Hello,
And welcome to the University of Virginia Virtual Meditation on the Lawn.
I'm Kim Penberthy,
And we'll be leading you today in our meditation.
I want to say welcome to everyone from around the globe who's joining us today in unison to meditate.
As we head into the darkness of fall,
The stillness and quiet of winter,
I thought it might be appropriate to focus on a meditation on hope.
So today I invite you from all around the globe to join with me in a meditation for hope for the future.
I invite you to take a deep breath.
Give yourself time to catch up with your body that's here and really settle in,
Get comfortable in your body wherever you might be,
If you're lying down,
If you're seated.
And I invite you to take a long breath,
Deep and strong.
And if you are able,
I'd invite you to close your eyes with me or lower them in a gentle gaze at a point on the floor.
If you're not able to close your eyes,
That's fine too.
Just center yourself here and now with some deep breaths,
Being present.
And then I invite you to focus on your heart center.
Focusing on hope,
Feeling the warmth of hope.
We need hope like we need air.
Hope is vital for all of us.
Hope tells us that anything can be transformed.
All we need to do for hope is create a space for it,
A space for hope.
I invite you to transform and make a space for hope.
Often that's all we can do,
Create a space,
Invite hope in.
Hope transforms pain into healing.
I invite you to breathe in pain with me,
Stress,
Anguish,
And breathe out hope and healing.
Hope transforms doubt into faith.
You can breathe in doubt,
Frustration,
Impatience,
And breathe out faith.
Hope transforms fear into courage.
Breathe in fear,
Breathe out courage.
Breathe in anxiety,
And breathe out courage.
Breathe in worry,
And breathe out courage.
Hope transforms.
Hope is the only thing stronger than pain,
Than doubt,
Than fear.
Feel the hope transforming.
Shift your focus back to heart center.
Create that space for hope.
That's all you have to do.
Remember,
Create a space for hope.
Slow down.
Breathe in the pain,
The doubt,
The fear,
And breathe out healing,
Faith,
And courage.
Breathe in,
Transform,
And breathe out.
Remember,
Hope is not a feeling of certainty,
Something achieved or completed.
Hope is ongoing.
Hope is the knowledge that life matters,
That your struggles matter,
That the quiet,
The stillness,
The darkness of fall and winter matter.
They are transformational.
They are necessary.
All you have to do is create room for hope.
Breathe,
Make a space,
And invite hope in.
I invite you to focus on your heart center,
Opening that space,
Inviting hope in.
When you are ready,
You can awaken that hope for yourself and others.
Extend that heart center hope to others around you,
Around the globe.
I'm open to the hope for all of us.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes and join us again here at our virtual meditation on the lawn.
I thank you for your time and your presence,
And I wish you hope.
Thank you.
