Embracing Change

A comforting practice to help empower you through the constant ups & downs of life. Lou will guide you through a reflective meditation that will offer insight into your changing nature, and help connect you with the deeper, changeless part of who you really are. In the first few minutes, Lou shares his inspiration for the practice.

Transcript

Hey,

It's Lew.

I am not sure when you are going to be listening to this,

Which is actually the inspiration for this practice.

Recently,

I got word from Insight Timer that I can no longer be posting my meditations that I post each week.

And it's something that I've been doing since July,

And it's something that I really love doing,

And I love posting,

And I love engaging with you each week based on things that come up in my own life.

With that,

There was some resistance when I got the information that they had so much backlogged that it's not fair to some other teachers that want to get their practices out,

Which I totally understand coming from their perspective.

But of course,

There's that little,

Oh no,

What about me?

I put so much work into this.

I want to do it every week.

And really was disappointed that it will no longer be regular,

At least for the moment.

It might come back,

But I'm not sure when you're going to be hearing this or how often my practices will come out.

So with that,

We can all understand that that's what life really is.

Life is always changing.

It's always throwing us curveballs.

We can expect something and then we can lose it.

And we can either resist it and push it away when it happens,

Or we can embrace it.

And we can say,

What is this helping me to see?

And for me personally,

Maybe it's helping me to see that,

Is there a way that I can control my publishing on some other platform?

But I love being on here and inside timer and what it's allowed in me.

So we'll see how that happens or what opens up from that.

But knowing that everything that's happening for us,

We have the choice,

Right?

This is what our mindfulness,

Our meditation practice gives us.

We have the power to choose,

How am I going to respond to this?

Am I going to see it as an opportunity?

Or am I going to wallow in my sadness and say,

I can't believe they did this.

Don't they know that I've committed every single week for almost 50 weeks?

What do I,

How can they do this?

Right?

No,

No,

No,

No.

So really believing and honoring that that we have someone,

Something,

Whatever you want to call it,

That sees what we don't see that can see further down the road.

And sometimes to get us to that road,

To get us to our destination,

They have to take us off course or off places that we think we need to go so that we can experience and live our life fully from our place of our truth.

And if you follow along with me,

You know that that's really what I want to help guide you to do.

And I want to see you in your life because I've seen it happen in my life.

So all of us have that within us.

So with that,

Let's get to our practice on embracing change.

So go ahead and begin to shut down the eyes if they're open.

Begin to lengthen the sides of the body,

Begin to soften the areas of the body that need to soften the face,

The jaw,

The belly,

And start to settle in.

Now we're going to begin right away just noticing our breath,

Noticing it fill and expand with each breath in and letting that contraction on each exhale.

And the breath is this reminder of the rising and the passing nature of our lives.

The breath comes in and then it leaves.

And although it feels the same,

Each breath is actually unique.

There's new oxygen,

New air coming in,

And there's old inner air moving out.

So see if you can find the rhythm of your own breathing.

Maybe using that intention of the changing of the breath,

Knowing that this is always with us,

Showing us that our experience is always changing.

So much of a Buddhist practice would be teaching impermanence.

Breath is really a beautiful example of that.

Maybe tuning into the space in between your breathing.

So as you inhale,

There's a little bit of a suspension,

A little bit of space that happens right before the exhale.

And the same thing as you exhale the air out,

There's a little bit of a pause before the breath comes in.

Focusing on that,

Those transition points.

And this is another symbol in our lives,

Those awkward transitions that we can find ourselves in.

Maybe we lost a job,

We don't have a new one yet.

Or we made a big change,

But we haven't fully come into who we are to become.

We let go of who we were,

But we're not who we are to become yet.

And these are the moments that could be the toughest.

These are the dark nights of the soul.

And even in the transition,

It's always serving a purpose.

We can't get from here to there without going through that gray area.

So whether that resonates with you or not,

Seeing that breath as that full symbol of life.

The in,

The pause,

And the out.

And maybe you start to shift the awareness to some of the sounds that you might be hearing.

There might be sounds outside of your home or wherever you're listening to this.

There might be sounds inside your home.

Or maybe it's just inside of your own body,

Your breath.

And just allow your awareness to pick up on any sound that comes in.

And see how,

Like our breath,

Every sound is impermanent.

We notice it and it falls away.

The bird chirps and then it stops.

Just resting in your body.

So another moment here on sound.

Now let's start to bring the awareness back inside of our body.

And noticing the water element in our body.

So there's this constant process happening within us that we don't even see.

Constant moving of liquids and digestion.

See if you can just tune into any inner experience,

Any movement in your body.

Maybe noticing the physical body as well,

If there's any parts that are tense.

Or maybe if there's a part that feels open.

And notice if bringing your attention to either of those sensations,

Notice if there's a change.

And sometimes we can feel tense in our hips from sitting.

And as we notice it,

And we be with it,

This feeling starts to change.

Sometimes it can get more intense,

Sometimes it can go away.

And what we're practicing is really being that observer of our experience.

And oh,

There's a pain there.

Oh,

That's happening outside.

Oh,

There's.

.

.

We just notice,

But without getting swept away in whatever that experience is.

And they feel right for you to notice the breath,

Maybe with that water quality.

Maybe you can feel yourself almost like a river.

What does water do?

Water is constantly changing,

But it's flowing.

It's moving with different contours.

It can fill whatever it needs to be filled.

It's fluid,

Obviously.

So if that feels right for you to imagine yourself like a flowing river to kind of further just ground us here,

You're welcome to do so.

Let's take a good conscious breath in together.

And let that go.

Just coming back to rest on our breath and our body.

And I'd like you to look back at the past three months of your year,

Past three months of your life.

So depending on when this comes out,

It might be the first few months of 2019,

Or you might be listening to this at a completely different time,

But it works whenever and wherever you are.

Just gazing back at the past three months and noticing what has changed.

What has changed in just these three months?

Is there a wanted circumstance that happened,

An unfortunate event?

Maybe there is,

You can look back and see what took you out of balance.

Notice if you have changed at all.

And you may not know.

Maybe notice what you resisted and you struggled through at the time,

Didn't really want it to be part of your experience.

And then also notice the ones that you enjoyed,

Maybe wanted it to last and become reminiscent of.

And maybe there was something that felt stuck,

That you'd hoped would change.

And again,

We're just being the observer,

Not getting caught up in it right now,

Just noticing.

Now we're going to start here by picking one of the positive experiences from the past three months.

It might be the past season,

If that feels right for you also.

And see if you can find some gratitude for having that be part of your experience.

Whatever it is,

Maybe you can go back into that moment.

It could be big,

It could be small,

Something that you enjoyed.

And just find any bit of thanks and appreciation just for having that experience,

That being part of your story.

Maybe saying,

Thank you.

I'm just going to take another moment here,

Any last appreciation.

Maybe you can go through a few moments.

And now we're going to move on to the next one.

And now we're going to move on.

And I'd like you to find one of those things in the past couple months that you found to be unpleasant.

Something that was a challenge for you.

Some kind of maybe difficulty,

Maybe it was a health challenge,

Maybe it was unfortunate circumstance.

Something that was unpleasant or tough.

It might not be big,

It could be just a bad day that you had.

And what we're going to practice here is just finding peace and acceptance for that experience.

Some people might say that,

No,

Let's let it go.

Letting go feels like we're pushing it away and we didn't want it to be part of it.

It's already gone.

So I think what's a better way for us to find peace is to just show compassion for it.

Because we are all human and we all have these experiences.

They are part of the ups and the downs of the changing nature of our life.

Let's see if you can show a peace and acceptance that this was a part of your story.

However difficult it may have been at the time.

And also if you're not ready to do that,

If it was really difficult,

Honor yourself for that and maybe you can come back to it at another time.

Any last feelings of just,

Just okay,

I'm okay with it right now.

And moving to maybe something that felt stale.

Letting that go and thinking about what didn't change.

What was boring.

What maybe you would like to change.

Just find that within your past three months and just notice what that felt like.

We won't stay here too long but not really wanting it to go either way.

Just notice and observing what that is.

And maybe just by noticing it you might feel yourself wanting to maybe consciously change it as we move forward in our life.

Let's all take a breath in and let that go.

Water changes because of causes and conditions.

So the orbit of the earth when the earth is far away from the sun,

It's more conditions for water to freeze.

And so that is really a kind of a metaphor for our life.

That the causes,

We set up causes in our life that bring forth the conditions of our experience.

And by our positive intentions,

When that condition is right,

We meet that experience.

It's really a big part of why we practice a compassion or any sort of loving kindness exercise.

It's really to train our minds to bring forth more of those conditions where we have those positive experiences.

Where we see the world from a different perception.

We're going to bring that within us.

We're going to say some words to bring forth some more of those positive conditions.

And again,

Regardless of when you're listening to this,

We're always setting up a new season.

So whether you take this as the upcoming spring from where I'm recording it,

Or you could find yourself listening to this in the middle of summer,

It still works.

We are always shifting new seasons,

Whether it's the worldly season that we're in or it's our life season that we're continually changing.

So you're welcome to say this silently to yourself or out loud,

Or you're welcome to just listen.

May this new season bring me hope.

May this new season bring me purpose.

May this new season bring me strength.

May this new season bring me joy.

May this new season bring me peace.

I'm going to do that one more time.

May this new season bring me hope.

May this new season bring me purpose.

May this new season bring me strength.

May this new season bring me joy.

May this new season bring me peace.

I'd like you now to think of something specifically that you'd like to accomplish in this upcoming season of your life,

Upcoming few months.

Maybe it's a goal,

Maybe it's a dream,

Maybe it's a state of being.

Something that you'd like to cause to see a condition for.

I'd like you to bring your awareness into your mind's eye and maybe see yourself doing it.

See yourself bringing forth this change.

See yourself attaining that goal or that dream.

Bring it in your mind's eye.

Notice how that makes you feel.

And then start to bring your awareness into your heart.

You're filling up a breath into your chest plate.

And then I'd like you to practice letting that go.

Surrendering the need for it to go any way that you think it should.

Knowing that no matter what happens,

It's going to arise and it's going to fall.

We achieve our goals and then we go on to the next goals and that's great and I'm all about that.

But we can also practice staying connected to what is that changeless nature of who we really are.

Some might call it your soul,

Your spirit,

Your God essence.

The one who observes.

So you're welcome to embrace yourself in a way that plugs you in.

Maybe you put one hand on your heart,

One hand on your belly.

Maybe you give yourself a hug.

Maybe you keep your hands where they are.

Whatever feels right for you.

Embracing your heart and embracing that deepest,

Deepest self.

Knowing that you were meant to change and you can handle it all.

It is all working for you.

And give yourself a little squeeze.

Maybe there's an I love you in there too.

You're working so hard.

You know you got this.

Go ahead and slowly start to release your hands.

Maybe taking one last good breath together and letting it go.

As always I just absolutely love being able to guide you through these practices.

I would love nothing more than to find a way that I can continue to do it each week or continue to engage with people that I've been engaging with each week.

Or people that resonate with these practices.

And so with that I don't ever do this at the end of a practice.

And if you've practiced before you know that I don't.

But I want to hear because I'm not sure how often my practices on Inside Time are going to come out.

So if you enjoy practicing with me and want to keep up to date if I do start to post things on my own somewhere else,

Feel free to connect with me through my newsletter or through Instagram.

And I also want to know for those since I'm not sure what time this will be out that I may have a course out on Inside Time about how to stop caring about what other people think which has been such a difficult part in my life.

And I really believe that we teach what we need to learn and it's been a joy.

I'm really so happy with how this course came out.

So if you've resonated with any of my work I really really hope that you join me in there.

I'd love to talk more about that in our classroom in there.

And then for those of you that would just like to continue how we've been practicing there's over 50 plus practices on here.

So maybe finding one and repeating it for a few days or just seeing whatever is there and whatever calls to you.

So that's the longest outro I might ever give.

So again I thank you and I love what this community has allowed for me and I don't take your attention and your practice lightly.

I truly do honor you and appreciate you for what you've allowed me to share.

So I thank you and as always much love and guidance on your journey and your path and let me know how I can support you.

Namaste.

Reviews

Excellent, so helpful in a big season of change. Thank you 🙏🏻

This practice made also today a difference to me❤️ thank you very much !❤️

Absolutely recommend this meditation. So needed. So compassionate. So there. I would give it six stars if I could.

Will continue to connect With your practice it’s very much appreciated and useful on a weekly basis 🙏🏼🙏🏼

♥️ Lou, I loved this one. I don’t believe I’ve heard hardly any music in your meditations, so the music caught me by surprise in a good way. Very beautiful touch at the end. Made me cry happy, loving tears. Thanks for all you do. I always appreciate your meditations.

Wow. This was huge for me in my life right now with all the changes that are taking place. Thank you Lou. You are a gift😌❣️

Dear Lou, oh dear One how could you have known that this meditation could/ would be heard now/today.., it’s June 2020, you ask that we look back on the last three months... what changed, what I dealt with, what was challenging, what I enjoyed? Then to find gratitude, blessings, accept and be at peace- not letting go, but finding compassion and peace...
This new season of hope, purpose, strength, joy and peace awaits...
I surrender
I have no fear
Play it again!!
Bless you 🙏

That was very helpful and comforting. Thank you! My daughter is getting ready to move away for college. I’m a single Mom and love having her in my life, we’ve been through a lot together. I’m really going to miss not having her in the same house and am struggling with some very painful emotions. Thank you for helping me ❤️🙏🏼

Hey it’s 2019 way in the future from when you recorded this. So comforting during my time of need and perfect for me today x🙏

I felt embraced by your caring and soothing voice. Thank you.🙏

Thank you so much!! This has been placed in my path at the perfect time! I hope you are well. 🙏🏻

That was absolutely what I needed. Extremely peaceful and powerful. Thanks Lou!

Best one I’ve heard yet.

Thank you, I feel grateful for finding this meditation today. The past year hasn't been easy and it's been a struggle. Recently I followed a mindfulness course and started meditating regularly. This meditation helped me see where I am now, what I have learned and who I can become.
Namaste 🙏

I absolutely LOVE this, Lou! 💛 Thank you! I'm so grateful for you 🙏 I so appreciate how your meditations always connect and resonate deeply. They have been especially supportive during "this season" of enormous changes in my personal and professional life. With much gratitude and love,

Wonderful as always. Thank you Lou 🙏

Glad to find out you're still posting on IT😊 even though you no longer seem to have that cherished fixed spot on Thursday night. Anyway happy to hear your thoughts & support again. I will keep an eye out.. but will also try your newsletter.
Thanks for this practice here. Did connect.. until soon....

Thank you for this 🙏