Welcome,
Everyone,
To this New Moon Guided Meditation.
My name is Heather Burkhart.
I'm an Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga teacher and founder of Her Well-Being Ayurveda and Yoga.
The new moon is a time of reflection and new beginnings.
In this meditation,
We will focus on slowing down,
Observing the state of our body,
Heart,
And mind,
And tending to them with grace and compassion.
Begin by sitting in a comfortable position,
Whichever position feels comfortable to you.
I'll give you a moment to settle in.
Once you do feel settled,
You may close your eyes or lower your gaze and take a few deep breaths with me.
As you breathe in,
Imagine that you are drawing in nurturing energy direct from the moon herself.
As you breathe out,
Imagine that you are releasing out any tension or stress into the atmosphere and letting that go.
Continue breathing deeply,
As long as that feels good,
For a few minutes longer.
And allow yourself to become more grounded in this present moment with each and every inhalation and exhalation.
Now bring your attention to your physical body.
Notice any sensations that arise.
Maybe there's tension or discomfort or relaxation.
Observe these sensations without judgment.
Simply allow them to be.
And remember,
You can move and change your position at any time,
So that you may arrive at a sense of comfort and ease,
Doing that as many times as you need to.
Now bring your attention to your emotional heart.
You may even lay your hands over your heart center in the middle of your chest.
Feel the weight and the warmth of your hands and take a deep breath in and let it out.
Notice any emotions that arise,
Such as sadness,
Or maybe there's joy,
Or frustration,
Or even anger.
Again,
Observe these emotions without judgment.
Simply allow them to be.
Without becoming attached to any story behind the emotions,
Finally,
Bring your attention to your mind.
Notice any thoughts that arise,
Such as worries,
Plans,
Or distractions.
Again,
Observe these thoughts without judgment.
Simply allow them to be.
You may find it helpful to practice labeling,
Such as,
I feel the sensation of,
And then label the sensation.
I feel the emotion of,
Whichever emotion you feel.
Or I notice thoughts of,
Any thoughts that arise.
Sometimes labeling can be a helpful practice to put sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts in a simple category.
Take time to observe yourself without judgment,
Simply allowing yourself to be just as you are.
If your mind gets tugged by any of these distractions,
You might use a simple mantra to bring your attention back to your body and your breath,
Such as,
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
This is all that is required of you right now.
Imagine you have nowhere you need to go,
Nothing that you need to do,
And maybe even no one you need to be right now.
There's just you being you and breathing.
Now take a few moments to reflect on what you need in this moment.
Do you need to rest?
Do you need to relax or create?
Do you need to connect with others,
Surround yourself with others,
Or do you need to spend time alone?
Check in with yourself and be honest with yourself about your needs.
There truly is no right or wrong answer.
Check in with your body,
Listen,
Usually there is a deep intuition with the body that whispers very quietly and if you listen,
You may hear what it is you truly need.
Sometimes the mind or thoughts may get involved and can distract us away from the intelligence contained within the body and contained within the emotional heart.
Listen to your body and your heart.
Once you have identified your needs,
Begin to tend to them in grace and compassion,
Whatever they may be.
Offer yourself the same kindness and understanding that you would offer a good friend.
Show up for yourself and if it helps,
You might write your needs down as a reminder.
In today's fast-paced society,
It can be easy to get caught up in the endless pursuit of more,
But sometimes less is more.
Take some time to simplify your life today.
What activities or commitments can you let go of that are no longer serving you?
Feel the power of saying no in a way that allows you to say yes to yourself.
You might practice this for yourself now so you can imagine it happening and the more you do,
The more you can associate saying no with feeling less rushed and overwhelmed and anxious.
You can associate saying no with saying yes to yourself and notice how that feels.
If no feels awkward,
Practice other graces like no thank you or I'll think about it or even can I get back to you,
Knowing that truly you don't need to.
Explore how less commitment can feel like more energy for you.
You may be surprised at how much more freedom and vitality you feel when you have more time and space in your life.
The new moon reminds us how full our plates can become,
For better or for worse,
And that we do have agency over what takes precedence in our lives.
The dark new moon serves as a role model for us that reminds us that it's okay to let go.
To let go of something.
It takes courage to be vulnerable and admit that one's needs may not be met,
But one's well-being depends on being able to ask for what you need.
Think about three things that you need today to feel more like yourself.
Write that down if it helps.
Resolve to be happy if you can achieve just one.
You might even think about three things that you can realistically get done today.
Resolve to be happy if you can achieve just one.
The theme here is three things,
And if you can achieve just one,
Resolve to be glad for that.
Don't be afraid to ask for help from others.
If you need someone to listen to you or to help you with a task,
Please reach out.
This concludes our new moon guided meditation.
Thank you for taking the time to care for yourself and remember you are worthy of love,
Compassion and care.
This is Heather with For Wellbeing Ayurveda and Yoga wishing you well.
Until next time.
