Before we begin this meditation,
Take a few moments,
As long as you need,
To find an object nearby that you can hold in one hand or with both hands,
But something that's small enough to fit in either one or both hands.
An object that when you were a young child elicited happiness,
Joy,
Peace,
Innocence.
We'll use that as part of this meditation.
So if you need to pause for just a moment to find something,
Go right ahead.
Take your time.
Now that you have your object,
Keep it in your hand or your hands.
Find a comfortable seat or position.
You can sit with your feet flat on the floor.
You can sit cross-legged,
Whatever is most comfortable for you.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Hold for just a moment.
And exhale out of your mouth.
Breathe in deep.
Fill your lungs,
Fill your diaphragm with air.
Hold for just a second.
And exhale,
Letting your diaphragm help push the air out.
Do this a few more times.
Breathe in through your nose.
Holding.
And breathing out.
Let your whole body breathe with you.
Allow this to be a full-bodied experience.
Breathe in through your nose.
Hold.
And breathe out.
Do this a few times on your own.
Notice any sensations in your body.
You may feel tingling.
You may feel relaxed.
You may notice parts of your body that are stiff.
All of those are okay.
They're all allowed.
Let your breathing return to normal.
Let your body breathe itself.
This is a safe space.
This is a space where the child within you,
Pure light,
Pure innocence,
Pure love,
Is cherished and is seen,
Acknowledged,
Loved just as they are.
So with the object in your hand,
Without opening your eyes,
I invite you to feel the texture of that item slowly and gently.
Feel every single part of it with one hand or both hands.
Since it's an object that you're very familiar with,
The texture and the feeling of it is most likely going to bring up some memories and some emotions.
They're all welcome.
There's no judgment on any of them.
If and when they come up,
Watch them like a movie unfolding.
Notice them.
Notice where in your body these emotions come up,
Where they manifest.
It could be in the middle of your chest,
It could be in your stomach,
In your legs,
Your arms,
Your forehead,
Your nose,
Your lips,
Your eyes.
You may feel tears starting to form.
That's okay.
That's beautiful.
All emotions are welcome and allowed here.
Now as you're experiencing all of this,
Whatever you're experiencing,
Visualize that child,
That younger self.
And this object,
Which was a portal into love,
Safety,
Joy,
Let that wash over you.
Feel how that feels.
If there's sadness,
Let the sadness come.
If there's happiness,
Let the happiness come.
If there's anger,
Let the anger come.
Sometimes objects of joy and happiness are often objects that we used to protect ourselves as kids.
They were safe havens for us.
Sometimes as we grow up,
We're often taught that we're not allowed to have our safe haven.
We're often told to suppress our emotions,
To only allow certain ones to come out and for other ones to be pushed away.
But in love,
In the space of love,
In the vastness of love,
All emotions are welcome.
This human body is capable of so many emotions,
So many feelings.
All of them are welcome.
None of them are a fluke.
None of them are a mistake.
And you also know that this item brought light to you.
Light in maybe a very dark place.
So in many ways it represents the safety and love and care that we all need as children.
And maybe in certain moments you came to this item or this object as a means to experience and feel those feelings of love and tenderness.
Now I invite you to gently and slowly place that item next to you,
Beside you,
And keep awareness on the feelings in your body.
See if you notice that same sense of love and safety and care still there,
Still present,
Without the item in your hand.
The miracle in this is that we are able to not only experience peace,
Joy,
And happiness without an object,
But that we can cultivate it from the inside.
That it is always cultivated from the inside.
Happiness and joy and peace are not found outside of us.
They are our whole being.
They constitute love.
They can only arise from within.
They aren't created externally.
We can experience the thrill of pleasure and excitement,
But these are externals that come and go.
The happiness and joy and peace and innocence that we experienced as children naturally arose in us as our being,
That never left.
It's always been there because it is us.
We are peace.
We are joy.
We are happiness.
We are love.
Nothing or no one can take away these things because they are our whole being.
Notice your breath.
Take a big,
Deep,
Loving breath in and let it flow out.
Take as many as you need.
That child-likeness inside of us goes beyond age,
Time,
And space.
It is a collection of qualities that make up the essence of our being.
And as our bodies age,
It's not that we lose these qualities.
We forget that they exist.
We often forget that they are our true essence.
They are allowed.
They are love.
We have the power to not only cultivate these experiences from within us,
We are them.
We can live as these things because we are them.
They are untouchable.
They are invulnerable.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe in love as love.
And exhale that love.
This is an endless cycle.
There is no giving and no receiving here.
It is being love.
It's all one.
With your eyes still closed,
Visualize your body.
You can scan your body starting from your feet.
Slowly make your way up to your shins,
Your calves,
Your knees,
Thighs,
Your upper torso,
Your back,
Your hands,
Your arms,
Your chest,
Shoulders,
Neck,
Mouth,
Nose,
Eyes,
Forehead,
Your whole face,
Back of your head,
Top of your head.
See your whole body as one object of your awareness.
Now visualize the space in which you're sitting.
Bring as much into your mind's eye as you can of what's around.
And when you've got as full of a picture in your mind of the environment you find yourself in and your body sitting in that environment,
Gently,
Slowly open your eyes.
Come back into this space.
Breathe deep.
Exhale.
May the experience you had of cultivating happiness,
Joy,
And peace from the inside,
Knowing that it is your true essence,
Carry you through today.
Namaste.
