Good evening,
It's Gina here,
So if you've chosen this meditation this evening,
I imagine you're feeling a little bit unsettled or somehow have a sense of restlessness that you can't quite shake.
This meditation is going to take a different approach to dealing with the restlessness.
Very often we do just about anything to escape from the feelings that we don't like,
Whether that's strong emotions or merely a sense of lack of ease,
And that's why so often when we finally have quiet,
When we finally lie down to sleep,
These feelings surface.
So tonight,
Instead of trying to push the feelings away,
Or in the first instance trying to calm ourselves down,
We're going to invite the feeling and sit with it and see what we might learn from it,
How we might move through it.
If this doesn't feel like a safe thing for you at the moment,
Then please feel free to try another technique.
But if you're still here with me,
I'd like you to take a moment to get as comfortable as possible in your bed,
And then turn your mind to your body.
This might be very evident where the feeling of uneasiness is,
Or it might take some time to locate the physical component of this emotion.
Take your time.
This might help to start scanning from your head all the way down to your toes.
Pay special attention to any area of the body where there's tension.
For many people this might be the jaw or the shoulders.
Maybe even the stomach.
Feeling of pressure or constriction somewhere in the body.
If you found that place,
Instead of trying to resist the feeling,
I want you to invite it in,
To sit with it,
And just to look at it with compassion,
With patience,
And with as much kindness as you can muster.
I'm going to ask you a few questions.
There's no right answers.
In fact,
There might not really even be any answers that come to you in this moment,
And that's okay.
So I want you to imagine the shape of this feeling in your body.
I want you to imagine taking the shape out of your body and sitting it down beside you,
Or in front of you,
In your bed.
Wherever feels right.
And I want you,
In your mind's eye,
To look at it.
Ask yourself,
What would happen if I held you rather than pushing you away?
Why are you here with me,
And what can I learn from you?
What is it that you need to be at peace?
And now,
I'd like you to imagine giving this being kindness,
Kindness,
Empathy,
Compassion,
Whatever it is that it requires.
And perhaps,
As you look at this object in front of you or beside you,
Perhaps it changes shape or colour somehow,
Or maybe not.
And once you've done this,
And you've given your kindness,
You can start to gently let go.
So,
It's not that you need to cast the object away,
But you can let it gradually fade.
Or perhaps,
You decide that you'd rather keep it as part of you for now.
You could decide where it fits,
In your room or in your body somewhere.
And you can just respectfully let it go,
Place it somewhere where it feels right the most.
And then,
You can come back to your own body now,
Taking a few deep breaths in,
And back out.
Reflecting on how you're feeling,
And any changes that may have taken place.
Thank you for taking the time to meditate with me.
I hope that you find some rest soon,
And I wish you a good night.
