Hello,
My name is Brenda and today's meditation is what I like to call meditation on paper.
So there might be times when you'll find yourself unable to sit still and your mind is racing and the thoughts are just flowing and moving really fast and it may seem or feel impossible to quiet down and have that meditative state or meditation practice.
And so I want to offer you this practice that will allow you to put your thoughts down on paper as a way to purge your thoughts,
A way to acknowledge your emotions and then perhaps explore that meditation practice that we know which is seated and all the various techniques that we use to arrive to a still mind.
So you will need a pen and a paper for the first half of our session or just anything to write.
It may not necessarily be a pen and paper.
And as you are grabbing your items or wherever you're going to write,
I want you to know that nobody is going to read this.
You have the liberty to write whatever you want and need to.
And as you're writing stream of consciousness,
It's important to write and continue to write even when it feels like you have nothing else to say.
And so that can be something you use.
I don't know what else to say.
It literally can be what you're writing.
So just make an effort to really keep writing and just see what comes up.
There's a quote that I'm going to just prompt us through that I think really embodies what we're about to jump into.
Think of journaling as a brush for your own soul,
Just like brushing your teeth each morning and each evening.
It clarifies the mind,
Provides room for quiet,
Private reflection,
And gives you a record of your thoughts over time.
So let's come to the position that you're going to start writing in.
Perhaps it's already seated down to the floor,
You grabbed a cushion,
Or you're sitting down in your chair.
And I'll guide us through just a very brief breath exercise to let us arrive,
And then we'll get going and purging our thoughts.
Take a big breath in through your nose and a big breath out.
And we'll breathe in for four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And you'll exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
You'll breathe in for four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And you'll exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Again,
Inhale for three,
Two,
One,
And exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Final round in four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Full breath in,
Full breath out.
If you had your eyes closed,
You can blink them open and start with this first prompt at what's at the tip of your mind and what needs to be expressed right now.
And allow yourselves to just start writing whatever it is that immediately came up.
Don't worry about grammar.
Don't worry about sentences flowing or from topic and themes.
Just allow yourself to really think of what's at the tip of your mind that is continuing to linger there.
Try not to go back and reread anything as you're writing right now.
You're simply writing exactly that's coming through in thought form.
So sometimes that is,
I don't know what else to write.
So we write that.
Thinking of kind of wrapping up that piece as we go into our next prompt.
This seems to be a time in my life.
Finish off what comes up for you.
This seems to be a time in my life.
If you go off on tangents,
Allow yourself to go off on tangents and know that you can always go back to the first prompt,
The second prompt,
Or as we keep moving,
Any of the other prompts.
And then starting to think of wrapping that part up.
How does that make you feel?
Perhaps you've already explored that,
But this time really focus on the emotions or the feeling or body sensations that may be rising up as you explore this time in your life.
Going here,
Exploring,
How does that make you feel?
You can add on and say,
Why?
Why do you think that?
Why do you think that?
You can say,
Why?
Why do you think you feel that way?
Getting more curious,
More details,
Reminding yourself no one will read this.
This is simply for you.
Finally here,
How are you going to nurture and take care of everything you've just expressed?
Your feelings,
How you embody them this time in your life?
How will you support yourself?
And it's okay if nothing comes through.
I want to remind you that it's okay to say,
I don't know,
I'm not sure,
And just keep going with that.
Slowly wrapping up this writing piece.
If it feels like you need to keep writing,
Allow yourself to stay.
And as you're putting those final thoughts for those that want to enter more of that not writing,
More of this exploring with eyes closed meditation,
You can set the paper aside.
You don't need to reread it right now.
Gently close your eyes,
Take a big breath in and a breath out.
Let the shoulders soften,
Let your hands release,
Let your eyes relax.
The space between your eyebrows feel wide another breath in and breath out.
More breath here.
Just feeling yourself rooted down to this present moment.
Can you feel your hips to the ground or to your chair or cushion?
Can you notice your arms,
Your palms,
Perhaps to your thighs,
The sensations of your fingertips touching your clothes or a blanket,
Whatever is on top of you.
Notice your shoulders,
Where are they?
And the head right over the shoulders.
Our thoughts can take us through various journeys from past,
Present,
Future.
And we can anchor our presence through the sensations of here and now.
As you continue to sit a little bit more in silence,
Notice if the thoughts that are coming in could be anything that you've written down.
Acknowledge them,
Observe them again,
And perhaps think of that nurturing or supporting piece and then let them float away.
Now start to breathe in bigger in through the belly,
Expand it into your chest,
Breathe it up to your throat,
And exhale slowly out the mouth.
Take two more breaths like that,
Ending our practice here with our breath embodied,
Releasing anything out or imagining releasing anything out through those exhales.
And as you're feeling ready,
You can tip your chin down,
Blink your eyes open,
And this time bring your palms together.
Rub your palms a little back and forth,
Just feeling the sensation between your fingertips.
And then bring up your palms to your heart space in gratitude,
In a gesture of gratitude for yourself,
For giving your mind,
Thoughts,
And emotions a space to be seen and heard.
I hope you enjoyed this meditation on paper.
Come back to this meditation at any moment when you may feel like you can't sit still and need a space to reflect and to release a few things.
Have a great rest of your day.
