Hello,
My name is Antonio Bolden and I'm here to invite you to another meditation,
This one I like to call the faith meditation.
Faith is a word that is usually closely connected with some type of religion.
Though this practice will be based from a Christian belief,
I invite you to insert your own belief as you initiate this practice,
Whether you choose Christianity or follow another religion or even just choose to practice faith.
All people are welcome and this practice is not made for any specific group.
So as we begin,
Just begin to sit and settle into your space,
Whether it's a meditation pillow or chair,
Can wiggle your body,
Being able to move the anxious,
Nervous or energy through the body,
And as you settle in,
Begin to soften your eyes,
Eventually closing them,
And if you don't feel comfortable,
Just begin to keep your eyes softened and focus on the spot on the floor or the table or the rug ahead of you,
Never catches your attention,
Just keep your concentration there.
Let's begin by anchoring with a deep breath,
So slowly inhaling,
Filling up the stomach,
And also slowly exhaling as we completely enter the stomach.
At this time,
Just commence a brief body scan from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet,
Noticing any present sensations or feelings,
Practicing acceptance,
Trying not to judge any experience that comes towards our awareness.
Once you've committed the scan,
Begin to bring your attention to your breath,
Taking a deep breath once more,
Fully filling up the stomach,
Expanding the diaphragm,
And exhaling one more time.
Once you exhale,
Just begin to breathe regularly,
Simply bring your awareness to your mind.
Currently,
There may be thoughts,
Or not at all,
That even if there are any present,
Try not to judge them,
Just simply let them be,
Passing as if they're clouds in the sky or images on the television.
Try not to get tangled or too connected with one or the other.
At this time,
When your mind just begins to define the word faith to yourself,
Asking yourself,
What does it mean to you?
I will read a definition from the Bible,
From Hebrews 11.
1.
It says,
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
The evidence of things not seen.
As you heard the definition,
Notice what words stood out to you.
Also notice what the words may be telling you.
As I read it one more time,
From Hebrews 11.
1,
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
The evidence of things not seen.
I will pose this question,
What is it that you are faithful for?
What is it that you are believing for?
Whether it's a religion,
Spirituality,
Or none of the above.
Ask yourself this question.
Continuing with your focus being on your mind,
Allow yourself to create an image of one or multiple things that you may be believing God for.
Or your higher power of choice.
Once you notice these images,
Or even a single image,
From across your mind,
Just notice the feelings and sensations that arise.
And notice where you feel them.
Continue to keep this image or images on the screen of your mind.
Let's begin to change our focus.
And notice our breath once more,
Just breathing regularly,
Inhaling and exhaling at a natural pace.
Now let's regain your focus back towards the images.
With the image in your mind,
As you inhale,
Say to yourself,
I receive.
As you exhale,
Say I believe.
So once again,
On the inhale,
As you see this image,
Say to yourself,
I receive.
And on the exhale,
I believe.
As you see this mantra with your breath.
As you're breathing,
On your inhale,
Just begin to imagine yourself accepting God's promise or even what you're believing in for.
And on the exhale,
Imagine that you're speaking your faith to give life.
As you continue this mantra,
Just notice continually what sensations or feelings you experience.
Whether it be comfort,
Discomfort or neutral,
All experiences are welcome to allow this opportunity to continue to practice this sense.
Sense of the present moment.
Just simply bring your awareness to the sensation of breathing,
Noticing what it feels like.
Even as we've engaged in the combination of the breathing and visualization exercise,
Allow yourself to do another brief scan,
Noticing the feelings and sensations you experience in your body.
At this time,
I'm going to ring my bell three times.
When you can no longer hear the bell,
Allow yourself to open your eyes and reengage with the sound of the bell.
My name is Antonio Bolden and I thank you for joining me for this meditation.
Have a wonderful day or night.
