Let's meditate together today and let this be a moment for you.
A soft landing in the middle of everything.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
Make sure you're in a space where you feel safe and quiet.
Take a few deep breaths in and out and let your body settle.
Allow yourself to be so comfortable,
Perhaps pillows underneath your head or maybe your spine.
What would it feel like if you put a pillow under your knees?
A soft blanket to keep you warm and maybe an eye pillow.
Take your time and make sure that you are absolutely comfortable.
Once you feel like your body is in the right position,
Take three deep breaths in and out.
Exhale comes out through the mouth.
Deep breath in.
Exhale.
Two more deep breaths in.
Exhale.
One more deep breath in and exhale.
Let your body settle.
Let your shoulders drop just a little more.
Can you bring a little bit of space between your jaw?
Can you allow your tongue to relax?
Your belly loosen?
Gently close your eyes if that feels right and take a slow steady breath in through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth.
Let yourself arrive.
Let go of anything you think you need to be doing just for now.
Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly.
Feel the warmth of your own touch.
Feel the rise and fall of your breath beneath your hands.
You are here.
You are safe.
You are allowed to feel.
This moment,
This breath,
This feeling,
You don't need to push any of it away.
There is room for all of you right here,
Right now.
Midlife can stir so much within us.
Waves of emotion rising and falling,
Sometimes catching us off guard,
Sometimes feeling too big to hold.
But you,
Dear heart,
Are not the waves.
You are the ocean.
The emotions that rise within you are not who you are.
They are simply passing weather,
Visitors with messages,
Here to be witnessed and felt.
There is nothing wrong with feeling deeply.
In fact,
That is part of your wisdom.
Take three deep breaths in and out.
Imagine yourself now standing at the edge of a vast ocean.
Feel your bare feet pressing into the cool sand.
Feel the sun on your skin.
The waves roll in,
Rise and recede.
The waves are never still,
Yet always returning.
Breathe in and feel the wave rise.
Breathe out and feel the wave release.
Let your breath follow this rhythm.
Inhale,
Rise.
Exhale,
Fall.
Inhale,
Allow.
Exhale,
Let go.
Whatever you're feeling right in this moment,
Whether it's heaviness or lightness,
Confusion or clarity,
Love or sorrow,
Let it exist without judgment.
It's okay.
You are not your emotions.
You are not here to fix yourself.
You are here to hold yourself with love and compassion.
Place both hands gently over your heart now.
Feel your heartbeat steady,
Constant,
Always with you.
Whisper to yourself softly,
As if speaking to the part of you that feels tender.
I allow myself to feel.
My emotions are not too much.
I allow myself to feel.
You are not broken.
You are becoming.
Midlife is not a falling apart.
It is a reshaping,
A revealing,
And a rising.
Allow yourself to sit here with your breath.
Inhale,
Love.
Exhale,
Release.
Five more breaths.
Inhale,
Love.
Exhale,
Release.
You don't need to change anything.
Just breathe.
Just be.
Just let the waves come and go.
You are the calm beneath the waves.
You are the calm beneath the waves.
One more deep breath in.
Exhale fully.
And gently bring your awareness back to your body,
Back to the room around you.
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
You can move or stretch in any way that feels comfortable for you.
Come back slowly.
Place your hands once more at your heart and whisper,
I am enough.
I am whole.
I am held.
I am enough.
I am whole.
I am whole.
I am held.
Thank you for showing up,
For feeling,
For listening.
And remember,
The waves will always come,
But so will your strength,
Your softness,
And your steady return to yourself.
You are doing beautifully.
From my heart to yours,
This is Shauna.
