Meditation During This Difficult Time

This is a guided meditation to help unlock stress during this unprecedented time. Coronavirus has affected millions of people throughout the world. My hope is that this meditation will affect you in a positive way.

Transcript

Hi, This is Cindy Gilman. I know many of you are under a great deal of stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 or the coronavirus. With all the restrictions that we've been under, Staying home, Wearing masks, But it's very important, Especially with social distancing. So, If you've had the virus or you feel you've been in contact with it or have a loved one who has it, Please, I hope that this guided meditation that I've put together would help you unlock some of the stress and anxiety and bring you a sense of comfort and peace of mind. Just remember, This is not to be used. I suggest firmly that you do not drive while you are listening to this, For you will have your eyes closed and any people who suffer from seizure disorders should not try to meditate. Preparing to meditate. Do not drink any alcohol before your meditation. Find a comfortable chair to sit on with your feet firmly planted on the ground or the floor and know that the first time you meditate may not bring you to a deep level of consciousness. It takes practice, Just like physical exercise. The more you work out, The stronger you get. Keep your legs and arms uncrossed so that energy can flow freely through your body and your mind. Keep your legs firmly planted on the floor to keep yourself grounded. When you close your eyes, Gently prepare to relax. This is a tool to help you meet your goal of relaxation and peace of mind. And toward the end you will receive a gift to help you in your journey. Breathing is a very important part of meditation. When you breathe, Your lungs expand horizontally. It doesn't mean taking a deep breath and picking your shoulders up. So when you take in a slow, Deep breath, Either through your nose or your mouth, Hold it for five seconds and as you exhale, Say to yourself, I allow any negative thoughts or feelings to lift away from my mind and body. Remember, The first things that will come are what we call the clutter in your mind. So you lift away the clutter by saying, I allow myself to let go of any negative or anxious thoughts or feelings to lift away from my mind and body. I allow myself to accept the feeling of relaxation. Do this two or three times, Breathing slowly, Deeply and effortlessly. Breathe in through your mouth or nose and as you exhale, Release the tension and stress, Allowing the cluttered thoughts to drift away. Imagine yourself now in a most peaceful place. Don't picture yourself, But imagine yourself there. This may be by the water, A lake or stream, A park or a wooded area. I prefer to be near the water. Perhaps you will. So put a chair and imagine yourself near the water with the soft sand under your feet. Take in all, All of the senses of the environment, The aromas, The colors, The comfortable temperature, A gentle breeze. Use all your senses to envelop yourself in the surrounding. The soft sand, The gentle peaceful water with the sun reflecting on the water. And though it's a comfortable temperature, Imagine the warmth of the sun surrounding you to help you relax even further. As you begin to relax, Breathing easily and effortlessly, Know that you are breathing in relaxation and exhaling any tension from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. Gentle waves of relaxation are flowing through your body and mind. You're not going to sleep. You are merely shifting into what we call the alpha state. Remember, You can always open your eyes at any time if you feel uneasy and then try again another time. Just follow the sound of my voice and the words that I say and know that you are in complete control of your mind and body. So let's start. Take in a slow deep breath, Big sighing exhale and start to feel the soles of your feet, Your feet and your toes, All the little muscles and relax the tension in your toes, Your feet and your ankles. Now allow the feeling of relaxation to flow up to the calves of your legs. Contract and release the tension. Feel your legs relaxed. Breathe in slowly and exhale completely. Now move that feeling up to the upper part of your legs. Contract and release the tension in the upper part of your legs, Your buttocks, Your lower back. Now begin to climb your spine, Releasing each part of your spine. That's it. From your lower back, Your spine, The nerves connecting, The muscles around those areas. From the lower part of your back up to the midsection of your back, All the way up to your shoulder blades. Breathe in easily and effortlessly and exhale. Now move around to your midsection of your body, Your abdominal area up to the diaphragm. Breathe in and as you exhale, Feel all the stress and tension. Lift away from your chest. Let it go. Release all the tension in your chest and now up to your shoulders, Down to the upper part of your arms. The muscles in the upper part of your arms. Contract and release down to your elbows, Your forearms, Your wrists and each finger of each hand. Now focus on your neck, An area that many people hold on to their stress and tension. Begin to feel that neck area relaxed. The back of your head, The top of your head and now your face. Breathe in and relax. Feel your cheeks relax, Your jaw, All the small muscles around your mouth, Your eyelids, Your eyebrows, Your forehead, Yes your forehead and the top of your head. Feeling that warm feeling of relaxation throughout your whole body. Completely and totally relaxed. Now thank your body for being good to you, Yes thank your body for being good to you for it houses your soul and through the power of your mind. Look around at the environment you are located. Look around and take a few moments for yourself as I quiet down to just enjoy the feeling of relaxation. Breathing easily and effortlessly. You'll notice as you look down there's a beautiful gift that's been left for you. It may be something material in a beautiful gift wrap package with your favorite color wrapping and ribbon or it may be a scroll or a piece of paper with some words printed on it. If it's a gift wrap box gently and carefully unwrap the box. It's a positive gift and one that will help you on your journey. Very positive. It may be one word or twenty words but read it carefully and know that it is a message that will help you to pursue your goal to have the life you were meant to have. Hold on to those words. They're positive and they come from a higher source. You may take them with you or you can leave it for the next time we meditate. As you sit there peacefully and calmly know that this is the first step to allow yourself to relax and have peace of mind. Begin to allow yourself to lift out of that alpha level slowly, Slowly and carefully for when you open your eyes you'll be back in the place where you started sitting on the chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground. Before you do I want you to go to your highest spiritual source. Yes, Your highest spiritual source and allow yourself the gift of a beautiful white healing light. Allow that light to flow through the top of your head, An area we call the crown. Fill yourself with that healing light. Feel your entire being filled with that light and then surround yourself in that light. Completely surround yourself in that light and now take a gold light and surround that white light. This will protect the light. You've allowed yourself to relax. You've allowed yourself to accept a positive gift, Not just a gift of relaxation but a gift with a message that will help you in your journey. So slowly and gently begin to open your eyes. Taking a few moments to settle in, Relax and then repeat and thank yourself for the experience you've just had. Sit for a moment and think about what you've just experienced. If you like, Take a blank journal and write out every detail of your experience that you remember. Each time you meditate, Sometimes people enjoy journaling their experience. Then wait a few days and read what you wrote. This is a gift from above. Open your eyes. This is Cindy Gilman and I hope this was helpful for you. Hi, This is Cindy. I hope you found this meditation helpful and relaxing. If you could, I'd like you to make a small donation to help free the cost of recording and listening to Insight Timer. Thank you so much. Have a blessed day.