Welcome to today's meditation,
Overcoming obstacles.
So just settling yourself into a comfortable position,
Whether that's seated or laying down and using the support of bolsters,
Cushions,
Blankets.
Remember that in all of these meditations,
Comfort is king.
We want the body to be settled and secure feeling,
So that the mind can find focus free from distraction.
However,
These props and whatever position you get into that works for you is the right one.
So just trust yourself to find that pose.
And just settling into that space,
Allowing the body to get heavy,
To relax the muscles,
To soften the shoulders down the back,
Relaxing the hips and the knees and the feet.
Settling into this shape.
And I want you now to take your mind's eye to a journey that you're on.
And to begin to visualize a landscape in front of you that brings you peace and pleasure.
It might be a wooded walk,
A hillside,
A beach or an area of open common land.
And just to visualize yourself standing in this wide open space with views all around.
Seeing your feet on the earth and looking to the sky above.
Listen into this landscape as you pick up on the smells.
And as you feel the brush of the air against your skin.
Can you tune into the sounds of this landscape?
Maybe it's the wind in the trees.
The hum of distant human activity.
The sound of birds,
Insects,
Water,
Rain.
And as you cast your eye around,
Allow yourself to pick up on the diversity of color and texture.
As you next breathe in,
Imagine that you're breathing in life force and energy through the soles of your feet as you stand here.
And let that life force fill your whole body.
Sending back out into the land that surrounds you.
Taking a couple more breaths in this same way.
Drinking in the energy of the earth.
Sending energy back out into the space.
And I want you now to slowly turn your head within this picture,
Within this field of imagination.
And see behind.
See the journey that you've taken to get to this spot.
Admire the view,
See how far you've come.
Looking back at all of that land,
All of that ground that you've covered.
One step at a time.
And as you survey the view behind you,
Remind yourself as you bring the corners of your mouth into a smile.
That with every step of the journey thus far,
You had an idea of your destination.
A broad range of experience just opening up in front of you.
But with every step you took a decision to carry on.
Without knowing with exactitude that you would be in this spot at this time.
So just casting your mind back now to those steps that have brought you to where you are.
Visualizing and remembering the obstacles that once stood in your way.
And remembering too how you negotiated those obstacles so that they became chicanes in the path on your journey.
Remembering how with every step around a previously frightening or overwhelming obstacle or barrier to your growth.
You found a way through.
And you grew with that way through.
And though you might not have planned the circumstances and the path and the barriers in the way that you experienced them.
What you might do now that you're standing and looking back at that journey is give thanks for exactly where they were placed.
Because without that path and those obstacles you wouldn't be standing here enjoying the landscape that surrounds you.
And let's remember too that those obstacles are there to test us.
So that we may dive deeper and see whether what we are striving for is really worth fighting for.
Because you know in yourself,
In your own heart that whatever stands in your way is not really a barrier,
Not really an obstacle but an opportunity for your growth.
And more importantly an opportunity to overcome fear and crush it underfoot.
Because what we really want and long for and desire lives on the other side of that fear.
So as we come back to this viewing point in the middle of the landscape.
We can remind ourselves too that we have pushed consistently beyond our own comfort zone in order to arrive.
Maybe our muscles are aching,
Maybe the heart is tired and the bones are weary.
But as we feel ourselves standing here rooted to the earth there is a deep and satisfying knowledge inside us that our courage,
Literally meaning from the heart,
Has moved us forward and has placed us on the threshold of our dreams.
You know once we were comfortable we are now courageous and continue to be curious as we grow our confidence,
Our ability to continuously step beyond the zone of comfort in order to achieve and meet our hearts truest desires.
Remembering again that when we step beyond the comfort zone that's where growth lies.
Remembering the next time we meet an obstacle.
It's not there to send us back down the hill or along the beach or back home,
Back towards a smaller,
Quieter version of ourselves.
No.
The obstacle is the path that is there for you to discover inside yourself,
Your own determination and to realise what is most true for you in your heart.
On the other side of that obstacle is your success.
So as we look back again at this pathway that we have taken to get where we are we'll see that there are no straight lines.
Some steps perhaps revealed themselves to us more easily than others.
Some of the ground was smooth and the terrain straightforward.
But we'll see for sure that nature doesn't move us or itself in these straight lines and so as we walk,
As we pursue life and our desires,
We must follow the route carved out by the land.
Each step taken with curiosity,
Courage and confidence.
Trusting just as we have done so far that as we step,
The next step appears too.
So let us remember as we scan the view behind us and gather strength for the journey forward.
That these stopping points,
These moments of wakefulness,
Mindfulness and reflection,
They become milestones in the journey.
An opportunity to see just how far we've come and to celebrate all that we have overcome.
Give yourself a pat on the back or a warm smile and send it down into your heart.
Knowing always that the obstacle is the path.
Let's bring our hands together at the heart center and bow the head towards the hands.
Namaste.
