Hello and welcome.
The experience of meditation is something you may not be familiar with.
Meditation is about sitting with yourself and allowing ideas,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
And experiences to be within you without judgment.
As you move through the steps,
Meditation will become part of your experience on a daily basis.
Breath awareness is one of the strongest foundations of meditation.
Start by getting grounded,
Settled,
Focused.
Find a comfortable position.
It helps to be upright and find some balance,
Noticing if you are balanced right to left and front to back,
Just becoming very grounded in your seat.
Keep your back straight and your front soft.
You are in a relaxed position,
Letting your face and your whole body soften.
Let your upper eyelids rest on your lower eyelids,
Your lips gently touching or apart,
With your jaw relaxed.
Feel your whole body be at ease,
With hands resting on your lap or thighs.
The palms may be in a receptive position,
Facing up,
Or the palms may be facing down,
Which is more grounded.
Feel your stability,
Your muscles becoming heavy.
Breathing allows your body to teach your mind to be relaxed and open.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Take a deep,
Slow breath in through your nose.
Release slowly through your mouth.
Continue that pattern as you become relaxed and present.
If your mind wanders,
Focus again on your breath.
Let your breath resume its natural rhythm.
Step 1.
We admitted we were powerless over our addiction,
That our lives have become unmanageable.
It is important to know that you are not alone.
You are supported in your journey.
You will have the courage to see and understand the powerlessness and unmanageability that substances create in your life.
Breathe in through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Turn your attention inward.
Allow your mind to think back through the years.
Consider the following ideas.
What is your relationship with substances?
Do you plan your life around your substance?
Are you anxious and fearful that you will not have enough?
Have you tried to stop and been unable to,
Even when urged by others?
What is the quality of your life like under the influence of your substance or behavior?
When the reality of your behavior is challenged by questions such as these,
It may trigger defensiveness as well as intense emotions.
Emotions such as sadness,
Fear,
And anger are representative of the unmanageability of your disease.
You may experience numbness,
Which is emotions disguised.
Emotions that you experience after questioning represent resistance to facing your addiction.
Step 1 calls us to embrace and release our emotions.
This takes perseverance and practice.
It may be helpful to use the following as a tool to acknowledge,
Accept,
And release emotions.
For this exercise,
You are going to focus on sadness and fear.
Know that you can substitute any emotion you are feeling.
Take a deep,
Slow breath through your nose.
Release slowly through your mouth.
Be aware of the feeling of sadness.
Call it by name.
I am sad.
Allow the emotion to rest in your awareness.
Take a deep,
Slow breath in,
Hold,
And slowly release it.
Continue to hold the emotion as you continue breathing until it fades.
This may take several breaths.
Before it recedes,
Other emotions related to being sad may emerge.
Keep breathing deeply and let any related stories just rest until they too dissipate.
Breathe in through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Be aware of the feeling of fear.
Call it by name.
I am afraid.
Breathe in through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Allow the emotion to rest in your awareness.
Again,
Take a deep,
Slow breath in,
Hold,
And slowly release it.
Hold the emotion as you continue breathing until it fades.
This may take several breaths.
Before it recedes,
Other emotions related to fear may emerge.
Keep breathing deeply and let any related stories just rest until they too dissipate.
The presence of fear may express itself as tension in your body.
Scan across your muscles and release any tension.
After the energy has lessened,
Sit quietly with a stillness.
As you approach step one,
Use this tool to release your emotions and allow yourself to accept the powerlessness of your addiction.
As we come to the end of this meditation,
Slowly move and stretch your muscles.
Gently wiggle fingers and toes.
Bring your attention back to the room,
To your breathing,
Back to the present moment,
And when ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for your kind attention.
I wish you many blessings along with willingness and patience to continue in recovery as you proceed one day at a time.
