When You Feel You're Losing Hope

There are times on the journey of life when we feel we can no longer go on. You may be climbing mountains no one else could ever comprehend. But out there somewhere are fellow mountaineers. Sit, rest, and warm yourself around the fire. Relax in the knowing that you are not alone. You are making your path by walking it.

Transcript

Welcome to a meditation for when you feel like you're losing hope.

Thank you for being here today.

Our world needs you.

Get into a comfortable position in a place of solitude where you can feel safe enough to let go of your mind.

Close your eyes or take a relaxed gaze.

Begin by bringing your attention to your breath.

Fill your lungs with inhalations of peace and surrender.

With each breath let your awareness become more and more present.

Breathe naturally and freely and release any tensions you may be holding.

Feel yourself supported so thoroughly in your surrender.

Feel yourself being held.

Relax into the safety of this moment.

You are exactly where you need to be.

Your care for yourself in this moment is of the utmost importance.

There is nothing that matters more than your ability to rest and give yourself this gift.

As you begin to take deep breaths in and out imagine yourself on a journey through the wilderness of life.

You may find yourself on the rocky outcrop of a mountain,

Wind harsh and cold piercing through your clothing right into your skin.

Or maybe you are down in a valley,

Sweat building salt upon your skin,

Trudging through mud that feels as though it will swallow you whole.

Maybe you are somewhere in between,

Trudging down a trail on a solitary mission through your life's unique mountain range.

The peaks always seem just beyond your view.

Another turn,

Another obstacle,

Another realization that you have so much further to go on your journey.

Either way you are making your path through your steps.

You are hiking your own unique journey where no one else has treaded before.

Behind you there will be a way,

A that you created through your struggles and strength.

You are walking this journey for a reason.

Now take this opportunity to rest and breathe.

Take this moment to pause on your trek.

Let your inhales and exhales guide you into your internal knowledge.

You are truly a pioneer.

You have the spirit of an explorer.

Breathe in deep.

Breathe into the knowing of how far you have come already.

Even though it may be difficult beyond measure right now,

You will overcome this mountain that you are climbing.

The Sun always rises.

It will warm your face again.

The path you have made,

The knowledge and expertise you have gained on your journey will surely help others known or unknown to you.

Your story is being written.

With every step you take,

The best you can do right now is to continuously put one foot in front of the other and continue to breathe All of your successes,

All of your perceived failures are merely just stepping stones and with each step you are writing your hero story.

Your story unique to you can be shared one day around a warm crackling campfire.

It will be passed along to fellow pioneers,

Bringing hope to them in ways you might not be able to imagine right now.

You are being tested with each lesson in each moment.

Your knowledge is becoming your truth.

Your troubles and toils are transmuting into real wisdom.

Have faith that your efforts are not in vain.

Your wisdom is an invaluable treasure.

A wisdom you have earned.

A wisdom forged.

Forged in the fire of your soul.

Just around the next bend there is a fire pit.

It may be cold and dead,

The fire long ago burnt out,

But you are grateful to see that some fellow explorer,

A fellow pioneer has left a pile of tinder and sticks in this circle of stone.

This kind soul that you will never know has extended such a gift to you.

Feel the hope begin to arise within you with the help of other pioneers known and unknown to you.

You will find warmth again because whether you realize it or not,

A precious coal still smolders in your soul.

And from this coal you can begin to build your fire again.

Breathe in deep.

Feel the trust begin to grow as you begin to understand that as long as you breathe,

As long as your heart pumps your blood steadily through your veins,

Your fire has not been extinguished.

Its glowing warmth still burns in your heart however weak you feel in this moment.

Imagine yourself gently taking your heart into your hands,

Feeling the slight warmth of hope with each beat that it makes.

Each one of your heartbeats pulses life into the fire of your soul.

Each one of your breaths keeps this fire alive.

Whether you realize it or not,

Your fire will always be there waiting for you.

It still burns.

Hold your beating heart,

Cup your hands around it,

Hold it tightly to your chest and direct your breath to feed this sacred life-bringing warmth.

Feel your gratitude grow as you feel its warm steady beating against your chest and slowly bring your heart up to your mouth with gentle loving hands.

Begin to take in deep steady breaths at whatever pace feels natural to you.

Begin inhaling and exhaling and as you exhale lightly purse your lips with a steady directed breath out.

Imagine you are blowing life into the tiny coal that still smolders in your soul.

Take within your hands the pile of tinder left behind by the kind Explorer.

Leaves,

Fallen bark,

And dried forest duff.

Gently place it around the warm coal in your heart and continue to inhale deeply and exhale slow and steady breaths through pursed lips directing your breaths to the coal of your heart.

Watch that coal grow slowly brighter with each breath you direct into it.

Feel your gratitude rise as small flames begin to sputter and ignite in your palms.

Feel the relief as the fire begins to spread amongst the sacred tinder pile.

Its warmth beginning to grace your face and continue to breathe deep and steady.

Filling your lungs exhaling through pursed lips into the fire that grows bigger with each breath you take.

Now gently place the fire in your hands atop the pile of branches and sticks the kind traveler left just for you.

Lean forward and continue to breathe life into those flames.

Inhale deeply as you begin to smell the familiar scent of burning wood.

The smell of hope and relief.

Exhale steadily and feel the warmth grow.

Feel it touch your face.

Your skin opens to its comfort.

Sink into the feeling.

The warming of your shoulders and chest and see the now dancing flames under your closed eyes as you relax into life giving warmth.

The fire in your soul created together with your faith and efforts brings a sacred feeling of relief.

Allow that gratitude to sink in.

Never forget that your fire always burns.

The flames crackle now in a blaze of glory.

The stones around this fire pit,

Once cold and dark,

Are now warm and radiating.

Although you must still work to gather wood to sustain it,

Relax into the knowing that your relief is here.

Rest will come again.

Your fire can always be tended to.

It will never fully extinguish.

Your heart holds it.

The strength of your spirit feeds it.

Never forget this.

Never forget that your spirit is a constant guide.

Even though it takes faith and courage,

Remind yourself that your spirit will never leave you.

It will always be there to bring you back to your center,

Back to your strength,

Back to the fire that is always there in your soul.

As long as you breathe,

As long as your heart beats,

I promise you the coal of your soul is still alive.

I promise you that your fire can always reignite.

I promise you that you will be stronger for your journey and although no one will ever understand the path that you have toiled,

The obstacles you have overcome,

Your story on the other side will reignite your spirit.

There is treasure in your journey.

You will help other explorers.

You are putting one foot in front of the other for a reason.

Thank you,

Brave explorer.

Thank you for the faith that you hold in yourself today.

The Sun will rise again.

Reviews

Wow…this was an unexpected treasure to my weary soul and much needed love letter of hope to my spirit! I felt so seen and heard listening to this inspiring /and beautifully crafted meditation! Thank you for giving me a bit of hope today to continue climbing my own mountain range of life!

Thank you, thank you...

Thank You 🙏

Thank you for imparting hope to me. I do believe the things you said. I’m definitely in a very very hard place.

So soothing. Thank you for speaking so slowly. I am in a very dark time and your voice was kind.

Thank you stranger, I’m a blubbering mess by this campfire 🙏🏼🐌

🙏🙏❤️

An absolute treasure of a meditation! Thank you for the early Christmas gift❤️