Sit back in your chair.
Close your eyes.
Now begin breathing very deeply.
Take five deep breaths,
And with every breath you exhale,
You become more deeply relaxed.
Feel the relaxation moving upwards from your feet to your thighs.
From your hips and through the midsection of your body.
Feel your stomach muscles relaxing,
Deeply relaxing,
And your entire chest area filling with relaxation.
Your breathing will become very deep,
Gentle and rhythmic,
And the feeling of relaxation will become deeper and deeper.
And your arms,
Hands,
And fingers will start to relax.
This relaxation moves down over your forehead,
Over your eyelids,
And your jaw muscles will relax.
As I count down from five,
Each count will represent deeper relaxation.
You will feel your body relaxing even more,
Deeper and deeper.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Now,
Imagine yourself walking through a pathway lined with magnificent trees and grass.
It's a beautiful day to take a walk with the sunshine streaming through the trees and the blue sky above you.
You can feel the softness of the grass as it touches your feet.
Now,
Feel the cool,
Comfortable breeze gently moving around you as you walk.
And you notice how much more relaxed you are with each step you take.
Hearing the rushing of water in the distance,
You stop for a moment to listen.
Leaning against a tree,
You feel the roughness of the bark,
And you can smell lavender in the air.
Take a few moments to let these feelings build inside of you and let them refresh you.
Now,
Your mind and body are ready to respond in a positive way.
You feel strong and in control.
You feel ready to face any problems as they arise.
You are in a place of acceptance.
You know that acceptance does not mean approval.
Acceptance simply means you are choosing to acknowledge the present fully.
You know that by fighting your reality and wishing for things to be different,
You are actually giving away valuable energy.
By accepting things you cannot control,
You avoid being in a no-win situation.
You acknowledge your anger and resentment.
And emerging from underneath that anger,
You choose to make space for grief,
Sadness,
And ultimately healing.
You hear yourself say,
The present moment is necessary even if I don't like it.
You know that the road to inner peace is to recognize life's imperfect moments and to recognize them for what they are.
You know that when you open yourself up to the truth of your circumstances and emotions,
You open yourself up to the possibility of lasting change.
Accepting reality and your present moment circumstance doesn't mean you roll over and play dead or become a doormat.
You don't let life or others walk over you.
You don't throw up your hands and become helpless.
Acceptance is empowering.
Acceptance is necessary if you are to move forward with mindful action.
When your actions are rooted in reality and your values,
You are empowered to change the things within your control.
Acceptance leads to mindful problem-solving.
You choose to work with reality,
Not against it.
You say to yourself,
Okay,
This is happening.
What I do next is the only thing I can control.
You know that you are perfect in your imperfection.
All of your shortcomings,
Failures,
Mistakes,
And mental health challenges are perfect.
Right now,
You are exactly where you need to be.
By accepting this,
You silence your inner critic.
You hear yourself say,
Whatever we can't accept with love imprisons us.
Take a deep breath.
The more you reflect on the things you cannot change,
The more you realize that it is no use to go after them or stay in denial.
You start walking back along the path you came.
The magnificent trees and grass bring you back to your outer self.
You notice the breath on your lips,
The strength and assurance in your chest,
The resilience and determination you feel in your belly.
Take a deep breath.
Shortly,
You will be coming back into the room.
Take these next few moments to bathe in your feelings.
You can take these feelings with you throughout your day.
I'm going to count down from five.
As I count,
You'll slowly begin to feel alert and open your eyes.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Begin to stretch and move.
Open your eyes,
Feeling relaxed,
Peaceful,
And alert.
Let us finish this meditation with this quote from Eckhart Tolle.
Accept,
Then act.
Whatever the present moment contains,
Accept it as if you had chosen it.
Always work with it,
Not against it.
Make it your friend and ally,
Not your enemy.
This will miraculously transform your whole life.
