brings me.
I hope today's humble one-minute together will give you a fresh start on your personal journey.
If you've opened your eyes,
Go ahead and close them again.
Let out another sigh.
I'm gonna ring the bell and watch the time for you.
Just one minute.
Then I'll ring the bell again.
In between the ringing,
Just feel the breath of life move your lungs while you do your best to be still and let this feel good.
Ah,
Well done.
Take another intentional breath full of relief and pleasure for simply being alive.
Let her open your eyes,
Just to the room around you,
And as you ease back into your day,
I hope you can bring a sense of curiosity and humility with you.
Thank you for this moment together here on Insight Timer.
