Welcome to the Three Degrees of Story Meditation.
This meditation is here to support you in experiencing the shift in story as you move from the mind to the heart and then into the body.
We are going to visit each of these places,
And I invite you to simply notice the subtle differences in each.
To begin,
Find a comfortable position.
If it feels safe,
Gently close your eyes,
And let's take a deep breath in through the nose,
And out through the nose,
Breathing in,
Fully arriving in this moment,
Expanding,
And exhale.
Allow your breath to find its own natural rhythm,
In through the nose.
The first degree of story we are going to visit is the mind.
When you are in the mind,
Your story is often made up of many words.
The mind is captivating.
It works constantly to make meaning of everything that happens in your human experience.
But not everything the mind says is actually true.
It's meaning-making,
Not truth-telling.
So I invite you to just take a moment and notice what story is playing in your mind right now.
What is your mind saying?
Simply observe without judgment.
You may notice that the mind forms attachments by personalizing things.
It might take an experience,
A feeling,
Something someone said,
Or even a passing thought,
And make it mean something about you.
That you're good or bad,
Worthy or unworthy,
Someone who belongs or doesn't.
The mind is the place of duality.
Right now,
You don't need to fix or change any of it.
Just notice the story.
Even if the mind brings in judgment or personalization,
Gently return to observing with curiosity.
No need to ask why.
Now I invite you to take another breath in through the nose,
And as you exhale,
I invite you to descend into the heart space.
Notice now,
The heart lives deeper than the mind,
It lives in the body,
It is our emotional center.
When we enter the heart,
The story softens.
It goes from many words in the mind,
To one word in the heart.
And that word is the name of an emotion.
So I invite you to notice what emotion is present right now.
Perhaps there's even more than one.
Emotion is a story reduced to one word.
What is it for you in this moment?
What is the one word story?
Is it frustration?
Sadness?
Peace?
Hope?
Simply name what is here in this moment.
After you have named the emotion,
The one word story,
I invite you to repeat and finish this statement.
It is okay that I feel.
.
.
It is okay that I feel whatever is here.
.
.
It is okay that I feel.
.
.
It is okay that I feel.
You're doing so well.
Now we're going to move one layer deeper.
I invite you to tune into your body.
This is the place of no words.
The body doesn't use language.
It speaks in sensation.
So ask yourself,
Where in your body are you feeling something right now?
Where is the sensation of your story?
Remember this has no words.
It is sensation.
Maybe you notice warmth or cold,
Tightness or openness,
Pressure or stillness.
Just notice where is it in your body?
Now breathe into the place in your body where sensation lives.
This is the story of no words.
This is the place of presence.
Sensations,
Especially emotional ones,
Can move through in about 90 seconds when we stay present with them.
And if the mind jumps back in with a story of many words,
That's okay.
Just notice and gently return to the body.
The invitation isn't to get rid of the sensation or to fix it.
It's to make space for it.
Use your breath to expand that space.
It's okay that I feel.
Just being with the sensation with no judgment doesn't mean anything about your worth.
It's simply a sensation.
You're doing so well.
Making space and allowing what is here to be here.
If the mind tries to jump in again,
Just notice and again return to the body.
Even if the only sensation you can feel is the breath moving in and the breath moving out.
Feel your body expand with each inhale and contract with each exhale.
This is the rhythm of life.
Expansion.
Expansion.
Expansion.
Expansion.
Whenever you find yourself caught in the mind,
Pause and notice the degree of story.
Can you drop into the heart,
The place of one word stories and name what you feel?
And then can you go even deeper into the body,
The place of no words?
Can you welcome the sensations without judgment?
The more you practice this,
The more you support your body in processing emotion rather than storing it.
And you begin to practice the art of detachment,
Of observing without attaching meaning.
This is the path to liberation and freedom from suffering.
Come here as often as you need.
