Rooted & Inspired: For Work Stress, Burnout, & Interactions

This meditation is for those times when you want to feel more strength in the face of a challenging situation like work stress, overwhelm, burnout, wanting to stay calm while dealing with a difficult person, or simply dreading the week ahead. If those words aren't quite right, feel free to name what you're actually experiencing as you settle in.
You won't find platitudes here that bypass where you are, or instructions to "try harder." Instead, this practice offers a place to land that doesn't judge, and a body-based sense of support that's readily available. The arc begins with somatic cues to help you find a stable base in your body and your connection to the earth beneath you. From there, we explore five self inquiry prompts to inspire your fresh thinking (or journaling).
Come away knowing what supports, inspires, encourages, and emboldens you, and being ready to invigorate your collaboration with others.
Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke, licensed through Enlightened Audio.

Transcript

This is a meditation for strength, To respond to an intractable challenge, Like work stress or overwhelm. Perhaps for you it's burnout. Wanting to stay calm when interacting with difficult people. Or there's a sense of dreading the week ahead. When we're looking for strength, We often try to force it. Perhaps we learned early on to fake it until we make it, Or just try harder. It turns out the more effective way is to relax the reflex to push and instead Ask for help. Or perhaps more precisely stated, To prepare ourself to receive help. And this help doesn't always mean looking to another person or to anything outside of ourselves. It can mean doing one of those favorite activities that relax us enough to allow our creativity to come back online. Perhaps for you that's an athletic. Artistic, Or community building pursuit. Preparing ourselves to receive help can even mean something as simple as pausing a moment and allowing the natural flow of breath. Or the ease of receiving the sunlight on our skin to help inspire our next step. The arc of this meditation will begin with somatic cues, Just meaning cues to sense into your body, To explore a stable base. And from there, We will take in some prompts that can inspire a fresh way of viewing your present obstacles and opportunities. During the second half of the meditation, I'll offer five prompts for you to consider. If you'd like to journal your responses, Check to be sure you have what you need nearby now. And if not, You can simply allow your responses to the prompts to flow as thoughts without journaling. So let's begin with your body resting comfortably in your chair. And bringing your attention. Into your lower body. Sensing into your feet, Ankles. Legs, Knees, Hips, And abdomen. See if you can call upon your sense of touch. Bringing your fall attention. To the sensations in your lower body. Being thorough and curious. Bringing your attention to the edges of the skin of the lower body. Continuing to notice the sensations in your lower body, I'll invite you to wiggle your toes. And tap your heels a few times. And resting your feet. Begin to butterfly your knees. Moving them inward and outward several times. And bringing your knees to rest. Now begin to rock your pelvis gently and subtly forward and back. Just a gentle motion forward and back a few times. And noticing the sensations in your pelvis along with the movement. Bringing your lower body to rest. Sense the stillness and the rest. Allowing the stillness in your lower body to deepen. Allowing your experience just as it is. Letting go of any urge to evaluate your experience. Simply noticing your experience just as it is. Allowing this deep rest. As you notice this experience in your lower body Bring your attention also to the Earth beneath you. Noticing perhaps the firmness of the floor beneath your shoes or feet. Noticing any distance between your body and the earth. Allow your body to rest. And notice the earth beneath your body. Like a foundation. From your body. And rooted into the earth. Just bringing a gentle curiosity. As you explore the sensations in your lower body. And your connection with the earth beneath your body. Take in the fact of the support for your body coming from beneath you. As the earth and building and chair are beneath you. Notice there is no argument or evaluation from them. No judgment toward you. Only support. There is tangible support for you to be here. Gravity holding you toward the earth. And the Earth rising to meet you with support. Continue to allow yourself to rest in this support. As you take in these prompts to inspire your fresh thinking. Which you may also choose to journal. Right now, I am supported by… Right now, I am supported by. . . And the next prompt. Right now, I am inspired by. Right now I am inspired by. . . And the next prompt. Right now, I am encouraged by. Right now. I am encouraged by you. And now consider this prompt. Right now. I'd like to say that. Right now, I'd like to say that. And the next prompt. My collaboration with others can be invigorated by you. My collaboration with others can be invigorated by. And I invite you to look openly at what you need next. Whether that's taking a little more time to reflect into these prompts. To simply rest. And when it's time to move back into activity. To allow that to happen with ease. And strength.