Returning To Self

This meditation gently guides you into a space of stillness and presence, beginning with mindful awareness of your physical body and breath—particularly focused on belly breathing. It invites a grounding practice while introducing visualization, lifting you into a safe, serene space of your own creation. There, you connect with a younger version of yourself, offering love, healing, and unity, before extending that same compassion to a mother figure or someone who holds that role for you. As the meditation concludes, you return to your present space with a sense of gratitude and self-acknowledgment, anchoring deeply into your heart center.

Transcript

Let's go ahead and settle in to any seated or lying down position.

And taking the first opportunity as you're starting to settle in to whatever position you have chose,

First thing to be said is that we're going to start to settle down and find stillness.

But it is to be said that,

Of course,

At any point if you feel the need to move or shift or change your position,

Please give yourself permission to do so.

So we don't want to distract ourselves if our foot is falling asleep or an area of the body might feel uncomfortable.

Ensuring that our foundation,

So if we are seated,

The foundation would be the legs and the glutes.

If you're lying down,

It's the whole entire back of the body.

That there is balance between the right and left side.

That there is this settling sensation of the body,

But also an uplifting sensation coming as well.

So your foundation is nice and solid.

It's balanced between the right and the left,

As well as the front and the back.

But there is this uplifting sensation.

If you're lying down,

Perhaps it's the chest or the belly or the legs have this vibrancy that feel uplifting.

If you're seated,

You're not slouching.

You're lifting the spine upright,

But not rigid,

So that you feel comfortable.

Noticing whatever hand position you chose,

And that is the perfect position for you this evening.

Just taking a little bit of note of where your hands are.

Let's go ahead and begin by taking the deepest breath that you have taken today.

Maybe even letting it out with an audible sigh.

And then go ahead and do two more just like that.

And now starting to draw your awareness down into your belly.

We're going to begin this evening with belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.

So with your awareness in this specific part of the body,

I want you just to watch.

Internally noticing that the breath,

When it fills this space,

It expands,

It opens,

It lifts.

When the breath is released from the body,

There's a deflation,

A little bit of a falling and a letting go sensation.

If you feel as though maybe your mind is a little bit distracted,

Even placing your hands in this space might feel nice to connect to the belly so that you can feel even the physical movement.

Or you can just stay with watching,

Internally noticing.

And being like an observer of noticing the breath in this specific part of the body.

Noticing that when you begin to breathe,

The belly is an expansive part of the body.

It's not just one little point.

And as you inhale,

Can you feel if the breath fills up maybe more of the top portion of the belly?

Or does the breath fill all the way down closer towards where the pubic bone and the hip points are located?

You don't need to try to change the way that you're breathing.

We're just observing and noticing how you are breathing at this point in this moment.

Also noticing whether the right side of the belly maybe begins to fill up first.

Or vice versa.

Maybe one side of the belly starts to fill with air,

And then the other side just follows along.

And this could be true for you,

Or maybe not.

It is to be said that sometimes we could be a reversed breather,

A paradoxical breather,

Meaning that what you would do is when you inhale,

You actually suck your belly in.

And when you exhale,

You actually bring the breath out.

The belly expands.

This is a learned behavior.

This is sometimes associated with stress or even trauma.

Just taking note if perhaps you're doing that.

And even if you're doing it in this moment,

It doesn't mean that you always do it.

And if you do notice that you happen to be doing this,

See if it would be comfortable to shift that.

If it would be comfortable to fill the belly when you inhale.

Taking a couple more rounds of this belly breath.

And for these last couple rounds,

I want you to really focus on the exhale.

And each time you exhale,

Letting the body become a little bit heavier.

Releasing any portion of the body that might be holding on or feeling tight.

You don't have to force a part of the body to let go if it's not ready to,

But maybe there are parts of the body that would be comfortable releasing as you exhale.

And then where you're seated,

I want you to begin to imagine as if there's this iridescent balloon beginning to float down to your space.

You gently begin to reach up with your hand and hold on to the string as you start to float up.

Floating up through the space where you're located,

Over your home,

Your town.

Beginning to travel up above the earth.

Traveling up through the layers of different portions of realms.

Eventually making your way to a safe,

Clear space.

And this is a space of your choosing.

I want you to notice in this area what you might see or feel.

Are there certain clouds?

Specific colors?

Is it clear?

Or maybe a little fuzzy?

And this is a safe space for you,

And you get to define exactly what it looks like.

Maybe perhaps bringing in anything that does make you feel safe and at home.

You could even put your bed up there if you wanted.

Noticing how the body feels in this space.

Taking note of any physical sensations within the body.

Maybe even bringing awareness back into the breath.

And then imagining a golden,

Beautiful sphere surrounding you.

Seeing the sparkling outline surrounding your entire body.

Encompassing you and keeping you safe and secure.

Bringing in wisdom.

Unconditional love.

And if you are not seated in this location or feeling steady,

I'd like you to either take a seat,

Or maybe find a place to sit down.

Being right here in this moment.

Noticing the breath in this space.

Trying to fully stay present.

Not thinking about where we might go next.

Fully immersing yourself in this present moment.

As we are seated,

We are going to call upon a younger version of ourselves.

I want you to bring that younger version of yourself to sit directly right in front of you.

Allowing the bubble to expand so that they are supported by this sparkling light as well.

Noticing the version of yourself that came forward.

Noticing if any emotions or feelings are beginning to arise.

And I invite you to maybe just ride that emotion.

Letting go of the wave of that emotion.

Knowing that's just like the ocean and that there might be a little bit of a peak.

And then there will be a release,

A letting go that comes from that wave.

Beginning to look into the eyes of this version of yourself.

Noticing what you look like.

Taking note of any maybe story or situation pops up about this version of yourself.

Maybe perhaps even reaching your hands out and allowing the younger version of you to connect.

Giving this younger version of yourself whatever they might need.

And then I want you to begin to imagine as if there is a brilliant white light that is traveling down through the crown of your head.

And this light will travel down through your head and outpour through your heart into the heart space of this younger version of yourself.

Connecting your hearts together.

Sending love.

Healing energy.

Full acceptance.

And this channel between you and the younger version of yourself is open and clear.

Truly believing in this light that pours from you to that version.

Truly feeling that love and protection and healing energy.

And then beginning to allow that version of you to morph in to who you are today.

Seeing these two people become one.

Feeling the love and light.

Acknowledging the lessons from that person.

The hope,

The dreams.

Feeling this beautiful light inside of you right now.

Now continuing to sit here.

Let's come back to our breathing in this space and just feel and maybe notice what you see.

What you can still see.

And as you're still sitting in the same location,

Beginning to look in front of you and seeing your mother or maybe perhaps someone who you call mom or a mother-like figure who has taken on that role.

And then looking into their eyes and smiling,

Acknowledging them,

Truly seeing them.

Acknowledging those beautiful qualities of who they are.

Maybe even acknowledging the hardships,

But seeing the light that came out of it.

Perhaps maybe the strength or the wisdom.

Those beautiful qualities of who they are may have came from a challenging pace and acknowledging that.

And as you look forth and see this mother or mother-like figure,

Maybe you want to connect the hands again.

Maybe you want to give them a hug.

Connecting in any way that feels authentic to you.

Maybe perhaps even saying any words that might feel authentic to you.

And then we're going to begin to see that brilliant white light traveling down from the crown,

The very top of our head.

And it'll pour out again through our heart center,

That heart,

The center of the chest.

And that heart space is going to connect with this person sitting in front of us.

Sending this brilliant light to them.

The deepest love,

Compassion,

Maybe gratitude,

Even healing light.

And before we begin to travel away from this space,

Sending a little bit of gratitude to this figure in your life.

This mother,

This mother-type figure,

Whoever you might have chosen.

And allowing them to begin to release away.

And from this space,

We're going to begin to float back down into the space where you occupy at this moment.

Feel any support that is below you.

Feel that hard,

Steady surface,

Or perhaps even props that support your body.

Beginning to re-ground yourself.

And grounding just needs to connect to the ground because it's steady and stable.

We connect to those type of properties.

Bringing in that stable,

Steady energy inside ourselves.

Coming back to the belly breathing again.

Noticing whatever perhaps you might see or feel as you breathe in this moment,

This new moment,

This new place,

This new time.

And before we conclude,

Connecting to ourselves.

And we're going to bring our awareness back into that heart space again,

Right at the center of our chest.

You can just internally bring your awareness here.

Maybe you want to physically stack one hand on top of the other,

Or even bring your hands into that prayer position in front of the heart center.

And if you don't feel like moving,

Like I said,

You can just come internally.

Just think about it.

Feeling your breath in this space.

Feeling any movement in this area.

Acknowledging that our breath is clearing and cleansing.

Allowing the breath to fill this space,

Removing any stagnant energy.

And a bit of acknowledgement to yourself.

With your awareness in this space,

Connecting to yourself.

In any way that feels authentic.

Taking a moment to maybe just say,

I love you.

I think you're doing a wonderful job.

I acknowledge you.

I'm deeply grateful for you.

Or any version of that.

And noticing even when you say that,

Any sensations that begin to arise.

Maybe there was a shift in the way that the face felt.

And taking note that we can always say those little messages to ourselves,

And just notice how they make us feel different.

And from my heart space to each of yours,

I'm deeply grateful for you.

That you've joined me.

Namaste.