Hello and welcome to your reflective meditation.
This is a practice that can be done while sitting with your eyes closed,
But it could also be done while walking,
Petting your dog,
Or watching the wind blow in the trees.
Whatever works for you to contemplate and be present,
But you don't have to be sitting or laying down for this one.
Wherever you choose to listen today,
I invite you to take a deep breath in,
And a long exhale out.
Let's do this again,
And this time,
As you breathe in,
Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears,
And when you exhale,
Roll your shoulders down and back,
Releasing tension.
One more time together,
Inhale,
Shrug your shoulders up,
Feel a little tension build,
And exhale,
Roll them down and back,
Releasing your muscles.
Now,
Notice where else in your body you might be holding tension,
And see if you can start to soften in those places,
As though you can consciously release those muscles,
Just like we did in the shoulders.
Even if you're standing up or walking,
Maybe you unclench your jaw,
Or shake out your hands.
And as you do this,
Take a moment to notice these physical feelings that make you human.
Yes,
Tension is less than ideal,
But it's also a signal.
A signal for us to pay attention.
It's part of being a human that maybe we take for granted,
Or we push away,
But it's a way that our bodies,
Our organic,
Living,
Breathing bodies,
Communicate to us.
Wow,
If you haven't thought about that lately,
Take a moment to lean into that part of your humanness.
And thank it for speaking up,
Even when you might not be listening.
Please don't beat yourself up if you're noticing a lot of tension in your physical body that you haven't been paying attention to lately.
This is the moment when you can start listening.
Listening to this communication and these signals.
Because your body isn't a machine.
It's a beautiful,
Natural being that needs to be tended to with nourishment and care.
In an ever-changing world,
One that demands so much of our time,
And quite frankly,
Rewards us when we push ourselves beyond our human limitations,
We have to be even more aware of taking time to slow down and be.
Your body needs rest.
Your mind needs space.
And your soul needs time to dream,
Laugh,
And be playful.
Working hard is important.
I do agree with that.
However,
It's not the only mode we can live life in.
If we push past our body's capacity every single day,
We will create the conditions for burnout.
We might not burn out tomorrow,
But over time.
If we don't embrace our human need for rest,
Ease,
And time away from screens,
It can lead to that burnout.
Or even something like the body being unwell.
Sometimes,
It might seem like life would be easier without having to take a rest,
Right?
If we could just wake up and check things off of our list all day long until our head hits the pillow at night again.
But not only is that not sustainable for our individual self,
But it also takes us further away from connection with others.
Being able to look another person in the eyes while they're speaking.
That's a connection that can't be replaced.
Being able to hug a loved one.
AI can't do that for you.
Being able to belly laugh with your closest friends over the silliest of memories.
That can only happen between humans.
As much as our humanness can seem like a limitation,
Because we have to take breaks to eat,
Sleep,
Shower,
Along with all the other things we have to do to maintain our health and well-being,
Being human is actually a superpower.
A superpower that can't be manufactured.
The ability for us to make real,
Genuine human connections with one another and collaborate towards a shared goal.
This is crucial in eliciting emotions of accomplishment and achievement that AI couldn't celebrate with you the way a human can.
Working together,
Human to human,
Whether it's in our work or our personal relationships,
It's actually a vital part of our emotional and mental well-being.
AI is not inherently bad.
It can be used for so many incredible human advancements.
And we have to remember that it's a tool.
It's not a replacement for genuine connection.
Your humanness,
Your opinions,
Ideas,
Creativity,
Dreams,
Passions,
Your love and hope,
Excitement,
Joy and emotions,
Your realness,
That's what the world needs more of right now.
When you smile,
That energy lights up the room.
When you send a handwritten card in the mail,
That gesture lights up someone's day.
When you nod your head in agreement,
That acknowledgement lets another person know that they're not alone.
As we use these powerful tools in a rapidly changing world,
It's important to continue to lean more and more into our human connections outside of that tool and work.
Outside of building and creating in a virtual world.
Outside of a screen.
The real world matters.
It's the one that will be here when the power goes out.
It's the one that will be here when you need a break.
It's the one that will be here when you go through loss and challenge and hardship.
Because life is full of the things that are real.
And even though they can be difficult sometimes,
What we learn from these human challenges,
How we grow closer together and who we become on the other side of those challenges,
That's the transformation that makes life truly worth living.
And that transformation can't be artificially created.
Lean into your humanness.
Lean into your connection with others.
And most importantly,
Lean into the human connection to yourself.
You have with yourself.
Treat yourself like the incredible,
Intelligent human animal that you are.
And bask in the amazingness of what your body does for you each and every day,
Without you having to ask it to or prompt it to.
What our bodies are capable of,
Feeling,
Healing,
Digesting,
Seeing,
Speaking,
Walking,
Creating.
These things are nothing short of miraculous.
Take a moment to thank your humanness.
For the mistakes you've made,
So that you can grow into the best version of yourself.
For the pains you've felt,
So that you can deepen your understanding of self.
For the moments of confusion,
Turbulence and discomfort,
So that you can think,
Reason,
And figure out organically what to try next.
And thank your humanness for the beauty it's given you.
Tasting your favorite meal.
Smelling the first blooming flower in springtime.
Hearing a moving piece of music played by another human right in front of you.
Achieving greatness in your own way,
Big or small.
Seeing the most incredible creations that nature has to share,
Like a beautiful sunset,
A powerful storm,
Or the endless wonder of a starry night sky.
Your humanness is something to celebrate.
So lean in.
Take a deep breath in.
And a long exhale out.
And let a smile fall upon your face as you move into the rest of your day,
Knowing that being your full human self,
That's what's going to create a life well-lived.
Thank you for your presence today,
And I look forward to sharing another human-created practice with you again very soon.
