Hi,
My name is Katherine Cook-Katone.
Let's get started with the building inner resources.
I am worth the effort meditation.
Begin this practice by taking a moment to find yourself in a comfortable position where you can be both alert and relaxed.
Take time to connect to the ground below you.
Take time to notice.
Perhaps ask,
Do I feel supported?
Do I feel grounded?
And after noticing,
Take a moment to make adjustments.
Maybe you add a cushion or a pillow or a blanket for additional support.
Secure what you need for your work for your practice to come from a supported and grounded place.
When you are ready and when it feels right,
Allow your eyes to close or maybe settle your gaze gently and allow your eyes to soften.
As you sit grounded and supported,
Begin to notice your breath.
The flow of your breath in and the flow of your breath out.
There is no need to change your breath.
Simply notice it.
All of your attention focused on the inhale and the exhale of your breath.
If your mind is active,
See if you can allow it to gently settle.
The thoughts fading into the background.
You can always come back to them later.
There's no need for them to be present now.
For now,
Focus simply on the breath.
Your breath in and your breath out.
Feeling the support of the seat you are resting upon.
Feeling your entire body ground.
Connect.
Hear.
Rest.
And breathe.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Maybe notice what is present in this moment.
Maybe consider letting go of the need for this moment to be any certain way.
As you breathe,
Consider that you are inherently worth the effort.
Life,
People in this world,
People in our world,
Accidents and on-purposes happen.
Sometimes there was no one there to protect us or the people who were there did not.
Or there was no way anyone could given the circumstances.
And it can feel or seem or be that somehow we were not worth the effort.
That our well-being,
Our safety,
Our embodiment was not worth the not hurting,
The self-control,
The careful attention,
The protecting,
All of that.
It leaves us in a state in which we forget.
We forget that we are worth the effort even if somebody else forgot.
Take a deep breath in and exhale.
Consider this.
You are worth the effort.
You deserve to be safe.
You deserve to be well.
You deserve to rest.
You are worthy of both great effort and great rest.
You are worthy of attention.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of patience.
You are worthy of glorious imperfections.
You deserve the effort it takes to be here and stay here and breathe here.
You are worthy of all the effort to make sure you are okay and that you get to live in well-being.
And no event,
Events,
People,
Accidents,
Or on-purposes can take that away from you.
It is a truth.
It is a fact.
And sometimes like studying for a test or doing yoga,
It takes some practice,
Maybe even a lot of practice for us to learn that we are worth the effort.
When times get tough,
I am worth the effort.
When things are easy,
I am worth the effort.
And so we practice.
And why do we practice remembering?
Because we are worth the effort.
I'm worth the effort.
You're worth the effort.
We are worthy.
Place a hand on your belly and a hand on your heart and take a deep breath in and then say,
I am worth the effort.
And then another deep breath in and then say,
I am worth the effort.
More here.
Press your feet or legs into the earth and on your inhale say to yourself,
I am worth the effort.
And on your exhale,
Let go.
On the inhale,
I am worth the effort.
And on the exhale,
Let go.
One more time.
Inhaling,
I am worth the effort.
And exhale,
A letting go.
And then simply sit here noticing.
Perhaps even imagining a protective force field of worthiness all around you.
Letting that sense of worthiness radiate all around you.
And then here making a commitment to remembering.
One of my favorite quotes about mindfulness is,
Remember that we forget.
And times are tough right now.
There's a lot going on.
And it can make any one of us feel irrelevant or invalidated.
Not worthy.
We forget.
We forget our worth.
So right here,
Remember that we forget and then commit to reminding yourself,
I am worth the effort.
Bring your awareness back to only your breath.
Feel your entire body as you rest here.
Just breathing.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Notice what's present in this moment and letting go of a need for your body,
For your emotions,
For your thoughts,
Or this moment to be any certain way.
Now let's complete this meditation with three gentle inhales and exhales.
Breathing in and a breathing out.
Breathing in,
A breathing out.
And a breathing in and a breathing out.
Allow your eyes to gently open if they are closed.
And then reorient yourself to your surroundings.
Maybe choose one thing upon which you can anchor your gaze.
Breathing in,
I know I'm breathing in.
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Remember that in service of our growth we move at the speed of trust within our work,
Our relationships,
And our own hearts.
When you are ready,
At the speed of your trust,
I will be here for your next practice.
Thank yourself for practicing and thank you for practicing with me.
