Hi,
This is Amy,
And welcome to this meditation on practicing simplicity.
Find a comfortable position,
And either drop your gaze or close your eyes,
Whichever is more comfortable.
Begin by breathing deeply into the belly,
Relaxing the jaw,
The tongue,
The neck.
Often in daily life,
It becomes simple to overthink situations,
Problems,
And in this meditation we'll practice a couple of tools for reducing complexity.
Over time our brains have evolved to have a bias towards negativity,
And this exercise allows you to reconnect with positive feelings,
To reconnect with the idea of simplicity as opposed to complexity.
And the more we practice positive thought and a simple approach,
We can begin to rewire our brains and reduce that negativity bias.
So bring to mind a challenge you've been grappling with,
Or a topic,
Something that occupies your brain in a slightly uncomfortable way.
It could be concerns about a conversation with a loved one,
Or worrying about a child or a parent,
Or finding discomfort with what's going on in current affairs.
As you bring this idea to mind,
Don't begin telling stories to yourself about it,
Just simply bring up an idea or an image.
And notice how you feel when you think about this topic with which you have a challenge.
And consider,
Rather than thinking about this topic,
Consider what it might feel like to look at it through a lens of feelings and energy,
Rather than the intellect.
Rather than taking the whole topic and trying to fix it all at once,
Simply sit with it,
Acknowledge it,
Honor its presence,
Even if it makes you uncomfortable.
And as you sit with it,
Allow it to be,
Rather than trying to find a solution or create change.
Imagine this challenge in front of you,
Being surrounded by a golden warm glow of contentment.
Even though you may be uncomfortable,
Release your feelings about this topic or challenge,
And simply let it be for a moment.
And quietly in mind,
Say for yourself,
I am safe.
I am at ease.
I can let this challenge rest for a moment.
And through this process of detachment,
Through this process of setting aside our concern about this topic,
Challenge,
We begin to create space.
And that space away from the challenge is filled with simplicity.
It's filled with an opportunity of non-doing,
Non-being,
Non-thinking.
There's you,
And there's the challenge surrounded by golden light.
And for a moment,
Give all of your attention to you,
To yourself,
To knowing that you are enough just in this moment.
Even though challenges present themselves outside of you,
In this moment you are enough.
And again,
Silently in mind for yourself,
Repeat these following phrases,
I am safe,
I am at ease.
Continue to breathe deeply into the belly for a moment.
And then when you're ready,
After this break away from concern about this challenge,
You can go back to it with a fresh set of eyes,
With a greater sense of peace and calm.
You might be able to look at it from a new angle with fresh eyes,
But that ability to take a break away from that challenge and have that gap between you and the challenge filled with simplicity and warm golden light begins to help you release a pattern of rumination about that challenge.
It gives you an opportunity to manage your own perspective,
To manage your own thought processes,
To manage where you want to spend your time thinking.
And let's bring this meditation to a close and know that you can practice this tool at any time,
With any challenge or any topic,
Simply creating some space away from the challenge,
Surrounding it with that golden light and reminding yourself that you are enough,
That you are safe and at ease.
And through this process of taking a break,
Even if it's only for a minute or two,
You can come back to that challenge with a fresh perspective and a greater peace of mind.
