Hi,
And welcome to the Mind Management Resilience Meditation on Dealing with Change.
Begin sitting comfortably with your feet flat on the floor,
Your hands resting on your lap,
And close your eyes.
Simply notice your breathing.
Let your breath come in and out.
Breathe in through your nose,
And as you breathe out,
Let your tongue rest behind the tips of your teeth,
And allow your jaw to relax.
Breathe out through your nose or mouth,
Whichever feels most comfortable for you.
Take three deep breaths.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Now just let your breath resume a regular rhythm.
If thoughts come into your head,
Which they will,
Don't judge your thoughts or let your mind follow their dialogue.
Notice the thoughts you're having,
And then consciously choose to bring your attention back to your breath.
When we're faced with adversity and feel like the landscape around us is constantly shifting,
It can be disconcerting,
Uncomfortable,
And sometimes overwhelming.
Unexpected changes or situations that are difficult to handle can cause our minds to race and feel like we lack any kind of control.
But we can build on our reaction to change and strengthen our resilience muscles by constantly choosing how to interpret and frame our circumstances.
For the next few breaths,
See if you can make your exhalation longer than your inhalation.
If you're inhaling for a count of three or four,
Can you exhale for a count of four or five?
Now let's do a physical check-in.
Can you feel your feet planted on the floor?
Are your legs relaxed?
See if you can observe any sensations in your body without commenting or judging.
Just notice.
How does your torso feel?
Can you sit with your spine upright and make yourself a little taller?
Can you relax your shoulders a bit?
Feel your hands gently resting in your lap or on your thighs.
Are your arms relaxed?
Notice the muscles of your face.
Can you relax your jaw,
Your cheeks,
Or your forehead a bit?
Bring your attention back to your breathing.
Is it a bit slower than before?
You probably still have thoughts coming through your head,
But see if you can detach yourself from them.
Instead of reacting to these thoughts or following the dialogue,
Can you observe them as simply thoughts traveling through your mind and then refocus your attention on your breath?
Notice once again the way your breath comes in and out of your body.
When we're faced with tough circumstances we can't avoid,
We have a choice.
We can continue to stress over the situation,
Or we can acknowledge the situation and focus on breathing a fresh perspective into how we move forward.
We're training our minds through meditation to manage the thousands of thoughts that come into our head each day.
This helps us build resilience as we gain the ability to choose how we direct our thoughts in difficult circumstances.
We can't control change,
But we can learn how to manage our reactions.
Take five more deep breaths and let your focus go.
Slowly open your eyes.
Thanks for meditating with us today.
