Welcome.
This is a mindfulness practice for staying with yourself.
Even when things feel uncomfortable.
Even when the inner weather is unsettled.
Even when you'd rather not be here with what's happening.
There's nothing to achieve in this meditation,
Only something to notice.
So if you've not done so already,
Close down the eyes and take a moment to become still.
Sitting or lying down in a way that feels stable.
Not perfect,
Not rigid,
But steady.
Let the body find its own balance.
Bring your attention to the breath.
Not to change it.
Not to deepen it.
Just to notice it.
Where do you feel it most clearly now?
At the nose?
The chest?
The belly?
Let awareness rest there.
Now imagine that your emotional state is like weather.
Some days are clear and open.
Some days are overcast.
Some days bring wind,
Rain or storms.
But none of this means anything has gone wrong.
Notice what your internal weather is like for you today.
No need to label it precisely.
Just sense it.
Is it calm?
Restless?
Heavy?
Uncertain?
Whatever it is,
Let it be here.
Silently say to yourself,
This is the weather.
And then just as gently,
I am the sky.
The sky doesn't argue with the clouds.
It doesn't try to push the storm away.
It allows everything to move through it.
See if you can sense that same capacity in yourself.
Now if there's discomfort present,
Physical,
Emotional or mental,
Bring a curious attention to it.
Where do you feel it in the body?
Is it sharp or dull?
Still or moving?
You're not trying to analyse it.
You're just noticing.
See if you can let that discomfort be exactly as it is.
Without tightening around it.
Without telling a story about it.
Not liking it is allowed.
Resisting it isn't required.
And if the mind tries to fix on it,
Tries to escape or distract,
Gently return to the breath.
Inhaling presence.
Exhaling space.
Even in difficult moments,
Your breath continues.
It doesn't panic.
It doesn't abandon you.
Even in a storm,
The breath is shelter.
And if the storm intensifies,
If thoughts race or emotions surge,
See if you can widen awareness instead of narrowing it.
Include the whole body.
The contact points.
The sounds around you.
Let the experience be held in something larger.
This is resilience.
Not denying what's hard.
Not pretending everything is fine.
But making room and staying.
Notice the part of you that is aware of all of this.
The part that can observe weather without becoming it.
That awareness isn't shaken by the storm.
It's present before,
During and after.
Breathe into that sense of steadiness now.
Not forcing calm.
Just recognising stability.
Even uncertainty is happening within something stable.
You don't need to wait for the weather to clear to be okay.
You don't need resolution for resilience to exist.
You're practising staying.
And that is enough.
And as we come towards the end of this practice,
Notice if anything has shifted,
Even slightly.
Not necessarily better.
Just different.
More space.
More clarity.
Or simply,
More honesty.
When you're ready,
Gently bring awareness back to the room around you.
The sounds.
The light.
The feeling of being here in this moment.
Having a gentle stretch.
And opening the eyes.
Carrying this message with you.
Weather changes,
But the sky remains.
