Hello,
My name is Evan and I'm going to be leading you in a self-strength meditation today.
First,
Let's find a comfortable position to remain in for a little while while we meditate.
Sitting is the ideal meditation position,
But it is very hard to sit correctly without cushions,
So I would strongly encourage you to lie down or sit in a straight-backed chair for this meditation.
Now let's take a deep inhale.
As we exhale,
Let's gently close our eyes.
Let's take another deep breath,
Following our breath as it enters our nostrils,
Passes through our throat and into our lungs and finally our stomach.
Following our breath as we exhale,
It leaves our stomach,
Passes through our lungs,
Through our throat and at our nose.
Let's take a few more deep breaths.
Deep breaths are a great way to relax and settle into your body before starting meditation.
Just do about three or four and as you inhale,
Inhale until it feels like you can't anymore,
Until it feels like your chest is a little bit tense.
Don't inhale too much,
But just right as it feels like you can't anymore,
Inhale for a second longer and then exhale.
Right as it feels like you can't exhale anymore,
Exhale for a second longer and then inhale.
So let's allow our breath to settle down now.
Let it return to its natural rhythm.
Let's just be aware of it.
Let's place our focus on our breath.
Now this might seem like a hard thing to do,
But there's a lot of indications that you're breathing.
How does the air feel entering your nose,
Passing through your throat?
How does your chest feel expanding?
Maybe how does your body,
Your mind feel after that exhale?
Maybe a little more relaxed?
So let's just follow our breath and be aware of it.
Is your breath slow?
Is your breath quick?
If it's quick,
That's okay.
It's totally okay.
Just be aware of it and be okay with it and don't try to force it to be any slower.
With time,
It will gradually start to slow.
Now let's bring our attention from the natural rhythm of our breath to the way our body feels.
Let's try to notice any spots of tension,
Any spots of relaxation.
If we find a spot,
You just say in our minds tension or relaxation.
And this little technique of labeling is a great way to be aware of your present experience.
So if your shoulders are tense,
You can say to yourself in your mind,
Tension.
You can just put a little bit of focus on that area.
Just notice how that tension feels in your shoulders and then maybe move on to another spot of your body or maybe come back to your breath and how that feels.
Just noticing the sensations in our body.
Just being aware.
Now let's move on.
Let's visualize,
Let's picture in our mind ourselves doing something we enjoy.
Maybe you're winning or succeeding at something.
Maybe you're laughing or with people that you love.
Just picture yourself doing something that you enjoy.
Maybe you're just picturing yourself as happy.
You're smiling,
Feeling good,
Just happy.
Now let's allow a gentle smile to appear on our face.
So gentle it almost requires no effort.
Just a gentle smile.
You may begin to notice that this little smile actually might make you feel a little bit happier in this moment.
Now as we keep this picture of ourselves in our minds,
Experiencing joy,
Feeling good,
We're also gonna recite these sentences in our mind.
So as I say them,
You can just be aware of them and listen.
Or you can say them back to yourself in your mind.
I am.
I am a good person.
I have integrity.
I do what is ethically right and good.
Whatever life puts before me will make me stronger,
Wiser,
And more tolerant.
I am strong enough to accept other people's weaknesses which may manifest in behaviors towards me.
I focus on the joy of being alive and being and helping others when I can.
I am what I eat and drink,
So I eat and drink good things.
I am what I watch and play,
So I watch and play good things.
I forgive other people.
Deep down everyone is a good person just like me.
I am a loving and caring person.
I am a good person.
I am.
If it is faded from your mind,
Bring back to your attention the image of yourself doing something you enjoy.
Take a deep breath now like I taught you,
Focusing on this image in your mind,
That gentle smile on your face.
Take a few deep breaths if you need.
Now let's allow our breathing to return to normal,
To flow naturally.
And we can just be aware of how our breath is in this moment.
Is it slow?
Is it fast?
Is it shallow?
Is it deep?
However our breath feels,
Just aware.
Now let's bring our attention to our body.
Again let's scan our body.
Is there any tension?
Is there any relaxation?
Are there any feelings of warmth or coolness?
Let's just notice these feelings and be aware of them and be okay with them.
Whenever you're ready you can open your eyes and come back into the present situation.
The room you're in,
The people or things around you,
How your body feels,
How your breath feels.
Be aware of what you're thinking about.
I hope that this meditation brought you a few minutes of joy.
Thank you.
