Loving & Embracing Our Thoughts

This is a relaxing meditation to allow and make space for our thoughts with the perspective that perhaps our thoughts have a loving message beyond their surface. We also practice calming the nervous system as a tool to observe our more persistent thoughts and their deeper intentions.

Transcript

Hello there,

This is Alice Alexander.

This meditation is part 3 of a series of 4 meditations on self love.

This meditation will look at our thoughts.

So it might seem like a strange or perhaps challenging idea to think of loving our thoughts.

Especially from a yogic perspective we say that we aren't our thoughts sometimes.

So we'll focus on experiencing our thoughts in a non-judgmental way.

Allowing them and noticing the value of our thoughts rather than on the perhaps more negative perspectives on thoughts.

Getting started now in a comfortable position.

Laying down or finding a comfortable seat that you feel supported in.

Comfortable in.

So just take a few moments to do that.

And when you've settled into your comfortable position please look around the space that you're in.

Taking a good look.

Getting a little more familiar with the shapes and the colours.

If you see something that attracts your attention more than others.

Just resting your gaze on that item or that location now.

Moving awareness back to centre.

You can choose to close your eyes or just gaze steadily ahead.

Resting the gaze.

If you're laying in a bed or on the ground see how much you can surrender to the support of the ground beneath you.

If you're in a seat feel heavy down through the base of your support and notice how that helps you to feel a little lighter in your upper body.

Finding a comfortable position for your hands to rest in.

Becoming aware of the breath.

Using the breath as a tool to calm the nervous system and allow us to go a little deeper with our self enquiry and the noticing of ourselves.

So breathing in through the nose or the mouth if you're congested.

The belly expands as you do this.

And this time we'll open the mouth and sigh it out.

Again like that inhale.

Breathing out to release.

Holding through the mouth now for a count of 4,

3,

2,

1 exhale for 4,

3,

2,

1 again inhale for 4,

3,

2,

1 softly holding for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Inhale for 4,

3,

2,

1 again inhale for 4,

3,

2,

1 hold the breath for 4,

3,

2,

1 exhale for 4,

3,

2,

1 and hold the breath for 4,

3,

2,

1 and release.

Let go of controlling the breath.

So the slower you breathe the calmer you feel generally.

When you flow into holding the breath and releasing it,

It is a flow.

So there's no halting or creating of tension.

Notice how softly you can hold the breath and how smooth the exchanges between the inhales and the holds and the exhales can be.

Imagining your breath like a wave.

We'll do that one more time knowing that if this is not comfortable for you just coming back to how you usually breathe and just paying attention to my words instead.

So in your own time now inhale for as long as is comfortable for you.

And then hold your breath for the same amount of time making sure your shoulders are soft and the muscles in your face and your scalp are soft.

Then exhale for the same amount of time and hold for the same amount of time.

And let go of controlling the breath.

And take a moment to notice the breath,

The movement of air in through the nose and the movement of air out through the nose.

Noticing that the body is still soft.

Surrendering to the base of your support,

Support of your body.

Moving around it.

Moving our awareness to thoughts now.

For the next few minutes we'll practice not judging our thoughts but allowing them to arise.

Our thoughts are often linked to emotions and emotions can be linked to thoughts.

There's no rejecting in whatever is linked to the thoughts.

It's said that suffering is something that occurs when we reject.

A rejection of parts of our experience often prolongs it.

It is possible to have an appreciation for our thoughts.

There is a reason for them.

They have a message though it may not be immediately obvious what that message is.

Our practice for the next few moments is not to try and effort to figure it out.

But to observe thoughts come and perhaps go as we have observed the breath coming and going.

And this means that we are completely and utterly present to accept or allow something is not to think about its influences or its destination,

Its ultimate impact.

It is to allow what is to be.

So just for now notice your capacity to be in this moment having an experience of nothing coming next.

As you notice the support of the ground beneath you and the softness in your body.

Is it possible to have an experience of not trying to be something or to not be something?

Without effort can we practice allowing thoughts to play out?

And all you need to do is be aware of the softness in your body.

The surrender of the weight of your body to the support beneath you.

You may notice that there is one thought in particular that is bothering you.

There is no right or wrong experience to be having right now.

If there is something that is arising that is quite strong and pulling at your awareness allow it to be here.

Is it possible that you could just allow it to be here?

Could you stay soft in the body?

Have you noticed that tension has arisen again in the shoulders or the neck or the throat?

Maybe the face could be around the hips?

If it's a troublesome thought could you use the breath to keep calming the nervous system?

As you make space for that thought to be here.

Slowing down the breath,

Breathing into the belly.

Accepting what is right now.

And that perhaps that thought just needs to be here right now.

In some instances when we can soften around and make space for our thoughts we find that there is a very useful message for us behind the persistence of that thought.

This may or may not be true for you.

But it's only when we make space and soften around it that we can fully allow the thought to manifest into its intention.

Now techniques for softening and letting go are related and connected to the use of the breath.

We can use it to soften the body and release inner tension.

So inhaling slowly expand the belly.

Exhale and allow.

Is it possible that instead of our thoughts perhaps being torturous is it possible that they have a message for us instead.

A very useful supportive and loving intention.

Beyond the surface of the words,

Beyond the surface of our initial reaction to the presence of those thoughts.

Notice what happens when you make space for them instead.

And is it possible in this moment to notice a feeling of gratitude for your thoughts.

For the intention behind the thoughts and the messages that they carry for us when we allow them to be received.

And if there is a space in your body that you feel needs some attention right now.

Exhaling that and moving your focus into that space now letting go of our practice of making space for thoughts.

With your awareness on that space and the body imagine that you can breathe into it.

And as you exhale it softens.

One more time inhale and exhale.

When you feel ready becoming aware of the sounds inside of the room and the sounds outside of the room.

Becoming aware of smells and tastes without judgement.

The feeling of clothes and air against your skin.

As you feel ready slowly blinking the eyes open if they were closed and thanking yourself for exploring this meditation with me.

And I wish you a very happy remainder of your day or your night.

Thank you.