Welcome.
My name is Elliot and I will be your guide for this meditation.
One of the most powerful teachings is to know how to be able to choose how you feel.
I'm going to show you how to move out of whatever emotion you feel stuck in,
Whether it's anger,
Anxiety,
Sadness,
Or despair,
And be able to shift at will into any emotion of your choosing.
Settle into a cross-legged posture with your hands open facing upward.
Maintain a straight back with its natural curves.
Sit with your face slightly upturned and allow your focus to shift between your eyebrows.
Then when you're ready,
Gently close the eyes and mouth.
Let's begin by deeply breathing in through the nose and out through the nose.
As you do this,
Rest your attention on the breathing cycle.
It will be your anchor throughout this meditation.
If thoughts arise,
Acknowledge them and let them go.
Simply return to the breath.
Allow each inhalation and exhalation to bring you clear presence and awareness of your senses.
Give yourself permission to relax,
Unwind,
And allow the natural state of being to fill the space.
Breathe in relaxation.
Breathe out tension.
Breathe in love.
Breathe out courage.
A wise man by the name of Roy T.
Bennett once said,
Attitude is a choice.
Happiness is a choice.
Optimism is a choice.
Kindness is a choice.
Giving is a choice.
Respect is a choice.
Whatever choice you make makes you choose wisely.
This quote reminds us that we have a choice in every moment.
In every moment there is a fork in the road.
And if we are aware enough,
We can choose the way we think,
The way we feel,
And even our own destiny.
Keep your awareness on the breath.
Consider what it feels like to be much more aware of each inhalation.
And as you exhale,
Be aware of the sensation of letting go of the breath.
Notice how your in and your out breath complement each other and aid in letting go of what you no longer need.
By the very act of breathing,
You are cleansing your body.
And with enough attention,
You can cleanse your mind and your other energies as well.
Also notice and feel whatever emotion you are experiencing.
Often we resist the uncomfortable emotions and that only serves to make them stronger and more of an annoyance.
And we don't get rid of them that way.
So let's bring more attention to them now as you continue breathing.
Acknowledge them.
Simply notice them.
With every exhalation,
Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions you are no longer wishing to hold onto.
Give them away to be released.
If it helps,
You can even visualize them leaving your body with the breath.
Perhaps you can give them a color or a shape and see them leave,
Feel them leave with the breath.
With every inhalation,
Imagine what you would like to bring into your experience while meditating.
Could be relaxation.
It could be clarity.
It could be resilience.
With each inhalation,
Take in new feelings you want to experience.
As you breathe in,
Bring into you what you wish to feel.
And on every out-breath,
You're letting go of whatever you no longer want to feel.
Breathe in,
Feel the feelings that you wish to hold in your being.
Breathe out,
Consciously releasing whatever you no longer need to feel.
This process is truly a metaphor for how we might live our life.
How we think,
Feel,
And live in this world.
However we do this,
We must do it consciously,
Otherwise the mind will take control and the ignorance will continue and we will not feel in control of our own life.
Breathe in,
Generating a positive emotion that you wish to hold in your being.
Breathe out,
Consciously releasing whatever emotions you no longer want to feel attached to.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Eventually on this path,
You'll realize that you're filled with emotions you want to feel.
And as you exhale,
There's nothing left of what you didn't want.
The balance starts to take place.
Continue by reiterating the words that describe how you want to feel and feeling them in your body now.
We often forget that how we feel is a choice.
Sometimes it can go unnoticed that each thought can lead to an emotion.
Each thought produces a chemical reaction within the body and hardwires you to feel a certain way,
Which then in turn creates another thought and the vicious cycle continues.
So when we take a moment to observe our thoughts,
To observe our emotions,
To observe how our body feels,
We can stop this vicious cycle in its tracks and take back the wheel of this vehicle that is our life.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
I'd like to end with a quote by J.
K.
Rowling.
We've all got both light and dark inside of us.
What matters is the part we choose to act on.
That's who we really are.
In bringing this meditation to a close,
Come back to a full awareness of the body.
Gently take your own time.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
See if you can take this quality of awareness with you into your day,
Into your life,
As it unfolds moment by moment.
And thank you for sharing your meditation practice with me.
Namaste.
