Welcome.
Today's meditation is about values.
When I say the word values,
What comes to mind for you?
Values can mean a lot of things to different people.
For some,
It may mean belonging,
Affection,
Adventure,
Love,
Respect,
Wisdom,
Imagination.
But what does the word values mean to you?
What are you prioritizing in your life that upholds what you value most?
I invite you to close your eyes as we begin our meditation.
I will guide you through a grounding exercise,
The meditation,
And then I will give you a clear sense of when we have ended.
So for now,
Just allowing yourself the permission to be with me,
Yourself,
This moment.
We're going to take time to connect with your inner world.
I like to think of this as inner yoga.
We may bend and stretch,
Tone,
Even strengthen.
It's you being with you.
Giving yourself permission to be fully present,
Awake and aware.
As you settle in,
Please make sure that your feet are firmly on the ground,
Your back in an upright position and that your neck and shoulders are relaxed.
Feeling the weight of your body in your seat.
Noticing your breath,
Feeling it flow throughout,
Noticing where it stops and feeling it on its return as you exhale.
Moving from the base of your feet to your lower legs,
Your thighs,
Your pelvic floor,
Your low abdomen,
Your upper belly in the middle of your back,
Your chest and your upper back.
Paying special attention here.
If there's any tension,
Let it release on the exhale and keep breathing into your heart space,
Imagining it being a balloon that you keep filling and filling with air.
Really welcoming the muscles to relax,
The energies to flow freely.
Turning our attention back to your body,
Moving up through your shoulders,
The base of your neck,
Under your chin,
Around your cheeks and jawline,
In between your eyebrows and out through the top of your head.
Taking in another nice deep breath.
Imagine that we're entering a sacred space.
It begins on a forest pathway.
The pathway is well-defined but not paved.
There are little stones and dirt along the way,
Leaves,
Moss.
As we begin along this forested path,
Taking note of the rays of sunshine streaming in through the tree canopy,
The sounds of the forest,
The way the environment feels in your body.
As we continue to walk,
I would like for you to think about what values you were raised with,
What you heard your parents saying,
Your teachers,
Your peer group.
Let whatever arises be known without judgment or attachment.
You're simply replaying the values you heard growing up.
Maybe it was work hard in school,
Be obedient,
Listen,
Be kind,
Do your best.
Continuing to walk along the path,
Knowing that what no longer resonates with you or is not serving your greatest good can be left behind you as you continue along this forested pathway.
Up ahead to our right,
There's a little bit of a clearing and a waterfall.
At the base of the waterfall,
There's a beautiful crystal-clear pool.
Please make your way over to it.
Sit along the water's edge so that you can peer into the crystal pool.
Taking time to look at your reflection in this crystal-clear water.
Moving past your external appearance and really looking deeply into your eyes.
Not worrying about how you look with your hair or your lines on your face.
Just really looking deeply,
Deeply into your eyes and connecting to yourself.
Who are you today?
What do you stand for?
What do you believe in your core?
What values do you most treasure?
You may notice words,
Memories,
Some type of impression may come over you.
You might even see colors.
Again,
Staying with your breath,
Just allowing what arises to be here.
Welcoming the feelings,
Welcoming the thoughts.
Noticing how your body feels right now.
Do your values feel supportive to you in this present moment?
As you continue looking in this crystal-clear water,
Imagine yourself moving forward for the next three years.
Notice how you're changing.
Notice especially how it feels to change.
You may be thinking about yourself aging,
Your children growing,
They may even be leaving the house,
Your pet,
Friends or family,
Your current job,
Just whatever's coming up for you.
Notice how it feels in your body to be moving through your own timeline for the next three years.
What are your dreams?
What are your visions?
Do your values support who you want to be at the next level of your life?
Do you have room to grow into the next level of your life?
Is there anything that you can see being adjusted and means of supporting your bigger self?
Do your values feel supportive to you?
Do your values lift you?
Taking time now to check back in with your breath.
Really feeling your body and letting these questions settle in.
Let them find their way in you and give a moment to be with your breath.
Making a mental note of anything that really stood out for you.
As you continue to purify yourself in this crystal-clear water,
What are you most grateful for?
We're going to be leaving this place shortly.
But before we do,
Please take a moment to place your hands into the water.
Feeling deep inside of yourself.
If there's anything that you're ready to let go of,
Anything that you want to release,
That does not feel supportive to you any longer.
Let it come from your mind down through your heart and out your right arm and hand into this beautiful,
Crystal clear healing water.
Continue to do that until you're feeling a sense of relief and completion.
Receiving the healing properties from this water through your left hand,
Releasing through your right,
Taking a nice deep breath.
Really letting it all go.
You may even feel inspired to wet your face or maybe the back of your neck.
I greet you with a warm towel that's scented in lemon and juniper.
When you've dried your hands,
May hand me the towel and I extend my arm pointing to the left and encourage you to continue on the beautiful forest pathway,
Leading your way back out.
And as we walk up the path in silence,
I encourage you to send gratitude to the present person you are today.
And the future person you're bringing into your reality tomorrow and the day after and the day after.
Giving thanks to the values that once served you.
As well as thanks to those you may have now welcomed in.
Taking about 20 more steps along the path.
Your shoes are waiting for you at the end.
And when you arrive,
You are welcomed back into the present moment.
Take your time,
Slowly wiggling your fingers,
Your toes,
Taking time to get fully present in your body and back in the room.
There's no hurry.
Thank you for being here today.
Wishing you a wonderful day.
