Hello and welcome to this meditation.
I'm Christoph and I'll be your guide.
Thank you for being here.
Okay.
Hello and welcome.
Thank you for being here.
I really appreciate it.
I really appreciate your interest in my work.
And as I always say,
I really love the fact that you're taking some time out for yourself and for your self-care.
For your mental,
Emotional and spiritual even well-being.
It's so important in these very interesting times.
Let's use that word for now.
So,
I'm going to ring the bells three times and in the meantime I would like you to get really comfortable.
And that could mean lying down,
Sitting down,
Whatever works best for you for the next half hour.
And you're welcome to keep your eyes open.
Or if it is safe and if you feel comfortable to do so,
Gently close your eyes,
Let your eyes rest.
Or simply lower your gaze if that feels more comfortable.
And there usually is quite a bit going on when we first arrive at our meditation practice.
Although the intention is clearly to meditate and to take some time out,
It's worthwhile taking a few moments to check in with ourselves.
Nothing you need to do.
Simply allow your mind and your body,
Your whole self,
To arrive here.
You could be listening to this at the end of a very busy day or perhaps a very relaxing day.
Or maybe at the start of a busy day or a day off.
It doesn't matter.
The invitation is to allow yourself to fully be here in this moment.
And bringing a sense of gentle wakefulness to the practice.
Of course it's nice to chill and relax when we meditate.
But it is useful to bring a sense of focus,
A sense of wakefulness.
Meditation is not really about escaping reality,
But changing our relationship with our reality.
And that is the invitation today.
And with kindness and compassion,
Observing how we are doing right now.
How we are being even.
And observe where your thoughts are going,
Where the mind wanders off to.
What sensations are here?
Which emotions want to be acknowledged?
And anything across the whole spectrum is just fine.
From very agitated to extremely relaxed.
There is no right or wrong.
The invitation is to simply observe what is here for you.
With kindness and self-compassion.
Holding space for yourself.
Slowly creating a kind space between the busyness and you.
Taking in the peace that is available to you in this moment.
And again with kindness and self-compassion,
Observe how very often the mind will do everything in its power to stop you from accessing that peace.
And that's okay.
That's okay.
That's what minds do.
So spend some time with your mind.
And tell it that you are safe and ready to accept and then tune into this peace.
And as we move further along this path of practicing mindfulness meditation,
I invite you to become aware of any clinging that is still happening for you.
Any holding on to whatever it is that may not really be serving you in this moment.
And then wrap that up in kindness and with self-compassion.
And now bringing your attention to your breath.
And if that feels okay to do,
You may want to take a few deep breaths.
If you can,
Breathing in through the nose and then hold for a moment and out through the mouth.
Maybe one more time.
Deep inhale.
And long out-breath.
And now gently let the breath return to its natural rhythm.
And when your mind wanders,
Bring it back to your breath.
And see if you can enjoy this stillness.
Or be okay with whatever shows up for you.
Any restlessness or agitation.
Any tendency,
Wanting to rush ahead with your meditation practice.
To know what I'm going to be saying next.
And just check in with yourself.
How am I being here in this moment?
How much calm can I cultivate for myself?
Really rolling out the welcome carpet for any resistance,
Any judgments,
Any self-criticism,
Any frustration.
Allowing everything to be here.
And simply observe it without engaging with it.
Because heavy as some of this stuff may seem,
Or be,
Right now,
They are just mental events.
And now.
.
.
Notice this now-what-ness.
What's it going to say?
What's happening next?
That suspension which is so often present in our lives.
What next?
Where next?
Who next?
And the alternative to that is to simply engage with what is.
Cultivating calm.
Being okay with resting.
Becoming okay with inviting more ease into our lives.
And perhaps notice how the mind,
Or maybe your heart even,
Often tends to object immediately.
Ease?
What?
Me?
I don't deserve that.
I'm not good enough.
I'm not this and this.
Thank you mind.
Thank you heart.
I hear you.
And thanks for the protection.
And I hold those thoughts in kindness.
And with self-compassion.
And the more I do that,
The more I unhook from those thoughts or feelings.
Taking some time now to practice just this.
Observing what comes up for you.
With kindness and with self-compassion.
Not judging a single thought or feeling.
And perhaps notice how your body responds to meeting and then releasing those thoughts and feelings.
Has your body become more relaxed or more tense?
No right or wrong.
And once more bringing your awareness to the breath.
As a gentle stepping stone into the final phase of our practice today.
Which will be setting an intention.
Setting an intention for ourself.
In relation to how we can carry this kindness and self-compassion forward.
Into the rest of our day.
Into next week.
Into the next chapter of life.
What can I do differently?
How can I support myself better?
Who can I reach out to?
And of course the invitation as ever is to notice how the heart and the mind respond to those questions.
What do I need?
What do I need?
Do I need anything?
No right or wrong.
Just observing what comes up for you.
It could be a willingness to discover what's around the corner for you.
It could be a commitment to meditating more often.
It could be anything.
How can I take today's calmness forward into my life?
Remembering that life is messy.
But that peace towards myself and kindness towards myself and self-compassion are always available.
And you may want to take a deep breath in and out.
And just stay with this energy until you hear the bells.
You may now take a deep breath in and out.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
And you can open your eyes if they weren't already and gently wiggle your fingers and your toes.
I find that very helpful.
Perhaps a little stretch if that feels comfortable.
So I hope that has been helpful.
Thank you again for being here.
If you have any questions you know where you can find me.
And I look forward to being with you again next week.
Have a beautiful week everyone.
Namaste.
