Hello,
My name is Brian Hyman.
Welcome to this meditation on relapse prevention.
Let's find a comfortable position.
As you begin to settle in,
As you find a posture that is comfortable for you,
Give yourself permission to relax.
And as best as you can,
Set aside anything that may have happened before this moment and anything yet to happen after this moment.
Give yourself the gift to be present in this moment right now,
Here.
Let's take an inhale together.
And exhale.
Let it go.
Again,
Deep inhale.
And exhale.
Let it go.
One last time.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Let it go.
As many of us may already know,
Recovery is an ongoing journey.
What may have worked for us in the past may or may not work for us today or tomorrow.
The tools that we use,
The practices and meditations,
The techniques,
All of the books that we read,
All of the helpful things that support recovery,
We must remember to use these things as often as possible,
To modify these things when needed,
To supplement these teachings or techniques,
To remain teachable.
One of the best ways to prevent relapse is to live in a way where relapse is not even a thought,
It's not even a possibility,
Because the life that we are living in recovery is incredible and peaceful and purposeful.
Now,
How do we create this type of life?
Fortunately,
To live this type of life in recovery is to allow recovery to be who we are.
To not look at or view recovery as something we need to do or achieve,
But to allow recovery to simply be our way of being.
The way we think and speak and act out in the world will come from our recovery.
When we learn to live deeply in the present moment with gratitude,
Recovery becomes a way of being.
And when our way of being is peaceful and purposeful,
It's highly unlikely we will entertain thoughts of relapse or put ourselves into positions where this may happen.
Let's take these ideas and meditate on how to create a life,
How to create a way of being in recovery that will transcend things like relapse.
Let's meditate on these ideas.
Close your eyes.
Take an inhale and exhale.
Let it go.
Again,
Inhale and exhale.
Let it go.
Last time,
Inhale and exhale.
Release the breath.
For the next few moments,
Contemplate within your meditation what it means to you to live deeply in the present moment,
To allow your recovery to be a way of being in the world,
To live in a way where life is precious,
To live in a way where we protect our mind,
Body,
And spirit,
To live a purposeful life,
A peaceful life.
Meditate on these ideas and notice the feelings that come.
Notice any emotions that come.
And keep breathing with awareness throughout this time on your own.
Allow the breath to guide you and support you.
Begin to bring your awareness back into the present moment.
Let's take an inhale together and exhale.
Let it go.
If your eyes are closed,
Gently open your eyes.
There are many ways to prevent things like relapse.
There are many more ways to live in a way where relapse is no longer an option.
Focus on the positive things you can do today for your recovery.
Have a plan.
Have strategies,
Practices,
Support groups.
Have a mantra or an affirmation that you use each day.
For example,
Something like,
I will stay sober today.
Something like this can be repeated when we feel like we may drink or use.
Exercise is always a great option to come back home to the body in a healthy way.
Practicing yoga.
There are so many ways to live in recovery where we honor our recovery.
Thank you for practicing today.
Wishing you happiness on your journey.
