Welcome to this holiday meditation.
The aim of this short but effective meditation is to help you slow down,
Reset and refocus your priorities and energies so that you can return to your day refreshed and grounded.
Take a moment now to settle into your space before finding a comfortable position that offers you stability and comfort.
Once in position start to close your eyes or simply take a soft gaze not focusing on anything specifically.
Now start to become aware of your surroundings,
Sensing the space around you.
Try to let go of any pressures you may be feeling.
Let go of the expectations you or those around you may have of yourself or the holidays.
To help with this I invite you to take a deep full inhalation and with an open mouth and a sigh gently release anything that does not serve you today.
If one breath wasn't enough then repeat this process a couple more times,
Enjoying the deep inhalation as well as savouring the long slow delicious exhale.
When you're ready release your breath back into its natural rhythm,
Observe it,
Don't alter it just allow your body to breathe itself.
Use the breath to anchor yourself in the present and observe each inhale and exhale.
Observe them with a gratitude and appreciate them for the gift of life that they are.
The holiday period can bring a plethora of challenges and pressures.
These pressures can manifest themselves in many ways and in various combinations.
Whether it be the pressure of giving gifts,
Providing your family with the perfect holiday,
Feeding our loved ones or feeling as though we should be having an amazing time,
The list can go on and on.
At moments like this we'd all do well to slow down and remind ourselves how fortunate we all really are,
How priceless our families are,
How precious our time is and how our health is our true wealth.
As we all get older our present lists get smaller as we realise that the things that we really want for the holidays can't be bought.
The holidays are best spent with loved ones and friends but some years this isn't always possible and whatever the reason they can't be with you try not to dwell on it,
Try to make the best of it,
Find a way to laugh your way through it,
Focus on the positives and be truly grateful for what you do have rather than focusing your attention on what you don't have.
Never lose sight that you're not alone in this unsettling experience.
People willingly make this sacrifice every year to make sure you're supported and protected during these holiday periods.
Take a moment now to focus your gratitude on all the doctors and nurses,
The hospital staff,
The emergency services,
The armed forces and all those people who happily make the sacrifice for us every year,
Making our holidays possible every year.
Perhaps this experience might make us all appreciate further holidays,
Help us refocus on what is really important.
We might find ourselves next year simply asking for the gift for all our loved ones to be sat at the same dining table all wrapped in love and laughter.
If your mind has wandered then gently bring it back to your natural breath,
Anchoring yourself here and now.
The present is all we truly have,
Yet so often we squander these precious moments,
Fixated on the sadness of the past or worrying about the future when the key to our happiness is in the present.
Whatever the present moment contains,
Embrace it as if you had chosen it yourself.
Stop trying to fight the problems you can't change,
Bring a mindful acceptance to the situation and simply start to work within these constraints rather than trying to work against them.
I'll leave you now to rest in the inner peace your breath provides you,
Sitting in the awareness between the breaths,
Savouring the sweet release of every breath.
Allow your awareness to return back to your holiday,
Try to carry this grounded feeling of gratitude,
Calm and inner peace with you,
Remembering that regardless of what is happening in your life you're always only a few breaths away from being present and calm.
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