Mindful Meditation For Veterans

This meditation provides guidance for Veterans who are challenged by present moment and body focus due to training and experiences. This offering provides trauma-informed mindfulness of breath, body, thoughts, and feelings with compassion and gratitude for all those who have served.

Recommended for beginners to practiced Veterans with the intention to support your unique journey within your meditative practice.

Transcript

Welcome to Mindful Meditation for Veterans.

The intention of this meditation guidance is to provide those that may have particular difficulty with present moment and body focus due to training and experiences.

Settling in for meditation now,

Into a position that best fits your body.

If there are areas which need support or special bolstering,

Doing that now.

When the body is settled into a position that is right for you,

Recognizing anytime during this meditation that the body feels discomfort,

Pain,

Can take a moment and decide if you would like to move or readjust.

Stillness is not the goal here.

And now,

As you settle in,

Allowing the eyes to gently close,

Or unfocusing your gaze,

Whatever is most comfortable to you.

Now,

Placing the attention on your body breathing.

No need to change the rhythm or the depth of the breath.

Just noticing the body breathing here.

And as you focus on the body breathing,

You may notice the mind traveling or wandering.

Maybe even bouncing around from thought to thought.

Sort of like a monkey swinging through the trees.

Taking a moment and gently bringing that attention on the thoughts back to the body breathing here.

And if focus on the breath tends to bring some anxiety or some rapid breathing,

Maybe seeing if you can be with that as well.

Not seeking to change it,

Just noticing the breath coming in and out of the body.

You can focus on the breath as it enters through the nostrils.

Maybe feel the coolness of the breath in the throat.

On inhale,

Sense it filling up the chest and maybe even the belly expanding.

And on exhale,

The belly contracting,

Chest moving,

A warmth in the throat,

A load and a warmth in the nostrils as the breath exits the body.

Or if you prefer,

You can place your attention on where you feel the breath moving the most in your body now.

Maybe it's in the expansion and contraction of the belly or the chest.

Or maybe it's that warmth or coolness in the throat or the nostrils or some other location.

As you're with your breath,

If this brings up any sense of distress or anxiety,

Maybe gently moving your fingers or toes or using a phrase like,

I am safe,

Allowing the body to know you are safe breathing in this way.

And if for you,

There are any medical complications affecting this breath in your body,

Allowing the body to breathe as it's needed.

That might include rhythm changes or differences in the depth of your breath.

Seeing if you can be okay with the breath just as it is.

And if there are any moments in which you're feeling distress,

Feel free to open your eyes or focus your gaze for moments to allow yourself to confirm your safety.

And then gently closing the eyes or unfocusing your gaze once more.

Focusing on the breath here in the body.

And when you feel ready,

Like a camera lens expanding,

Opening your awareness to your entire body here now.

When you open your awareness to your physical body,

You may have a lot of responses,

Sensations,

Maybe a flood or none at all.

Anything in this range is just as it is.

When you open your awareness to your body here now,

You may also notice the mind moving to stories.

Things that have happened to your body over time that may have caused some of the sensations you're experiencing now.

Seeing if when the mind moves into stories or narratives,

You can gently bring it back to the sensation in your body.

You may be called to certain areas of your body that are particularly painful or distressing.

Inviting you to be with that.

And if the sensation is particularly strong,

Allowing yourself to sense the sensation and then moving to another area of the body to receive sensation.

If when you focus your attention in the body,

There's difficulty receiving any sensation,

Maybe a numbness or a detachment here.

No need to create sensation.

Sensing the body and staying open to receiving sensation,

Just like you would listen if there was silence.

And if you explore the pressure of the surface that you're resting upon,

You may be able to have some sensation there.

Feeling the body.

Maybe even scanning the body from feet to lower legs,

Upper legs,

Torso,

Hands,

Lower arms,

Upper arms,

Upper back,

Neck and head.

Being here with the body just as it is.

A gentle reminder if the mind wanders,

That's okay.

That's what minds do.

Gently bringing it back to the sensations,

The felt sense in your body here now.

Now taking this attention and placing it into the mind and thoughts.

Intentionally being with the thoughts that are present now.

Recognizing at times when we place our attention on our thoughts,

The thoughts seem to scatter.

That's true for you.

No need to create any thoughts here.

Just rest and welcome any thoughts that come and go.

Here again,

If you're with your thoughts and you're experiencing significant distress at these thoughts,

Feel free to move your fingers or toes.

Maybe even focus your gaze or open your eyes or use words like I am safe to allow the body the ability to know and you can safely approach these thoughts.

If at any time this is too strong for you,

Feel free to come back to focus on the body or the breath.

All of this is practice of mindfulness.

Here in your thoughts,

Maybe imagining the thoughts as if they are leaves on a stream.

Thoughts are showing up,

Maybe getting strong or loud,

And then floating by and passing.

Or if you like the image of a train going by,

Imagining your thoughts coming down the track,

Appearing and going by.

Noticing you are not on the train.

You are an observer.

Now taking a moment to take this attentional focus from thinking into emotions.

Sensing what emotions are here for you now.

If you notice in yourself any reluctance or difficulty,

Feel free to approach this when you are ready.

Knowing that you can place your attention on your breath or on your body.

Just drop below these words.

If you are placing attention now on the emotion,

Some of us will notice this in the heart center or the chest.

But you may also feel emotion in other areas.

The eyes.

The throat.

Maybe even the hands.

There's no wrong way to sense emotion here.

And if you are sensing into emotion and not receiving sensation,

Approaching this as if you are listening to silence.

Awaiting the emotion.

If there are strong emotions here,

Challenging,

Complicated,

Intense,

Seeing if you can be with these emotions and if for you that is not available.

Remembering you can shift attention to the breath or the body at any time.

Being with these emotions may create rapid thoughts sensations in the body tearfulness warmth Seeing if you can imagine these emotions as a waterfall and your waterfall may be slow and steady or raging or something in between.

As you notice these emotions flowing like a waterfall seeing if you can be behind the waterfall rather than under it.

Here again noticing that the emotions are present but not being battered about by them.

Sensing these emotions and spending some time here with them not fixing or judging and if you find yourself doing so being ever so gentle with yourself maybe even saying thank you,

Not now if judgment comes up.

Where is your mind now?

Noticing if it's traveled and gently bringing it back to your emotions in this moment.

And when you feel ready releasing focus on emotion and sensing the body and the breath once again.

Maybe noticing here as you open up attention from emotion to the body any shifts or changes that might have shown up.

No need to judge here just noticing if anything has changed or stayed the same and being with what is in the body now.

If your focus is on the body gently closing down that attention to focus on the breath where you feel it the most.

Taking a moment here with the breath ebb and flow as you're here with your breath recognizing all around you are those you have served imagining each of those around you gently saying to you thank you seeing if it's possible for you to take in this gratitude imagining on your inhale inhaling all the gratitude for all that you have done in service of others for every decision that brought you to serving.

And on your exhale maybe noticing yourself releasing into this sense of community and support just a bit inhaling the gratitude all around you for all of the ways you've sacrificed,

Committed and been present exhaling into this support inhaling a community that is grateful honoring,

Respecting and acknowledging you exhaling into this support inhaling home,

Safety community exhaling inhaling knowing that all of the ways in which you hoped to be of service have shown up and exhaling to stand down you'll hear a gentle bell and if for you this isn't what you'd like to hear in this moment feel free to stop the recording and gently end your meditation with stretching and a few conscious breaths but the sound of the bell taking some time to open your eyes or focus your gaze before moving your body in an effort to recognize taking this sense of connectedness into your daily life and now the bell