Welcome to this meditation on finding your own no and taking a stand for yourself.
It is an invitation and an invocation.
It begins with a spoken section and then we will go into an embodied meditation exercise to support you in standing strong in your own no.
So find a comfortable position to listen from.
Feel the length of your spine,
Your connection with the ground.
Sit with your head up straight in stillness,
In dignity,
In power and poise as we find our no.
No is a word of wonder.
It's a blockade to all that is baffling and bonkers in our life.
It's a trailblazing way to find new ground.
No is clarity,
Compassion and conviction.
No is a clear direction that stops us going down the wrong path and wasting miles and years of our lives.
No is the best form of contraception against catching resentment.
No is a stand for yourself.
It is a stand for life.
It is a stand for creating situations that work.
Sometimes our own no is the biggest imaginable yes that we could possibly give to the rest of our lives.
Until our no is trustworthy,
Our yes does not mean a thing.
No is a radical reset.
Our no may be the single biggest way that we can back ourselves up.
Our no is a thing that brings time,
That makes space,
That gives permission.
Our no can open us up to a whole world of wonder.
It is protection,
Prevention,
Provocation.
Our no can be a loving stance for self.
No does not have to be a word that is wielded against another.
It does not have to be fierce or forceful.
No can be soft and respectful and backed up by complete conviction.
Giving a no can be a wonderful gift.
A clean and clear no breaks bonds and sets other people free.
A no is a well-wielded weapon against wasted energy.
Take a breath as you keep listening to these words.
For no is a gateway.
No is a portal.
No is a compassionate wrecking ball that clears away all that does not serve,
So that we can rebuild something more beautiful in its place.
Sometimes no is a door that slams shut.
Sometimes it's an Indiana Jones-style trapdoor that slides down.
Sometimes it's a slow sliding drawer of truth that clicks shut on something,
Tidying all the mess away.
Sometimes our no is like a firework sky full of wonder.
It blazes bright with awe-inspiring truth.
Sometimes no is a profound prayer that protects life.
Sometimes no makes miracles happen,
Puts the past to rest and blazes trails forwards.
Deepen your breath.
Sometimes our no is a wry laugh.
And sometimes our no is a soft,
Sweet thing.
And sometimes our no is a healthy and heartfelt,
Oh,
Hell no!
Sometimes our no is filled with eyes blazing and soul alight,
With strength and care and complete conviction.
Sometimes our no is literally love on fire.
No is actually a nice thing.
Rejoice,
Reaffirm and relish your no's.
Your clarity is a gift.
Creating space is a sanctuary.
Bless your no,
Your voice and your choice.
So now I invite you to find your own embodied no,
Your own passion and potency.
If it's possible for you to do so,
I encourage you to stand.
Feet hip-width apart.
Feel where you touch the ground under you and how the earth supports you.
Stand a little taller without forcing,
But be willing to stand here and inhabit your length,
Your height,
Your dignity.
Take a deepening breath and drop your shoulders some.
Broaden your ribcage.
If it feels okay to you,
I encourage to keep your eyes open and to widen your vision.
To look out at the world.
To practice standing in your no whilst in relationship with the world around you.
The world around us.
Meditation on the cushion on our inner world is wonderful.
And where the rubber meets the road with our practice is when we take it into relationality.
So look out now and feel a no gently arising within you.
It does not have to be a fierce screaming no.
Just a simple uh-uh.
That's not going to work for me.
No,
Thank you.
No.
Not today,
Thank you.
Feel how your no backs up your own life force.
Feel your nervous system soften as you give the gift of your no.
Feel how your no lets you perhaps be a little more here rather than the urge to hide out,
Numb out,
Space out or run away.
Oh,
I have my no.
I can stay.
I can stand strong.
I can back me up.
I can be here.
Take a deepening breath and shake that off.
And we'll find one more no as part of our embodied mindfulness practice today.
Feel a fierce no within you.
Your mama bear,
That in you which protects your cubs or your life force or that which you value,
That which you stand for.
Find your oh no,
Uh-uh,
No.
Like Gandalf wielding his staff to the Balrog,
You shall not pass.
Find the fire in your no,
The fierceness,
The potency and the protection.
Notice that this no does not have to be aggressive.
It can be assertive,
Simple,
Strong,
Straight.
We each get a say in our own lives and we get to do it with dignity,
With care for all concerned.
We get to create yeses and nos that build relationship,
That can listen well to all in the world.
Get involved.
And I want you to know with a K,
To know that between these two nos,
There's a million miles of no.
No thank you,
No,
Absolutely not,
No.
Know that you can calibrate your no,
That you can practice it,
That you can protect yourself and your own energy.
Know that your no is a gift.
Know that your no is sweet and in service.
So as we finish this session,
I invite you to just let the no sink into your body.
To feel what it feels like to back yourself up.
To feel the reassurance of knowing you have a no in your back pocket and can wield it at any moment.
To feel all your no protects you from.
To know that giving a no is saying yes to your own heart and your own life sometimes.
I wish you strength,
Dignity,
Care,
Compassion as you go forward from this meditation.
Thank you for being in the investigation of what it means to be human together.
I wish you wellness and potency and passion.
And may you stand and serve for all life,
For a life that works for all.
Thank you.
You got this.
