Connecting With Your Inner Child - Live Community Meditation

We all have an inner child who craves our attention. She is the part of us that we once were - reflecting both the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of our experience. This practice guides you to a meeting with the inner child - a reclamation of your experience, offering safety, compassion, and kindness to the little one within.

Transcript

And just take the moment to arrive before we even get started really feeling into the power of gathering,

Of meditating together,

Of intentionally showing up in community together.

It holds a new kind of energy.

We are not alone.

So as you arrive settle into the support,

Settle into this space of connection both within and with your community.

So feel your hips rooted down,

Grounded,

Being pulled energetically down towards the earth.

Feel a nice length in your spine lifting you up,

Extending your energetic body and opening for the flow and easy movement of energy.

Let's take the time to really treat ourselves with kindness.

Treat our body with kindness as we find comfort and stability.

Treating our mind with kindness as we slowly move into meditation.

Very gently guiding towards relaxation and presence but not forcing.

Finding your breath using your breath as a focal point.

And you can return to your breath at many times throughout the meditation if you have drifted away from focus,

If you have drifted into thought or experience that is not serving you.

You want to shift into the seat of the observer.

So we move into a space that involves very gentle looking.

There is nothing to do.

We don't need to control or force anything.

We're simply observing.

Anytime we take notice of something,

Whether it's a thought or feeling,

There's no need to shift or change it.

We just keep with the seat of the observer with our gentle awareness.

Now I invite you to draw your awareness to your heart space.

Let's cultivate compassion here.

This inner child work will really help with connecting more deeply with compassion.

So if you have found it's difficult for you to feel self compassion,

Self love,

Kindness,

Connecting with your inner child will help this.

Oftentimes we're separated from compassion and self love because of judgment,

Because we feel that we should know better or do better.

But when we can connect with the inner child,

It's so much easier to offer that child love and compassion.

This is carried forward into our present moment experience.

So in your heart space,

Feel,

Sense or intend that compassion is blossoming here.

You can fill your heart space with a beautiful pink light energy.

I like to envision a flower blossoming.

As you inhale,

Really feeds this energy of opening,

Energy of becoming.

Now I invite you in your mind's eye to envision a tunnel.

See this tunnel lit with soft candle all the way along the edges,

Just emitting a very soft glow.

This tunnel is very welcoming for you.

You feel drawn towards it.

And so you begin walking down and through the tunnel.

Again,

Still feeling that warmth of compassion and kindness in your heart and feeling yourself held in this space as you continue walking down and through the tunnel.

Feeling yourself enveloped in this compassion,

This kindness.

And you start to see a bright light at the end of the tunnel,

Not too far away now.

As you walk towards it,

It's getting larger and larger.

And you start to see that you are being called forward into a beautiful park.

As you reach the edge of the tunnel,

You notice that there is a bench in front of you with a small child sitting on it.

And as you step forward,

You feel the compassion and kindness carried with you.

As you are drawn towards the bench and the small child,

You feel an energetic connection as you draw closer.

When you arrive,

You sit down on the bench.

The child turns to look up at you.

You notice that it is you.

It is you as a small child,

Maybe five or six years old or whatever age the small child is in your mind's eye.

And the child smiles at you.

When you return the soft gaze and smile and offer your hand so the child can hold your hand and feel comforted,

Feel safe.

You ask the child how he or she is doing.

How are they feeling?

You lessen as they share their experience,

Their innocence,

Your joy,

Some of their fears,

Your sadness.

And the child stands now and invites you to walk with them.

Over to a sandbox not far away.

The child invites you to sit down and play,

To be with them in their space.

Join them in exploration and curiosity.

And perhaps you watch for a few moments and then start to join in.

You talk easily with the child,

Talking about their day,

Talking about their family,

Talking about the things that they love and the things that they don't like.

And then you pause for a moment,

Feeling or sensing that the child has something to share with you,

A fear,

A worry,

A concern.

You assure them that you are a safe space,

That you are here with them and that you will support them in whatever they have to share with you.

The child leans over and whispers in your ear.

You feel the same fear,

The same concern,

Remembering being this small child.

Remember experiencing this same fear,

This same concern.

And you allow that energy to be present.

And again,

You tell the child,

You tell yourself that you are here for them,

That you are a safe place,

That they are welcome to share your fears,

Your worries,

Their concerns with you.

And that you will honor them.

You will help them however you can.

And you ask them now,

What is it that will make you feel safe?

What is it that will bring you a sense of ease?

What can I do to help?

Just listen.

Remember,

Remember what it is that you need.

Remember what it is that will help you feel safe.

As you receive this,

As you hear what is needed,

You turn to yourself as a small child and assure them that you will do your best,

That you will give them what they need.

The small child gives you the biggest smile,

Leans over to hug you and squeeze you so tight and feel the joy radiating off of their body.

It warms your heart to know that you have been able to comfort a small child,

That you have been able to offer safety,

To offer compassion.

The child stands up and grasps your hand and starts pulling you back towards the bench.

Continuing past the bench and over to the tunnel.

Child lets go of your hand and weaves goodbye,

Turns around and runs back to the sandbox.

You feel yourself drawn back through the tunnel.

As you walk back through the tunnel,

You feel an even greater warmth in your heart.

You feel the compassion,

The kindness that you began cultivating before blossoming fully,

Filling your entire heart space,

Really knowing that a part of you has been reclaimed,

That a part of you has been offered comfort and safety.

And as you reach the edge of the tunnel,

You find yourself back in your body,

Breathing into your present moment experience,

Feeling a shift,

A subtle change in your energy.

And again,

As the observer,

You simply witness this.

You simply notice what is.

Starting to deepen your breath now,

Breathing more deeply into your heart space and really starting to expand love,

The kindness,

The compassion in your heart,

Beyond your heart space,

Blowing brightly through your entire body,

Bathed in the love and compassion that you have within you.

When you reach the edges of your body,

Feel these edges,

Feel the outline of your body.

Then begin to extend the love,

The kindness,

The compassion even further beyond your physical body to fill your auric body.

Dome shape that surrounds your body.

Really feel yourself safe,

Held within your auric and physical body,

Held within the compassion that you have experienced,

Within the safe space that you have cultivated for yourself.

And as we prepare to close the meditation,

Intend that you will draw this compassion,

This sense of safety forward with you into your day.

Take a nice deep breath in through the nose and exhale audibly out the mouth.

Two more of those together.

More and offering any closing blessings to signify the end of your practice.

When you feel ready,

Coming back to the space by opening your eyes slowly,

Starting to take in the space around you again.