Meditation For Overcoming Loneliness

Loneliness and isolation can be a big source of sadness and emptiness in people's lives. This meditation will guide you into a deeper connection with yourself, which yields a feeling of a deeper connection with the world. We are, inherently, interconnected to everything around us, and through this meditation, you can touch that truth.

Transcript

Welcome,

My friends,

On Insight Timer to this guided meditation on overcoming loneliness.

One of my teachers once described loneliness as just the fear that comes with feeling and believing that we are a separate self.

In truth,

We are part of a much larger whole,

One that interpenetrates our entire being and that of the entire universe.

We are both unique and connected,

Separate and whole.

So if this is the case,

We just need to access and feel our wholeness.

When we embody this truth,

It is impossible to feel lonely,

And hence our true nature emerges and the joyous present reveals itself.

To begin this meditation,

I'll invite you to find a place that is comfortable and still.

It could be sitting down,

Lying down,

Or even standing.

If there is ambient noise,

That's okay.

Just be in a place where you can spend the next 5-10 minutes getting in touch with your larger,

Interconnected,

And whole self.

Let's begin by grounding ourselves in the present moment.

Breathwork is a wonderful way to begin any meditation.

It has such a powerful effect on our physiology.

So it can rapidly change our current state.

I invite you to take two inhales through the nose.

The first inhale should be firm and about 70% of your total capacity to inhale.

The second should also be firm and should complete the remaining 30%.

So it should sound something like this.

70,

30.

After the second inhale,

Please slowly exhale through the mouth until your lungs are more or less empty,

And then repeat again.

So,

In its full cycle,

It will sound something like this.

So now,

On your own,

Please go through this breathwork exercise for the next 3 minutes.

Inhaling firmly through the nose,

70,

30,

And then exhaling slowly through the mouth.

Again,

Two firm breaths through the nose,

And one long exhale through the mouth.

Maintaining your focus on the breathing,

Ensuring that the inhales are complete,

And ensuring that the exhale is elongated.

Just keeping your attention,

Your energy,

And your focus here,

And now on your breathing.

And as we come to the close of this 3 minutes,

If your eyes weren't closed before,

Gently close them now,

And give yourself permission to move into the next part of this meditation.

Now that we have grounded ourselves,

I'll invite you to get in touch with your body.

Just gently begin to feel any sensations or emotions in your body.

No matter where they are,

Just allow them to rest in your awareness,

And watch them with a curious and open mind.

A curious and open heart.

We're not here to judge or assess.

Rather,

Just observe and cultivate awareness of what's happening.

It's often helpful for people to scan their body from head to toe,

Noticing each part of their body and seeing what arises from this level of awareness.

In that sense,

Let's begin by slowly feeling ourselves from head to toe.

So begin by noticing the top of your head,

Moving into your face,

And the sides of your head.

You can feel into your jaw,

Upper neck and lower neck,

Your shoulders and upper chest,

Your upper arms and middle chest,

Lower arms,

Wrists,

And hands.

Moving into the center of your body around the diaphragm,

Notice the middle of your belly,

And then move your awareness to your lower belly.

Notice your hips,

Your buttocks,

And your groin region,

Your upper legs,

Your knees,

Moving into your calves and your ankles,

And finally moving into your feet and your toes.

And now I'll invite you just to repeat this process of scanning on your own for the next two minutes.

Again,

Scanning from the top of your head,

Down to your toes,

And if it's comfortable,

Perhaps scanning from your toes back to the top of your head.

Just continue to scan the body and cultivate awareness around whatever is arising in your experience.

Okay,

Now that we have deepened our awareness of our body,

Let's take note that there is a lot more going on in our experience,

Than just the feelings or emotions that are uncomfortable.

Emotions are just our mind's way of describing internal states of being based on physical sensations.

The key here is to notice that in different parts of our body,

We are always experiencing different physical sensations.

For example,

If there is some tension in the stomach,

A beating heart,

And an increased respiration or breathing,

Then this creates the emotion of feeling uncomfortable.

This is a state of anxiety and fear.

However,

Perhaps in our legs or in our feet,

There is a relaxing,

Free flow of energy,

Which feels grounding and calm.

Take the time again to scan through your body and feel that there is a lot more happening in your being than just the emotions and sensations that are uncomfortable,

Which give rise to the feeling of loneliness.

Gently bring your awareness to this,

And see how this changes your experience of what's happening in your body here and now.

And again,

Let's try this for about 3 minutes.

Continuing with the body scan,

But trying to bridge a larger connection with the comfortable experience created in certain parts of your body,

From different sensations.

Making an intentional effort to feel the wholeness of our experience without focusing in on any one area in particular.

Even when you do find those areas of your body that are more calm and relaxed,

There's no need to dwell and fixate there for too long.

But just bring that part of your body into your awareness.

And feel what's happening there.

Again,

You can use the body scan to go from head to toe,

Toes back to the head.

And just expanding the awareness of all the sensations that are rising in your body.

Not just the ones that are uncomfortable and distressing.

No need to label or identify.

Just hold those sensations in your awareness and witness as they arise.

Okay,

Coming back to our bodies,

Let's begin by opening our awareness.

Let's get in touch with the wholeness of which we are part of and derived from.

One of the best and most underrated kinds of meditation is sound meditation.

Simply,

The experience of cultivating and focusing on the sounds and the environment around us.

The sounds of our surroundings give rise to our experience and feed into the concept of who we are and what is happening with us in any given moment.

With that said,

I invite you to gently open your awareness to the sounds around you.

It doesn't matter if they are quiet or loud,

Soft or firm,

Frequent or infrequent.

Just be with them.

And notice as they arise in your experience.

Be curious.

And listen to them with a real beginner's mind.

We will spend the next five minutes doing this.

Just opening your awareness and taking in and noticing the sounds around you.

No matter what they are.

Now that you've taken the time to expand and cultivate awareness for the sounds around you.

In addition,

You can continue to cultivate awareness and attention on what's happening within you.

This can be done simultaneously.

Noticing the sounds that arise in your experience around you.

And the sensations that are arising in your body moment to moment.

And depending on the nature of the sounds around you.

It can create different physical sensations and responses within you.

Which you can also cultivate awareness around.

And notice the interconnectivity between the sounds outside of you.

And the sensations that arise within you.

Just continue to cultivate that awareness.

Just cultivating the awareness of the sounds.

The sensations and the interplay between the two.

If you find your mind wandering away in thought.

The past or the future again.

Just ground yourself with your breath.

Keeping your eyes closed.

Bringing your attention back to the sounds.

The sensations and if needed.

Using your breath to ground you again.

Okay,

Welcome back.

For the last part of this guided meditation.

I'll invite you to deepen your connection with yourself.

When our heart.

Our brain.

And our hara.

Otherwise known as our lower abdomen.

Are synchronized and co-regulate together.

They work in synergy.

To amplify the energy emitted from our bodies.

Into the world around us.

In particular.

If the energy we cultivate is grounded in a state of love.

Kindness.

Appreciation and care.

Then we receive this energy back.

From our surroundings.

It's the law of resonance.

And what we emit.

We receive.

In other words.

When we connect more deeply to ourselves.

We connect more deeply with the world.

Around us.

And thus.

We can reduce our fear.

Loneliness.

And our sense of isolation.

This is grounded in both ancient wisdom and practices.

In addition to modern day science.

So to begin.

I'll invite you to cross your arms over your chest.

It doesn't matter if it's the dominant hand on the bottom.

But the heart is more or less in the center.

Of your chest.

So it's a good way to get in touch with that heart center.

The next part of our journey involves actively cultivating gratitude.

For yourself.

Which is going to help harmonize.

And entrain the mind.

The heart.

And the hara.

So repeat these phrases after me.

Feel into your heart.

Keeping your eyes closed.

And repeating these phrases.

With a genuine sense of appreciation.

And gratitude.

I am grateful.

For my body.

My mind.

And my heart.

I am grateful for the lessons of the past.

The lessons of today.

And the lessons of tomorrow.

I am grateful for all living beings.

That help give rise to my existence.

I am grateful that my existence.

Helps give rise to theirs.

I am grateful I can see.

I am grateful I can hear.

I am grateful.

I can feel.

I am grateful I can be.

I am grateful for those in my life.

I am grateful for all that I am.

I am grateful for all the good in the world.

I am grateful for the chance to be alive.

Now.

Feel your heart.

And the expansion of your energy.

As you move into this state of wholeness.

Allow this energy.

And change of state to proceed.

And feel into your heartbeat.

And begin slowly breathing into your lower abdomen.

Taking in a deep.

Yet gentle breath into your lower abdomen.

And repeating this again.

And again.

And again.

Keep the process going for the next three minutes.

Simply consciously cultivating gratitude in your mind.

Repeating phrases of gratitude that resonate most with you.

Feeling the beating of your heart.

And continue to breathe into the lower part of your abdomen.

Feeling the energy of your heart as it expands.

Breathing into the lower abdomen.

And repeating phrases of gratitude that resonate with you the most in your mind.

And continue this process to expand the connectivity.

In your own being.

Which will increase the connectivity to the world around you.

Okay.

So we have arrived at the end of this guided meditation.

And before we end.

I invite you to feel into your being one more time.

Feel your whole body.

Your heart.

The energy of gratitude you cultivated.

And slowly begin to experience the sounds around you again.

Notice how they may seem more peaceful or loving.

Next.

I invite you to slowly open your eyes.

And begin looking at your surroundings with a genuine curiosity.

And sense of joy and appreciation.

Be thankful for all the things around you that give rise to your experience.

That give rise to your ability to see.

Take the time to look at things around you in a new context.

Be deeply curious.

Interested in your surroundings.

Appreciative and grateful.

See those things in a new way.

Grounded in the energy of joy.

Connection.

And appreciation.

See them as welcome additions to your life.

That you are happy to have.

And take this energy into your day and realize.

You are never really alone.

Be well my friends.