I once heard this person tell me that it's in the stressful times that we need to meditate more.
And what often happens is that we let go of meditation when we feel stressed.
I believe that's true for most people.
So what can we do when everything just goes bananas,
When the kids are screaming,
And the dogs are running away,
And the bills need to get paid,
And we're arguing with our boyfriend,
Girlfriend,
Wife,
Husband,
Family,
Or when we don't know whether we're going to get fired because of all this uncertainty job-wise.
It's a decision inside of you.
It's a decision to whether meditation is something that you want as a part of you.
It's a decision.
It's just like anything else that you have in your life.
You've made a decision to stay in that job,
Or keep that car,
Or keep that husband or wife.
It's a decision.
And sometimes decisions can be helped by committing,
Just like marriage.
It's easier to commit to meditation when you commit with somebody for a period of time.
So I'm on day,
I don't remember,
372 I think it is now,
Since I started this commitment on January 1st,
2020.
And it's now January 11th,
2021.
So for me specifically,
This commitment has meant so,
So much because it's just a daily practice.
It's actually what's led me to do this,
What I'm doing right now.
I'm based in Denmark,
I live in Denmark,
Originally from Chile.
I've been living here the most of my life.
And now I definitely want to start reaching out in English and Spanish as well.
So that's a decision.
And decisions are tough because emotions are even stronger.
So you probably know that,
Especially if it's something with diets or other decisions,
Where you made up your mind and that's just how it is,
And then suddenly the emotions,
The cravings start,
You know,
And then you fall in and you start eating or you buy something or you do what you tell yourself that you were not going to do.
So it's also very important to be very gentle with yourself when it comes to decisions about meditation.
So it's taken me years and it feels like forever to get to this place where I'm meditating every day and I'm recording every day.
I have my own practice where there's no recording as well.
So it's not only for the recording part,
But it definitely does help me.
Because I'm here to make a really positive change in my own life and other people's lives.
So that was the intro for this decision meditation.
So let's get comfortable.
Let's close our eyes.
You can do meditation with open or closed eyes.
I'm very fond of meditation being what you want it to be.
And you're just getting inspired by all the great teachers that are out there.
Or friends,
Family.
So choose whether to close your eyes or open your eyes.
And just let your shoulders relax the moment you close your eyes and you start breathing consciously.
So you're making decisions all through this.
You're making decisions to follow my guidance.
To notice your shoulders and start breathing calmly.
Just noticing you're breathing in.
Filling up your lungs from the bottom like a wave from the stomach lifting and lifting the chest.
Filling up your lungs.
Just exhaling again,
Breathing out.
Here comes another decision.
To put a small smile on your lips.
And let that smile show in your eyes as well.
This right here is a decision that can change your life.
To smile.
To feel it in your eyes and let that spread into your body,
Your heart.
Consciously be smiling.
Making a decision to smile.
I'll give you two more things in this meditation that serve as example of decisions that are really easy but yet difficult to integrate.
And then I'll sum it all up when we finish off for you to keep on practicing if any of this really feels right for you.
So the next decision that you can make is to put your hands on your thighs with your palms facing upwards.
Opening your hands like being receptive,
Being open.
And at the same time opening your chest like putting your chest forward.
It can help to roll back,
Roll your shoulders up to your ears and roll them back.
And feel that you are with an open chest,
With open palms.
And again with the smile,
With the nice easy calm in-breath.
Nice easy slow out-breath.
Relax those shoulders,
Relax those hands.
And really see if you can completely relax those hands so your shoulders are carrying all the weight together with the legs,
The thighs.
And just sit for a little bit with your smile.
Calm breathing.
Open chest,
Hands facing upwards.
And all of this is a string of decisions for creating something good right now,
Right here.
And always,
Always be open to feeling whatever arises.
Super difficult but very,
Very giving when you start learning how to.
And this is the last of the examples,
The last of the very important things that you can practice.
And that is to be willing to feel everything.
Be willing to feel everything.
From my perspective,
Life is mainly difficult because we struggle with feeling certain feelings that are usually based on a story that we tell ourselves.
So with your small smile,
Smile in the eyes,
Relaxed breathing into your chest,
Into your heart,
Your body.
Super relaxed arms,
Hands.
And the mindset and intention,
The wanting to be able to feel everything and be open to feeling everything.
Be willing to feel everything.
With all our social roles we tend to go through a whole day feeling so many contractions because we have these self-images of stuff that we don't want to feel.
We can use every day,
All day,
Practicing this,
Wanting to just practice feeling everything.
Being open,
Having a smile on our lips.
Having calm,
Relaxed breathing.
Having open hands,
Chest,
Heart.
Easy?
Not at all.
Easier?
Yes.
With every time that you practice.
With every time that I practice together with you.
So let's just sit for a little bit with this before I round off.
You can't do it wrong.
We're just practicing.
We're just playing,
Having fun,
Developing.
We're just playing.
Okay.
We're slowly going to be finishing off.
What's so important is that everything that happens outside of us and inside of us can be met by a decision on how to handle it.
There's stuff that we can't handle.
There's stuff from outside that affects us.
And stuff that's out of our range,
It's out of our circle of influence.
That we need to practice to accept.
Very difficult,
Yet easier with practice.
Practice,
Practice,
Practice.
Then there's all the stuff that is within our circle of influence.
That's all the stuff that we can change,
All the stuff that we can influence.
And by focusing on decisions,
Really every time that there's something that you usually contract about,
You know,
Emotions or relationships or bills or emails or texts,
Whatever makes you feel that you contract,
Meditation time.
Let's change what's not comfortable to something that can help us grow.
Let that pain,
That stress be the fuel for your development.
It's a decision.
And it's quite fine to make a decision and then fall back and make it again.
I love practicing intervals,
So I'll make a decision and do what I can to make it last for the rest of the day if it's something super difficult.
Or like this meditation practice which is going on day something something.
Small steps.
So the calm breathing.
Very important practice,
Just a smile.
Just practice the rest of the day,
Just a smile.
Just notice what it does to you and what it does to other people.
Let that smile find its way to your eyes as well.
Let it find its way to your heart,
The open heart.
And be aware of deciding to notice your shoulders.
Your shoulders will tell whether you are feeling stress or not.
They will go upwards if they are.
Just to relax them with the breathing.
Decide to be willing to feel everything.
That will take years just to be realistic.
Years of practice.
But it's so much worth it.
So let's take the last few in and out breaths for now.
Before you continue in your day and me and mine with a small smile on my lips.
And you and yours.
And start moving your fingers.
Maybe rolling your shoulders,
Stretching your legs and moving your toes.
Ah,
That was good.
Thank you so much for being here with me.
I truly believe that what we do here is something that really changes stuff inside of us.
Also outside of us and what I am mainly focused on is the generations to come.
What can we do that will make a difference in seven generations.
With that perspective let's just keep on working,
Doing what we can.
Thank you so much.
Bye bye.
