When you were younger,
There were parts of you that were fully alive.
Things you wanted.
Ways you expressed yourself.
Feelings you had without editing them.
And then,
Slowly or sometimes quickly,
Some of those parts got quieter.
Not because they disappeared,
But because somewhere along the way,
It became easier or safer.
To turn them down.
Today we're going to take a quiet look at what those parts might be.
Not to pull anything apart,
Just to notice what's still there.
Let's settle in first.
Find a comfortable position,
Feet on the floor,
Hands resting somewhere easy.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
Let it drop all the way into your belly.
And out.
Long and easy.
Let your shoulders drop,
Your jaw unclench.
One more breath in slowly.
And out all the way.
Feel the weight of your body where it's being supported right now.
You're not going anywhere.
You don't need to do anything yet.
Just be here for a moment.
Think back,
Not too far,
Just to a younger version of yourself.
Maybe 10 years old.
Maybe a bit younger.
Maybe older.
A time when you were more openly yourself.
What did that version of you love?
What did he feel freely without thinking twice about it?
Let something come up,
Don't force it.
Where does that feel in your body,
Thinking about that time?
Stay with it.
There's no right answer here,
Just notice what's there.
At some point,
Something shifted.
Maybe someone said something.
Maybe the environment changed.
Maybe you noticed that a certain part of you got a reaction you didn't want,
So you pulled it back.
You learn to be a version of yourself.
That worked better in the world around you.
That was smart.
That was practical.
But some of what you put away wasn't something that needed to go away permanently.
It just needed somewhere safe to land.
What's one thing about yourself you use to express freely?
Let that sit.
And does any part of you miss it?
Here's what I want you to hold on to.
Or you shut down,
It didn't leave.
It's still in there,
Quieter maybe,
A bit buried,
But present.
And the fact that you can feel something when you think about it.
That's the signal.
You don't need to pull it all back at once.
Just start by acknowledging it's still there,
That it was part of you for a reason,
And that it might still have something to offer.
That's enough for today.
One final breath in.
And out.
Completely.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Steady.
Whatever came up in this practice.
Let it stay with you gently,
No pressure to do anything with it right now.
Just let it be known.
Take your time coming back.
Good way.
If you'd like continued guidance or deeper integration,
Details are available through my profile.
More than ever before.
Men are in need of this work.
If you feel called and it feels aligned with you,
Share this with another man who might need these meditations.
