This is Benjamin,
And we're going to do an exercise together to really deeply reconnect with our natural sense of strength,
Confidence,
And even resilience.
We can use this practice to remember who we really are,
Strong,
Capable,
Powerful human beings.
Let's begin by sitting in a comfortable position.
Let your eyes close,
If that's available to you,
And we're going to do three breaths together with an inhale of four and an exhale of seven.
I'll count for you.
Let's take that first inhale in three,
Two,
One,
In two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven in two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
One more in two,
Three,
Four,
Release two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Now just relax the counting,
Just release,
And notice the breath moving in and out through your nostrils,
The basic raw sensations of your breathing.
Settle into this moment,
This physical place where you're sitting right now,
And just be ready and curious for this exercise that we're about to do.
We begin by imagining ourselves in a difficult situation.
Maybe it's something coming up that's triggering a bit of fear or anxiety,
Or maybe it's something you've gone through in the recent past.
Notice and recognize any fear,
Any aversion that's present as you hold this event in mind.
Maybe there's a difficult conversation that needs to happen with a loved one,
With a coworker.
Maybe there's a meeting or an appointment coming up that's bringing you worry and anxiety.
Again,
Noticing any fear or aversion that comes into your awareness as a body sensation,
As a thought,
But rather than playing out this story in your head,
Ask yourself what the strongest version of yourself would do and how they would handle it.
Picture yourself,
Your strong self,
Your confident self,
Handling that situation with absolute kindness,
Care,
Mindful awareness,
Patience,
Wisdom.
And as you visualize yourself in this situation as your strong self,
Make an effort to notice how that strength feels within you.
How does your body react to this strength as it rises from within you?
What are the sensations associated with that strong self?
And just allow yourself to expand in this feeling.
Allow yourself to feel strong and confident.
If you begin to doubt yourself here or thoughts of judgment arise,
Just come back again to the strong self.
That's your anchor.
Hold it in your mind,
In your imagination.
And let's reconnect now with an intention,
An intention to bring wisdom and compassion into the situation,
Even when you're faced with difficulties.
We'll continue here and you can come back to that same experience,
Playing through it multiple times as your strong self,
Or you can transition into a new situation,
A new event,
Bringing that same strong self in.
Keep connecting to that sensation of strength embodied by your strong self.
Remember to breathe gently but deeply and notice any anxiety,
Any fear,
Any worry that arises and just hold space for that.
But come back to the anchor of your strong self again and again.
As we finish this practice,
You might consider writing about this experience,
A little bit of journaling to capture the sensation of you acting as your strong self,
Embodying your strong self so that it can crystallize into a way of being.
And as you move forward now throughout your day and your week,
You'll undoubtedly encounter situations that are challenging.
And this is an invitation to see how you can bring this strong self you discovered today into those challenging situations.
Be patient with yourself.
Notice and celebrate those small victories and know that you can always come back again and again to this strong version of you.
