Guilt and shame are universal visitors on the human path.
They sometimes come to teach us important lessons,
But when they overstay,
They can wind themselves around us like vines around a tree,
Blocking the sunlight trying to reach our lives.
This is a space to tend that part of you,
The part that has been constrained by replaying old moments,
By carrying guilt or shame like a second skin.
I made this meditation to help you release some of that weight and reconnect with your inherent untarnished worth.
May it help you greet your days with more lightness,
Wider arms,
And freedom.
Let's begin.
First,
Just arrive.
Find a posture that feels kind to your body,
Feet grounded,
Shoulders soft,
Spine balanced at a natural still point.
Let your breath begin to deepen,
As if each inhale is guiding you home,
To the body beneath the stories,
To the stillness beneath the waves.
Let your spirit stretch and expand,
As if rising from a cramped airplane seat after a long flight.
Feel the space welling up again in your being.
Tune into your soft body,
Rising and falling with each breath.
Let it remind you of a different rhythm,
Gentle,
Patient,
True.
Let this be your invitation to return and feel the embrace of the present welcoming you back.
Soften your jaw.
Let the hands of this present moment smooth away the furrows in your brow.
Feel them running lovingly through your hair,
Saying,
You can rest now.
Release all the baggage you've been carrying,
All the responsibilities,
Unfinished to-dos,
And allow your arms to be weightless witnesses on your lap.
Feel your personal delicate pulse,
A quiet reminder that you are alive.
Breathe as one unified,
Continuous wave.
Allow the line of your spine to flow down your legs,
Like a river meeting the sea,
Bobbing up and down with every breath.
If you found your way here,
There may be a part of you curled in words,
Like a hermit crab hiding in its shell,
Afraid to be seen,
Afraid to come out.
Not because it doesn't want life,
But because it feels it no longer deserves to touch it.
Guilt usually says,
I did something bad.
Shame usually says,
I am bad.
And when unreleased,
They can coil together like a vine around a tree,
Tightening around your sense of worth and openness to receive life's goodness.
So now,
Just gently invite the guilt or shame in,
And notice where they live in your body.
They'll give you a signal,
Like a subtle constriction,
Numbness,
Or a heaviness.
For me,
It resides in my stomach as an emptiness,
And in my chest as a burning sensation.
It's different for everyone,
So wherever and however it appears,
Just notice it right now with curiosity and compassion,
Instead of judgment or trying to get rid of it.
Now,
Place a hand on one of these spots,
And send it some love and care,
As if you're saying,
I see you and I'm here for you.
While guilt and shame may feel like punishments or judgments now,
If you trace them all the way down to their roots,
You'll find evidence of your deep care.
You wouldn't be feeling this guilt or shame if you didn't care about how you showed up,
If you didn't care about others,
Or how your actions impact others.
Take a moment and give yourself the grace of connecting with this caring,
Tender part of yourself.
Now,
Redirect that care back to yourself,
As if a loved one was going through the same emotions.
You made choices,
Perhaps ones that hurt someone else,
Or ones that you regret.
You said things,
Perhaps out of fear or confusion,
As all humans do.
But these are in the past,
And you've received the lessons that came with them.
I'm here to remind you that it is human to fumble and to make mistakes.
Everyone does.
But it is against the flow of nature and life to leash yourself to the past.
You don't need to continue punishing yourself anymore.
I've found that the world doesn't want that.
It wants you to participate,
To slurp up the delicious elixir of existence through a squiggly straw with an open heart.
If you doubt that,
Look at how it's constantly offering you beauty and inviting you to participate in the goodness of life.
Look at how the ocean waves softly lure you to step inside,
How the flowers offer you their fragrance,
How the forest offers you peace and birdsong.
They wouldn't be offering you these if you weren't worthy to receive.
In the words of the Sufi poet Rumi,
Come,
Come whoever you are.
Wanderer,
Worshipper,
Lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come,
Even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.
Come,
Yet again.
Come,
Come.
Now,
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of the sea.
In your hands are rocks,
Solid and heavy,
Holding the crystallized shapes of your guilt and shame.
When you're ready,
Gently place them down into the sand.
Let the waves reach toward you and carry them away,
To be transformed,
Dissolved,
Into nourishment for something new.
You are not what you've done.
You were not who you once were.
You are a child of this planet,
An unrepeatable miracle put here to enjoy your one wild,
Precious life.
You are allowed to love yourself now,
To step forward,
And to be seen without apology.
Welcome back to the soft,
Wide-open world that has missed you.
Thank you for being here.
The world is more beautiful with you in it.
Until next time,
I'm Dan Dan Liu.
