Day five,
From resistance to agency.
Welcome to today's meditation and the fifth day of your journey.
Today we will focus on moving from resisting what is to acknowledging and exercising your own agency.
Begin by settling into a comfortable,
Balanced position.
Either lying down,
Kneeling,
Standing,
Or sitting.
Take three slow breaths,
Breathing in gently.
Click Fully.
Then let the exhale be a little longer than the inhale.
Signaling your body and mind to let go of tension.
Use the inhale to intentionally fill and refresh your cells.
Use the exhale to relax and arrive in this moment.
As you inhale,
Feel your chest gently rise.
And your belly expand.
Then feel how the breath pauses.
Exhale slowly,
Feeling the body settle as you empty the lungs.
Feel the pause at the end of the exhale.
Feel the slow,
Steady rhythm of your breath.
Moving through your body.
When times are challenging,
We often focus on pushing back against what we don't want.
Whether a circumstance,
A change,
A person,
Or a limitation.
We resist what we feel is imposing on us.
Straining against it.
Over time,
This can cause us to disconnect from our center.
And feel powerless.
So let's reset.
Remember that life is neutral.
There are hard times.
And happy times.
Times of comfort.
In times of discomfort.
Smooth sailing.
And high winds.
Experiencing that volatility doesn't mean something is wrong with you.
It means you're alive.
When we focus outside ourselves,
We may forget we have agency.
To determine how we experience an event.
That we can choose our next step.
Breathe in,
Lengthening the spine.
Bring your shoulder blades together and let the chest lift.
Feel the breath creating space.
Relax your face.
Your forehead,
Your eyes.
Soften the jaw.
Let the tongue relax in your mouth.
Relax your neck.
Maybe turning your head gently from side to side.
Relax your shoulders.
And your arms all the way down to your fingers.
Take a few more breaths in this expanded,
Relaxed state.
We're moving the attention from the outside.
To the inside,
Back to your center of power.
Take a long inhale to a count of four.
Then hold the breath for four.
Then exhale for four.
Through the nose or the mouth.
And pause for four.
Let's do that three more times.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4.
Holding 2,
3,
4.
Exhaling 2,
3,
4.
And pausing 2,
3,
4.
Again,
Fill 2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
Release,
2,
3,
4.
And pause,
2,
3,
4.
And once more,
Fill,
Hold,
2,
3,
Hold.
Released.
And pause.
Then release control over the breath and let the breath breathe the body.
Slowly.
.
.
And steadily.
When you choose to direct your breath,
You affect both your mind and body.
And your physiology.
You always have agency.
You can often choose how to react.
You can always choose how to respond.
Shift your focus.
To the choices you can make,
Not the things outside your control.
You can choose how you breathe.
You can choose how you think.
You can choose how you act.
Sometimes the choices are simple.
And the differences they make are small.
But small differences compound.
Each choice matters.
It can take time to change a situation.
But each day,
You can make a small shift.
Each time you release an emotional charge.
By breathing calmly.
You relax your mind.
So you can think more clearly.
Each shift makes a difference.
Each time you make an intentional decision,
Each time you direct your energy,
You reinforce your power.
Each time you acknowledge your agency,
You build your core strength.
Take several centered breaths now,
With purpose.
Refreshing your body.
Relaxing your mind.
Intentionally.
Building your resilience.
Recognizing your agency.
Through your breath.
Now bring your attention back to your steady heartbeat.
To your center.
To your ability and willingness to make choices.
Knowing that if or when you start to feel resistance again,
You can simply observe it.
Breathe calmly.
And ask yourself,
What do I choose to do now?
Knowing the power to choose is always with you.
When you feel centered and calm.
Slowly open your eyes.
Letting in the outside world.
Being a part of it.
Playing a self-determined role in it.
Ready to meet the day one moment.
One breath at a time.
Thank you for taking the time to meditate with me today.
Until next time.
Namaste.
