The holiday season is a stressful time for many,
With the end of the year approaching,
Travel plans,
Meeting up with friends and family,
It is common to feel overwhelmed or anxiety during this time.
In addition to journaling,
Having a gratitude practice,
Finding moments of reflection and movement if that is accessible to you,
Meditation is a great tool to offer some peace of mind.
Together we'll do a simple visualization to help you ground into your space.
I invite you now to get into a comfortable and supported position,
Whether that is seated or laying down.
Feel free to explore a position that feels accessible and comfortable for you today.
Keeping in mind to find support in your spine,
A neutral pelvis,
Opening up your chest by lifting your shoulders up,
Back and down,
Tilting your chin slightly downwards and placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
It is helpful to have your eyes closed or with a soft gaze out in front of you.
However,
If you are laying down,
I would recommend keeping your eyes open for this meditation.
Once you've found your position for the next few minutes,
You can begin to deepen your breath without forcing any inhalations or exhalations.
Find a natural rhythm of oxygen flowing in and out through your nose.
Allow for this breath to offer you a sense of calm and relaxation.
It is common for ideas,
To do lists,
Worries,
Or any physical sensations to arise in your body during a meditation.
And when this does happen,
All you have to do is return back to your breath.
There's no need to judge or analyze.
Simply allow your attention to return back to the inhale and the exhale.
As you continue to breathe,
Let go of any expectations or perfectionism with this meditation.
Using this as a practice,
Can you offer your body and mind this same sort of intention for this holiday season?
Releasing any expectations or perfectionism of what this season,
What this time of your life needs to look like.
And can you offer moments of connection,
Moments of imperfection,
Moments of enjoying what is.
In your mind's eye,
Let this intention be represented by a small light.
As you breathe in and out through your nose,
This intention grows stronger.
And as your intention begins to brighten,
So does this light in your mind's eye.
This light offers comfort and support for any stressful thoughts or worries.
Invite this light to spread throughout your body with every inhale and exhale.
It represents peace and tranquility,
Expanding throughout your body,
Eventually creating a bubble around you.
With your next inhale,
Imagine that this light begins to spread into your environment,
Touching all the sentient beings in your space.
This light continues to spread throughout your home,
Throughout your environment,
Starts to reach other people in nearby spaces,
Other sentient beings.
With each inhale and exhale,
This intention of peace,
This intention of tranquility and ease spreads throughout your city,
Throughout your state and your country,
Eventually covering the entire globe.
Take note of the sensations in your body when you can imagine that all sentient beings experience the opportunity of a release of expectation,
A release of suffering without judgment,
Without analyzing.
Allow for these sensations to inform you,
To guide you.
Can you use this information to reconnect with your breath,
Reconnect with the present moment and the future outside of this meditation?
Let this feeling be absorbed into your muscles,
Into your bones,
To your ligaments,
To every single cell in your body.
And when it has found a home in you,
Imagine that all of the light that has been spread throughout the world can also return back to you,
From the globe to different continents,
To different countries,
To your state,
To your city,
And back into your environment.
This is a practice that you can tap into at any time throughout this holiday season,
Offering not only yourself,
Others that you may know,
And others that you do not know,
An opportunity of stillness,
An opportunity to be in the present moment.
You can begin to bring your awareness back to your breath,
Inhaling deeply,
Filling your lungs with air and exhaling slowly.
Take a moment once more to indulge in this sense of peace and calm within you,
And recognize that it is possible to return back to this space.
And when you are ready to do so,
You can slowly open up your eyes,
Invite some gentle movement back into your body,
Take note of the light in your environment,
The temperature,
The colors,
Give yourself a few moments before you carry on with your day.
