Hi,
This is Brett.
Start by finding a comfortable position and feeling your body in contact with the surface beneath you.
Now,
Let's move on to deep breathing.
Breathing can help relax the body and prepare us mentally for meditation.
Close your eyes and inhale through your nose for a count of three.
Hold for a count of four.
And exhale through your mouth for a count of seven.
Continue to breathe in this pattern.
Three second inhale.
Four second hold.
Seven second exhale.
As you exhale out through your mouth,
Press your lips together like you are blowing bubbles.
This helps to enhance the calming effects of deep breathing.
Feel the tension in your body begin to soften.
Resume your natural breathing pattern.
Recognize at this moment you have nothing to do.
You have nowhere to go.
You are free to be at peace.
This meditation will consist of a visualization exercise using the acceptance and commitment theory.
I hope it resonates with you.
Sticks and stones can break my bones,
But words can never hurt me.
Do you remember that rhyme?
Being struck by a stick or a stone can cause physical trauma that is acute and intense.
But the pain typically dissipates over time,
Leaving no lasting impression.
While harsh criticisms,
Judgments,
Disparaging and disapproving words from others or from ourselves can create mental and emotional stress that can lead to suffering and difficult thoughts and emotions.
These difficult thoughts and emotions can influence our minds,
Creating unrelenting doubt about our self-worth.
It's important to consider that words are concepts that we define.
Words can be beneficial or destructive.
Beneficial words can contribute to our happiness,
While destructive words can contribute to our suffering.
Understanding our relationship with certain words and how they affect our attitude,
Thoughts,
Emotions and actions can help us control how we respond to them.
To illustrate this concept,
We'll use a visualization exercise.
Imagine that you are standing on the edge of a dark green grassy meadow.
As you look around,
You see a light blue cloudless sky.
The sun is low on the horizon,
Giving off a soft yellow glow.
As the sun descends,
A gentle pink hue begins to radiate upward and outward,
Giving rise to a delicate purple.
What do you hear?
What do you smell?
How do you feel in this moment?
As the sun continues to descend,
You notice a smooth path made of gray stones.
When you are ready,
Begin to walk on the path through the meadow.
As you follow the path,
You see that the path leads to a clearing.
In the center of the clearing is a fire pit with gentle flames licking the air.
There is a group of people and animals around the fire.
Some are seated in chairs or on blankets.
Others are standing.
The people and animals look tranquil and serene.
When you are ready,
Begin to make your way to the circle of people and animals.
As you approach the circle,
You notice that everyone gathered around the fire are individuals and animals who have had a positive influence on your life.
When you look around,
You see beloved family members,
Friends,
Mentors,
Coworkers,
Pets,
And other influential people in your life.
These may be people that are currently with you or have moved on from this plane of existence.
As they see you,
They welcome you with open arms and smiles,
Extending kindness and love to you.
Feel the warmth emanating from your loved ones.
In your own time,
Take a seat in a comfortable position around the fire.
While seated,
Gaze at the cool blue embers of the fire.
Can you hear the fire crackling?
In the embers,
You begin to see words materialize.
The words that materialize are evoked by the stressors of the day.
They may have been words that someone has said to you or thoughts you have had about yourself.
What words materialize?
What emotions are attached to these words?
Where do you feel these emotions in your body?
This may be unpleasant,
But see if you can sit with the sensations that these emotions are generating in your body.
If it becomes too overwhelming,
Focus on the palms of your hands or the bottoms of your feet and use them as anchors to ground yourself and your body.
As you sit with the sensations,
Notice if they begin to dissipate.
Much like the smoke wafts away,
Over time,
The sensations evoked by the emotions should become less substantial.
As the fire burns,
See these words and the embers begin to ascend into the heart of the flames and watch as they burn and are vaporized into smoke and waft away.
Watch as the smoke drifts through the air.
Feel the tension in your body.
Let the tension drift away with the smoke.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale and a sigh.
Allow yourself to begin again,
Free from the constraints of these words.
How do you feel?
Do you feel lighter or heavier?
You may feel the same,
And that is perfectly natural.
Feel the soothing warmth of the fire on your skin.
And when you are ready,
Stand up.
As you rise and prepare to leave the circle,
You see a yellow glow out of the corner of your eye.
As you turn,
You see the person that has been your greatest advocate wearing a broad smile.
As you approach this individual,
They extend their arms and hold you in a loving embrace.
While enveloped by this person,
They tell you how proud they are of you,
And your accomplishments,
And the life that you lead.
These could be words that you've heard before,
Or words that you would want this person to say.
What did this person say to you?
How do you feel?
What emotions manifest with these words?
Take the time to thank this person,
And let them know how they have impacted your life.
Let each other go,
And be grateful.
As you begin to walk away from the circle,
Towards the gray stone path in the meadow.
Upon returning to the path,
Reflect on how this experience has made you feel.
When you are ready,
Continue on your journey along the path through the meadow,
Back to life.
As we end this meditation,
Start to feel the surface beneath you.
Inhale for a count of 3.
Hold for a count of 4.
And exhale for a count of 7.
Inhale for a count of 3.
Hold for a count of 4.
And exhale for a count of 7.
Inhale for a count of 3.
Hold for a count of 4.
And exhale for a count of 7.
Notice any sounds around you,
And open your eyes.
Just as physical trauma can cause pain,
Mental stress can cause emotional pain that can be long-lasting.
But remember that words are concepts.
Our attitude and relationship to the words give them meaning.
We give words power.
In this scenario,
We saw destructive words burn,
Become insubstantial,
And drift away.
These words have no substance,
And don't deserve your time or energy.
At the same time,
The words spoken by your greatest supporter are beneficial and contribute positively to your life.
Recognizing these thought patterns can help us to cultivate positive thoughts that lead to happiness,
And release negative thoughts that lead to bitterness and anger.
We can free ourselves from the tyranny of oppressive words,
And begin again.
Hope you found this helpful.
Thank you for your practice.
