Welcome to this guided meditation to help release and let go of any negative,
Self-defeating thoughts and to replace them with positive ones,
Cultivating more happiness and contentment.
Please find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed,
Turning off or silence any distractions and find a comfortable seated position and softly close down your eyes if it's comfortable.
If you need to move during this meditation you are welcome to do so,
But be sure to move mindfully.
We will begin by relaxing our mind and body by taking three deep cleansing breaths.
On your next inhale,
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep inhale.
Feel the stomach expand,
Chest and shoulders rise and a full exhale,
Chest and shoulders lower and your stomach contracts,
Inhaling deeply into your stomach,
Chest and a full exhale,
Allowing your body to relax,
Releasing any stress and tension.
Taking one more deep inhale,
Feeling the expansion of your body and a full exhale,
Allowing any remaining stress and tension to drift away and return your attention back to your breath,
Just breathing naturally in and out of your nose.
There's no need to control or force.
Breathing should be effortless and comfortable.
Take your attention to the top of your head as you relax the top of your head,
Continuing that relaxation down into your face,
Your forehead becomes heavy,
Relaxing into your eyes,
Softening your face as your jaw relaxes,
Relaxing your tongue.
Relaxing into your throat and neck,
Allowing your shoulders to be heavy,
Resting away from your ears,
Relaxing from your upper arms all the way down to your hands and fingers.
Allow your chest and back to soften and to become heavy,
Continuing the relaxation down into your middle back and your lower back,
Softening into your stomach,
Allowing it to be heavy and sit naturally,
Relaxing into your upper legs,
All the way down to your feet and your toes,
Feeling that relaxation of mind and body now,
As you return your attention back to your nose,
Just breathing naturally in and out.
If it becomes too challenging for you at any time,
You are welcome to take your attention to your breath or to your body,
To anchor and ground yourself back here in the moment,
And when you feel ready to continue,
I encourage you to do so.
Bring to mind any negative thoughts that you have about yourself or about others or life around you,
Any self-critical thoughts,
Limiting beliefs,
But without going into a story about these,
Without judging,
Simply observe the thoughts with detachment,
Creating that distance between them without being attached.
Think of the total opposite of that thought,
The positive thought that goes along with it,
The positive thought that can replace it.
So whatever negative thoughts,
Self-limiting,
Self-critical thoughts you have,
Think of the total opposite and really think it,
Really believe it and feel it in your body.
Just notice how this thought makes you feel,
Where do you feel it in your body,
And just allow it to wash over you and allow it to emanate from you,
And really believe the positive thought that you are good enough,
You are brave,
You are strong,
You are courageous.
Just release and let go of the negative thoughts.
You can do this for all of the negative thoughts that you have,
Without going into judgment about them,
Without going into a story,
Just simply bringing them to mind,
Thinking the total opposite,
And then really embody the positive thought,
Really allow it to sink into your soul,
To sink into your heart,
And allow it to emanate from your body.
If your attention drifts off into a story,
Or to any sounds,
That is okay,
Just be kind to yourself and return your attention back to the meditation.
When we have these negative,
Self-limiting thoughts,
They define our lives,
They limit our possibilities,
They limit our growth,
And they take up our energy,
So just allow them to go,
And occupy that space with a positive thought,
A positive emotion,
A positive feeling.
Regain your energy,
Regain your power,
And regain that connection to your true self.
Just keep letting go of the negative,
And replacing with the positive.
We have a choice,
And with our choice we can create happiness,
Or sadness.
We are the creator of our own lives,
Of our own happiness.
The external world doesn't define our happiness,
Neither does our career status,
Our social status,
Our finances,
The way we look,
Our relationships,
Our past,
Or our thoughts.
It's our internal world that defines our happiness.
And we,
As human beings,
We have the ability to create,
To imagine,
And to rearrange endless amounts of ways in which we envision the world,
And we envision ourselves.
We have a mind capable of manipulating our inner and outer worlds.
We think differently to all other species.
We are able to share our own thoughts with others in a way that no other creature even approaches.
We can think about what never happened,
And we can think about the ways in which it could have been.
We can even wonder what it would be like to not be.
We have a unique gift.
We can think ourselves into happiness.
We can think ourselves into despair,
Without any influence from the outside world.
How will you use your gift?
What choices will you make?
What do you want to create?
What do you want to imagine and rearrange?
What thoughts,
What feelings,
What actions will best serve you and your happiness?
The mind of the human being contains one of the greatest of all forces.
Thought is one of the greatest manifestations of energy.
Not only is our body subject to the control of our mind,
But the mind may also change our environment,
Our circumstances,
Our look and coincidences.
And this can have a negative or positive impact on our lives.
So if we can replace negative thoughts with positive ones,
We can change our body,
We can change our environment,
Our circumstances,
Our look and coincidences.
We have a gift,
A powerful gift.
So let's use this gift we have been given.
Happiness is a choice and so is suffering.
And this is just a practice for us to keep letting go of the negative and replacing with the positive.
Don't allow the negative,
Self-defeating thoughts take our energy away,
Deplete us,
Limit us,
Limiting our growth and possibilities.
Happiness is a choice.
Choose positive thoughts,
Choose a positive life,
Choose happiness.
We are the creator of our own lives,
Creator of our own happiness.
Take your attention to your breath now.
As you breathe naturally in and out of your nose,
You can release any thoughts or any feelings that you have had during this practice,
But I invite you to choose one positive thought that you will say to yourself and believe in and carry that with you for today.
Have patience with yourself with this practice of releasing negative thoughts and positive ones.
It is a practice,
It takes time.
You can take your attention off your breath now and just simply sit in the stillness around you.
Take your attentions to the sounds around you and start to get a sense of your surroundings.
Keeping your eyes closed,
You can begin to move your hands and your feet.
Slowly stretch out into the space around you.
And when you are ready,
You can begin to open your eyes,
Starting off gazing down at the floor and taking your time coming back around.
Thank you for meditating with me.
