Hi,
This is Stephanie Boxerbaum.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
So for today's practice,
We're going to be working with the idea of bringing in a steady mindset.
And I wanted to just share a couple thoughts on this before we get started.
So everyone kind of knows that feeling that starts to happen as we near the holiday times,
Where maybe things feel a little bit busier,
Or maybe there's family stuff happening,
Or maybe there's travel involved,
Where on top of whatever you're doing in your daily life,
We're now kind of bombarded a little bit more with these other activities,
Other decisions.
Maybe you're driving somewhere,
The traffic seems a little bit more crazy.
And coupled with the fact that it's going to be a new year soon,
And the media,
You know,
Is helpful,
But often doesn't help so much when we're also bombarded by this message of,
You know,
Start a new year as a new you.
And as you always know,
In this practice,
I'm always trying to support the idea that you're already enough as is.
So we don't need to sort of buy into this idea that it's a new year,
I hope you turn into a new person.
So with meditating,
We're allowing ourselves a moment for ourselves,
Whether that's one minute,
Whether that's 10 minutes,
Whether it's 30 minutes,
Whether you're doing a silent retreat for days upon days,
It allows for us to practice,
Practice kind of cultivating this steady mindset,
Exploring when we're really not steady and what that's about.
In Shauna Shapiro's book,
Good Morning,
I Love You,
She tells the story about how when she started meditating,
She went to a monastery and was very frustrated after practicing and kind of the monk said to her,
Well,
You're not really practicing meditating,
You're practicing frustration.
And it's a really good point because meditation allows to give someone space to see how do you react to your thoughts,
Even just while you're meditating.
So let's say you come to a practice and you decide that you are simply going to just focus on the breath and you're coming back to the breath,
But you keep veering off and thinking about what you're going to have for dinner or what you are dealing with,
With work or family or what you were doing yesterday or whatever the mind decides to deliver in that moment.
How easy and gentle can you be with yourself?
And sometimes you can have a meditation where you're really easy on yourself.
And then another time where you're like,
Oh,
Wow,
I'm kind of just practicing being frustrated with myself.
So it's really important to explore and kind of invite yourself to kind of be with yourself,
Especially around this topic that really kind of orients around equanimity,
Right?
Keeping ourselves steady,
Having that kind of balanced sense of heart and knowing that there really is kind of no specific answer.
It doesn't mean that everything is very happy and good,
And therefore now we can be steady and balanced.
It's sort of this idea of inviting in that we can be with everything.
We can be with everything.
We can make our own definition of what steadiness feels like,
Even when it feels really new.
So take what you want from that and leave behind what doesn't work.
And for today's practice,
We're just going to do a simple equanimity practice.
So finding a comfortable seat,
Whatever that feels like today,
That could be wanting to lay down,
That could be wanting to do mindful walking,
Whatever really feels comfortable to you.
And taking a gentle,
Maybe half gaze or closing your eyes,
Whatever really feels comfortable to you today.
And just taking a deep breath in and a gentle exhale out.
And let's do that one more time.
Gentle inhale in and a relaxing deep exhale out.
And just taking a moment to check in with the body,
Maybe rolling your shoulders a little bit,
Moving your neck from side to side if that feels comfortable today.
Could just be as simple as wiggling the fingers,
Just kind of coming into that felt sense of the body.
And we'll begin exploring this phrase,
May I feel peace and ease.
May I feel peace and ease.
Feel free to adjust the phrasing and whatever is working for you today that really kind of resonates with this steady mindset.
A phrase you can come back to,
Even if you're in the middle of your day working or doing whatever you're doing,
When kind of that agitation sets in,
Just something simple that you can come back to.
I'll mind the time and we'll just practice gently coming back to the phrase of choice,
Knowing that the mind will interfere.
Thoughts may come in and thoughts may go out.
And you can just see this like clouds,
Letting the thoughts come in,
Letting the thoughts go out,
And gently coming back to your phrase.
Being gentle with yourself.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Just practicing coming back to your phrase of choice.
Beginning to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Beginning to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Just gently coming back to your surroundings.
And sharing a kind reminder that you are always enough as is.
And you can come back to the phrase you chose today anytime you want.
May we all continue on this week or in this day with a steady mindset.
Thank you so much for meditating today.
