Welcome to this meditation to help you ease some of that holiday stress.
As you enter into this moment,
Go ahead and take a sigh if you need to let some pressure out.
The holiday season asks a lot from us,
Whether it's travel,
Extra domestic tasks,
Extra time with family that might bring up conflict,
Or even simply just more time with people and less space for yourself.
Good for you for setting aside this time to let yourself be and process and just breathe.
Before we begin,
I would like to acknowledge that we are only able to practice mindfulness now,
Thanks to the generations of people from East to Southeast Asia who cultivated the knowledge and practices that have now become much more mainstream and available for us to incorporate into our spiritual practices.
If you feel comfortable,
Close your eyes and check in with yourself.
Get a sense of how you feel physically,
Emotionally,
And spiritually.
Do you feel tuned into yourself on these different levels or do you feel a sense of disconnect?
If you're feeling a sense of disconnect,
That's okay.
You're here now to take this time to try and tune in again with all the parts of yourself.
If you start to feel distracted by discomfort in your body or your mind starts to go to a recent conflict or conversation or if a big emotion arises,
That doesn't mean you're failing the meditation.
That means that you're paying attention maybe for the first time all day or all week and your body and mind are like,
Oh hey,
We want to be listened to.
So hear them out,
Give them a little space,
Let them know that you're going to take care of all the pieces,
That you're capable to handle it and hold it all and then ask them to step back so that you can kind of sink below those outer layers into the deeper parts of yourself.
See if you can start to let those things go and just focus on your breath.
You don't need to change your breath but simply turn your attention to your natural breathing.
Where do you feel the air coming in?
What do you notice about your body as you inhale?
What do you notice about your body as you exhale?
Where do you feel the air as you let it go?
Allow yourself to notice and take in any distractions that may be outside noise.
Notice them,
Allow yourself to acknowledge that you hear them and then let them drift into the background.
Notice it and then let it go.
The goal is not to shut down your brain but to allow you to find more awareness of your tendency to leave the present moment and gently guide yourself back to the here and now.
As you practice this in meditation you will see this skill transfer into your everyday moments.
You'll start to become aware of the times when your mind is caught up in the past or racing ahead into the future and you can train your mind back into the present.
If you'd like try this simple centering exercise with me.
On your next inhale fully focus on and experience that inhale.
When you've reached the top of the inhale label it silently inhale and then let yourself fully experience the sensation of your exhale and at the bottom of your breath label it exhale.
The temptation will be to name your inhales and exhales all the way up and down but see if you can wait.
Let yourself be with the experience of breathing and then once the breath is complete on either end pause and label it.
I'll give you some space to try this exercise on your own.
When you start to get distracted just gently come back to your breath and your body.
There's nothing else for you to do right now.
Try to find that peaceful place within yourself.
Travel down into yourself into your inner sanctuary.
All that exists here is your breath and a sense of presence in your body.
You are your own.
You can practice finding calm in this moment and then take that practice out of this room and with you through the rest of your day and anytime you need it.
As we come to a close I will offer you the welcoming prayer written by Father Thomas Keating.
This is a simple prayer that you can jot down and bring with you throughout your day maybe posting it in a prominent space that you'll see it often.
The prayer says,
Welcome,
Welcome,
Welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it's for my healing.
I welcome all thoughts,
Feelings,
Emotions,
Persons,
Situations,
And conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection,
Esteem,
Approval,
And pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation,
Condition,
Person,
Or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God and God's action within.
Amen.
