Namaste and welcome to today's meditation called embracing your journey.
My name is Lauren Marie,
I'm the creator of Grow Plus Flow which is inspired by self-realization for transformative well-being.
I invite you now to come into a space where you can settle yourself comfortably for the next few moments.
Maybe propping yourself up on a cushion,
Taking the hips higher than the knees,
Or your back against the wall,
Nice long spine,
Just relax the shoulders.
Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable lying down so long as you're not too sleepy.
Allow yourself to relax through your body,
Through the sit bones,
And breathe into this space,
A nice deep breath of fresh air and full exhale.
Accept the support of your surrounds,
Let the luxury of grounded earth or soft bedding lift you up while gravity draws you deeper into relaxation.
Every breath softening you a little bit more as we turn inward and find that place of quiet refuge.
Give yourself the gift of intimacy as you meditate on your journey,
Something that is yours only.
You are the writer of your own story.
We're going to use the breath as an anchor point to help us drop in.
Just allow yourself now to listen to the breath without concern as it naturally invites you to connect to self.
Interestingly,
The moment that we turn our attention to the breath,
We find ourselves controlling it,
Whether that be conscious or unconscious.
So just for the first part of this meditation,
Focus on how the breath is happening to you as it wills and try and let go of your need to breathe.
Just let it happen.
Just notice the breath.
Moving in through the nostrils,
Deep down into the rib cage,
The belly,
Feeling yourself expanding on the inspiration.
And on the expiration,
Allowing the whole body to relax and letting go of any stagnant air,
Stagnant energy.
Allow this motion to repeat the in-breath and out-breath cycles.
It's really the breath that allows us to become present.
Perhaps this is the first time in a little while that you have brought your awareness to your internal landscape and taking some much needed time for yourself after focusing your attention on the external world.
So let the outside world,
Let the matters of the outside world just drop away.
You might like to place them to the side knowing that you can pick them up later.
Beginning to rest into your bones and feeling into the comfort of your own skin,
Nourished by the breath.
Arrive here now.
I invite you to take the deepest breath that you have taken all day.
Really pull the air into the self.
When you get to the top of the breath,
Hold it there without tension,
Without strain,
Without needing to breathe.
Hold the breath until you absolutely have to breathe out.
And when you do breathe out,
Let that be easy and as slow as it possibly can be.
When you get to the bottom of the exhale,
Just pause there in the space in between the breaths.
Without attachment,
Letting go a little deeper,
Hold it until you absolutely have to inhale and when you inhale,
Make that as slow and as effortless as possible,
Drawing the breath in and feeling yourself expand.
When you get to the top of that breath,
Hold it there again,
The very summit,
The very peak of breath,
Taking it in and then without force,
When you feel ready,
Let that breath go.
Complete release until you are empty and then again,
Hold it there,
Lingering in the depths of the breath in the dark space.
One last time,
Inhaling,
Drawing in that light,
Drawing in that prana,
That fresh air energy right to the very peak.
Holding the breath,
Feeling that sense of uplift but at the same time,
Rest.
When you absolutely have to exhale,
Please do so.
Allowing the breath to return to its normal rhythm,
Witnessing any changes in your state of being,
Your state of mind.
In this moment,
As my words reach you,
I am part of your journey,
Your journey,
However it is you are experiencing life at this time.
Your journey consisting of momentous revelations and revolutions around the Sun,
Embarking on ageless ventures that leave imprints of recognition on your mind,
Body and soul.
Your journey,
A reflection of universal consciousness creatively expressed through you so that you are exposed with all your vulnerabilities,
Quirks,
Fears,
Hopes and dreams to a human existence.
This existence of yours,
It is fragile and fleeting but no less profound than the formation of stars in the sky.
We all have our time and place.
You might notice here as you're with your eyes closed that you can be all things in all moments.
You are a multi-dimensional being,
Being that you can be all things in all moments.
With your eyes closed and even sometimes with your eyes open,
You can be anywhere and everywhere in each instant.
Each breath you breathe is a continuation of you,
Fluctuating moment by moment.
Notice thoughts that arise in the mind's eye,
The seat of consciousness and simply becoming aware of the thoughts,
Not attaching to the thoughts,
Not needing to get hooked,
Not needing to follow them into a spiral,
Not needing to identify with the thoughts and not needing to have no thoughts as well.
Trying to accept and be at peace with whatever you're finding within yourself,
Having the courage to be okay with it.
No matter how confronting,
Let whatever is there to have a voice.
Let it be heard.
You do not have to hold anything.
This is the practice of surrender and letting go,
Embracing ourselves as we are.
You might also notice memories that arise and fade,
Which serve as a reminder of past imaginations realized,
Outgrown identities,
Transcended challenges and heartfelt achievements.
You can bring them up,
You can touch all of them in the now if you wish to.
In the now,
You can be transported to these instances that have passed.
You can even do this as more instances are happening.
And know now that where you are at this point in life will also pass.
This moment,
This stage,
Understand that it will also fade.
Whether you are loving your life at this point in time or whether you are feeling stuck at this point in your life,
Just have gratitude for what is.
Hold it lightly,
For it will come to pass and remain open to the flow of life.
Your journey,
A series of choices that have landed you here.
Some you might even be proud of,
Some may be insignificant,
Or so they may seem.
And there are probably some choices that you might prefer to forget about.
See if you can embrace this idea that there are no wrong choices,
No such thing as mistakes.
Only lessons,
Only experience,
Only feedback.
Whatever you have experienced in the past or are faced with in the now has been conspired to inspire your own personal growth in the evolution of your soul in this lifetime.
You must be brave and realize that things may not turn out how you wanted or how they were expected to go.
But whatever happens almost always eventuates because while it may not be what you want,
It's likely to be what you need.
As challenging as that might be to embrace.
And that very idea might stir some resistance within yourself so breathe now and release any tension,
Allowing yourself to be with these feelings.
What's next for you?
The question that suggests that we grapple with uncertainty,
The sheer possibility and vast manifestations of future outcomes can be overwhelming.
If it doesn't make you hurried with excitement it will be enough to make you feel stagnant and trapped.
But there is really nothing to fear.
Be reassured by the fact that you have survived every single day of your life so far regardless of whether you knew what was about to happen or not.
And you have always been okay.
That's not to dismiss the hardships and frustrations that spur from our human suffering but rather to choose to have faith in our fantasies which have every potential to be realized and felt in this lifetime.
We have the power to reframe our uncertainty and make it possibility.
In ourselves we inspire hopefulness,
Motivation to make life the best that we possibly can.
Empowered to choose how it is that we respond to the ebbs and flows of the universal current.
In this infinite expanse you might agree with the perception that life comes together.
Each encounter of your life's journey is but a unique fragment of something which you carefully assign meaning to or place in a position to be accompanied by more pieces of fragments which all join together to make an artful mosaic of your life.
Picture the moments of your life that have shaped the person that you believe yourself to be.
Putting the pieces together.
And then step back from your life and admire it for the beautiful phenomenon that it is.
Sometimes while a piece may not make sense when viewed on its own,
When it is viewed as a collective experience,
Perhaps it begins to make more sense.
Bring awareness to the interconnectedness of it all and marvel at the intelligence behind it and realize this is you.
This is your making.
You are the artist.
It was made by you,
For you.
The you that knows everyone that you have come to meet.
The you that has seen all that has graced your eyes.
Spoke words both cursed and comforting.
The you that's felt all there is to be felt on the spectrum of emotion.
The you that has shivered with sensation,
Laughed till you cried,
Smiled even when you thought that you couldn't.
The you that has once been moved by musical melodies,
Tasted bitterness,
Sweetness and sour.
The you that is inhaled and exhaled did the impossible,
Grieved tremendous loss,
Loved with your whole heart and stared at the magnificence of your reflection.
How could you not love yourself?
How could you not love yourself?
How could you not forgive yourself when you look into your eyes knowing that you've only ever tried your best,
Only ever wanted the best for yourself and others?
How could you not stand by everything that you've ever fought for?
How could you not live by your values?
How could you not celebrate your aliveness?
Be now with yourself and breathe for the next little while as you enjoy your own unique energy.
Feeling at home in your own company.
Know that you always have another chance.
Take it and accept whatever comes forth with your eyes and heart wide open.
Value your life.
It is in your favour you were only meant to grow.
Embrace your journey.
It is still unsure whether it is rare or not to exist but what is certain is that in all the history of time and space there will never be another you.
So how do you want to be?
So you
