Welcome to The Way Things Are.
This meditation is all about cultivating equanimity,
The ability to remain balanced and steady in the face of life's many ups and downs.
We'll begin today's practice by finding a comfortable position that can be seated or lying down,
Whichever feels right for you today.
As you arrive,
Closing the eyes or lowering the gaze and then bringing your awareness to the present moment.
Feel the sensation of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Notice the settled beat of the heart and the chest,
Creating this gentle rhythm.
Now for today's practice,
I invite you to bring to mind a situation or challenge in your life that you've been struggling with.
In this practice,
You'll be offering yourself some well wishes to help yourself arrive in a place of equanimity.
I'll be offering some options for phrases,
But if your own words come to mind,
Please feel free to use those instead.
So bringing this situation,
A mild or moderately stressful or challenging situation that's been on your mind.
May I be with things as they are,
Not as I wish them to be.
If it's a situation with another person,
It might be,
I wish you happiness,
But I cannot make your choices for you.
May I accept this moment fully without resistance or judgment.
May I trust in the unfolding of life even when it doesn't align with my plans.
May I find peace in the midst of uncertainty.
May I find the strength to accept the inherent uncertainty in life.
You might have the experience of a sense of spaciousness and ease as you let go of the need to control or change the situation,
Or you may have just the opposite experience,
And that's welcome here too.
We can view that too with a sense of equanimity or acceptance of what is.
Allowing yourself a few more minutes here to repeat any phrases that most resonated with you.
May I be with things as they are,
Not as I wish them to be.
May I let go of the way I feel things should go.
I wish you every happiness,
But I cannot make your choices for you.
May I accept this moment fully without resistance or judgment.
May I trust in the unfolding of life even when it doesn't align with my plans.
May I find peace in the midst of uncertainty.
May I find the strength to accept the inherent uncertainty in life.
Letting go of those phrases now and coming back to your breath,
Allowing each inhale to bring a sense of calm and each exhale to release any remaining tension or resistance.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
Slowly bring your awareness back to the room.
You might wiggle your fingers and toes or bring in some deeper breath to gently reawaken the body.
When you're ready,
Opening your eyes and carrying this sense of equanimity and acceptance with you into the rest of your day.
