This is a meditation on reflecting on the past year,
Grounding ourselves in the moment,
And preparing to set our intentions for the new year.
Allow yourself to settle into your meditation posture,
And close your eyes if that's comfortable for you.
And just acknowledge all the way your body is rooted in the present.
Feeling the heaviness of the body,
Feeling all the ways that the body is in touch with the ground,
Or the cushion,
Or the floor.
Noticing different sounds,
Noticing the thoughts that come and go,
And allowing yourself to be present,
To just pay attention,
To be aware.
And then bringing your attention to the sensation of breathing,
And we'll use this for our anchor of a meditation.
Just notice what it's like to breathe,
Feeling the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Release the need to control it,
To fix it,
To change it.
Just let the body move at its own cord.
When you notice your mind wandering,
Distracted by thoughts,
Or the stories we tell ourselves,
Just remember it's part of our practice.
It's just part of being a human being.
So when you find yourself drifting off into thought,
Just redirect your attention back to the breath,
Letting it ground you in the present.
And so now I invite you to reflect on this past year without any judgment,
Not to analyze it,
Or not gonna relieve any hard memories,
But just to acknowledge everything that's happened.
So take a moment to bring the experiences to mind,
The people,
All the places you've been,
The challenges you faced,
And just note how this year contained moments of effort,
Moments of pain,
Moments of growth,
And moments of survival.
Just allow those memories to arise naturally.
Just reflect,
This year,
I showed up in the best ways that I could.
If regret or sadness or grief appears,
Rather than judging how we feel,
Meet it with compassion.
And just remember,
We didn't choose all the circumstances that happened to us,
But we chose to keep going.
Now that we've reflected on the past year and everything we've gone through,
Let's take a moment to reflect on the five remembrances,
The beautiful teaching from Theravada Buddhism.
We turn to these remembrances,
Not as harsh truths,
But a way to ground our reflections and to clarify on what really matters.
And so as we reflect on each of the remembrance one by one,
Just allow whatever thoughts and emotions arise.
Don't force any reaction or thoughts.
The first remembrance,
I'm of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape aging.
I'm of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape aging.
As we reflect on this remembrance,
Take a moment to acknowledge all the ways your body has changed this year.
Have your priorities shifted?
Or what has matured or softened you?
And then we can reflect on the second remembrance.
I'm of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape illness.
I'm of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape illness.
Include both the physical and mental struggles we've had this year.
We can reflect on where in our lives did we need to be and did we need care?
Did we learn anything about our limits?
And we can reflect on a third remembrance.
I'm of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
I'm of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
Some questions for us to reflect on.
What's become precious to us because we finally recognize the impermanence of all things,
That all things change?
Were there any losses that shaped us?
Or things that we put off and we've recognized we no longer want to postpone?
And the fourth remembrance.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to die.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
With this remembrance,
We can reflect on relationships that may have shifted this year.
Or maybe there are connections that deepened or people and roles that changed or end.
And the last remembrance.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
And so we can reflect on what actions this year led to some ease or clarity.
Or which of those led to more suffering?
Where do we show up with honesty,
Restraint,
Or care?
And so having reflected on the remembrances with the understanding that we will grow old,
We will get sick,
We will one day die,
Everything changes,
And the only thing that we belong to are our actions.
Let's reflect on what our values are and set our intentions for the future.
Let's set our intentions for the coming year.
So given all that we reflected on,
What matters most to you?
And what qualities do you want to guide your life?
Maybe you notice values such as integrity or some compassion,
Courage,
Or steadiness.
Let these values arise naturally.
Remember that intentions are not promises,
But gentle directions to guide our heart.
And now we'll formally set our intentions.
And you can finally say,
In the coming year,
Guided by my values,
I intend to,
And just let the intention you set come together.
Maybe you intend to be more compassionate.
Maybe you intend to be more present,
Courageous,
Or to lean in with discomfort.
Just let the intention be simple.
Let it come from the heart,
Without any judgment,
Without the story.
What are you intending to do in the new year?
And so you can let go of your intention,
The goal reflecting on the air,
And just allow your mind and heart to rest for the next few minutes.
And so as we come to the end of our practice,
Allow yourself to settle,
To feel your body,
Your breath.
And remember,
Intentions are not meant to be a thou shalt or something rigid,
But to guide us on how we want to show up,
To be the person we want to be.
And even though we're practicing setting intentions for the new year,
Just remember,
You can set your intention with each breath,
With each moment.
So let's end with the following quote.
I cannot control the unfolding of this life,
But I can care for the direction of my heart.
May my intentions guide me wisely.
So when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes and allow your intentions to carry you forth into a brand new year.
