Embracing Change

This practice invites you to embrace the ever-changing nature of life by visualizing it as a flowing river. Practice surrendering to the current, releasing attachments, connecting with the present, and remembering your capacity for resilience as you resist stagnation and weather rough seas.

Transcript

Hello, This is Dr. Shaniqua. Today I am going to lead us through a meditation on embracing change. Change is a natural part of life, But it doesn't always come easy. We tend to crave stability and control. We want to know what's ahead. We want to make plans and then have life go according to our plan. But as Octavia Butler wrote in her book Parable of the Sower, All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change. So today let's spend some time together meditating on change, Impermanence, And letting go. Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lie down and gently close your eyes. Begin by taking a deep breath in and exhale slowly. Let's do that one more time. Breathing in deeply and then exhaling all the air out of the lungs. Now allow your breath to resume its natural rhythm and let your attention settle on the part of the body where you are most aware of your breath in this moment. That could be the abdomen, The chest, The nostrils. Notice each inhalation, Each exhalation. Let your breath serve as the anchor for this practice grounding yourself with the breath. At times during this practice you will notice that your mind has drifted away from the breath, Away from the practice, And that instead there are thoughts, Feelings, Maybe sensations in the body and those may be occupying the mind. When that happens see if you can just acknowledge what arises without judgment, Recognizing that the mind is simply doing what it is meant to do, Thinking, Feeling, Sensing. So notice, Let go and return to the breath. Life is a series of breaths, A long series of breaths, Always changing, Always moving. The breath comes in, It goes out. Every breath, Every moment is new and unique. We cannot repeat it. We cannot return to it. Every breath is fleeting. We cannot hold on to it. We cannot even prevent ourselves from breathing, At least not through sheer willpower. The breath always comes and the breath always goes. It is always changing. To breathe is to change. See if you can be with each breath, Not trying to control or direct it in any way, Just being with it. Life's journey is like a river. From the moment we are born, We cast off from the shore, Carried forward by a great current that we cannot control. Imagine yourself on this river right now. What is the water like for you now, In this moment? Sometimes we find ourselves in calm waters, Being carried along peacefully down the river at a pace that feels good, Relaxing, Maybe even enjoyable. The water and the sky are clear. We can see what's coming ahead and maybe we have time to prepare for it. There are clear markers along the river bank that let us know exactly where we are and we may feel fairly certain that we can chart our path to the next destination with no problem. Breathing here in these calm waters may be easy and relaxed. Perhaps it's even playful as we feel the breeze dancing around us and through us. We can just let the breath come and go easily while we take in the sights on the shoreline, Noticing them, Letting them go, And enjoying the journey. It feels good to be in calm, Predictable waters. And so sometimes we decide to linger in one place for a while. Maybe we find a place in our life's river that seems exceptionally calm, Beautiful, Or maybe just comfortable and routine. We cast an anchor and we settle in for a while, Maybe for days, Maybe for weeks, Maybe for years. Even then though, We are never still. The river is always changing. It keeps flowing through us and around us and we keep shifting with the current. We feel the movement of the waters even as the anchor holds us in place. Eventually, We may realize that our attempt to be stable is futile or maybe that our craving for stability is causing us to be stagnant. Perhaps we realize that we have developed a habit of shallow breathing as we are constantly anticipating the sudden jerks of the anchor as it tries to hold us steady in the midst of the always moving water. We realize that if we are going to grow, We have to raise the anchor. Is there an area in your life where you're craving for stability and control is causing you to be stagnant right now? This can be a job, A relationship, Or any other setting where you feel stuck, But maybe you feel comfortable in your stuckness. You may fear what happens if you relinquish control, If you raise your anchor and allow the current to move you to the next part of your journey. You might be afraid about what lies around the curve of the river, The part that you cannot see. Maybe you think there will be new obstacles in your way. What is it that you are holding on to? What do you need to let go? See if you can give yourself permission to release it now. Surrender to the current of change. Knowing that you are capable of meeting whatever arises with resilience, With courage, And with the love and support of community. The river is always changing, Never the same. Sometimes the waters are rough and choppy. There may be rocks or other obstacles in the river that block our path. The path itself may not be straight. We may have to navigate sharp twists and turns, Or we may find ourselves in the midst of a storm. The waters may turn so quickly and violently that we are disoriented. We don't know if we're going upriver or downriver. Maybe we even end up going over the edge of a waterfall. We may find ourselves underwater in murky waters under a darkened and cloud-filled sky. And with no lights shining through the surface, We can't tell what direction we're headed in, Whether we're headed for the surface or whether we are inadvertently swimming towards the dangers of the deep. We cannot see what lies ahead. All we can hear is the roar of the water. We reach out desperately for something to hold on to, Only to have it slip from our grasp. Here in these rough waters, We may forget to breathe sometimes. We may be holding our breath as we tighten our bodies against the rough seas. But if we check in with our bodies, We can realize that even here, Breath is here. We can connect with the breath. We can connect with the body breathing. We can remind ourselves that we are capable of breathing through the storm. We can remind ourselves that we have breathed through and survived other storms. We can remind ourselves that we are not alone in the storm. We can remind ourselves that this storm too shall pass. What do you need to be able to breathe easy when storms arise? Maybe that is connecting with spirit. Maybe it's connecting with your own internal resources. And maybe it's connecting with people who love and support you. The river of life is never the same. It is always changing. We cannot predict it. We cannot control it. But we can breathe in calm and in storm. We can focus on our breath as a reminder that the present moment is all that truly exists. We cannot move back into the past. We cannot move forward into the future. What we have is this moment. We can make the choice to live fully in this moment. With our hearts open to experience. Open to love. Open to growth. Breathing in and out. One breath at a time. One moment at a time. Each breath. Each moment adding up to become a life. In a moment we will bring this meditation to a close. And I invite you to keep your eyes closed until you hear the closing bell. And as we prepare to close, Hear again the words of Octavia Butler. All that you touch, You change. All that you change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change. God is change. God is change. Life is change. You are change. You are capable of embracing change because change is all that is. You were made for change. Thank you for practicing with me today.

Reviews

Thanks for the wisdom