Om Swasthyasto Please take up a comfortable seated or lying down position.
And when you are ready,
Never so gently close your eyes.
Look at a point in front of you.
Take your time.
This meditation is inspired by Nyapi,
Malini's new year.
I will take you through three main events of this celebration that is aimed to balance out the evil with good in the world.
For a moment just focus on your natural breath.
Take three conscious breaths in and out.
And this celebration that always takes place in March starts with the New Year's Eve and Ogo Ogo parade,
When all the Balinese vary around demons,
Puppets of demons that they've been working on for the past year.
And as a symbol I would like you to choose one inner demon,
A thought,
A feeling that you cannot shake,
An idea or opinion about yourself or someone else,
A habit that does not serve you anymore.
Do something that's very clear to you and then see if you can give a physical form to this demon.
If this is difficult just follow my instructions by just enlarging your thoughts and feelings about this habit or feeling that you've chosen to focus on.
And see your demon as a grotesque puppet,
Start picturing it,
Dress it up or down.
Create an overall picture of what your demon looks like,
Is it small,
Large,
Skinny,
Obese,
And then start focusing in on some details and begin to enlarge certain features,
Ridicule them,
Belching eyes,
Wet bellies,
Hanging breath,
Long tongue sticking out,
Just like the real Ogo Ogo.
And now imagine that you are parading this demon around for everyone to see.
People may be laughing at the grotesqueness or the ridiculous details,
They may be in awe of your craftsmanship,
Your creativity,
But notice that nobody seems afraid of your demon.
Nobody sees it for what it is,
A product of your mind,
A fabrication of your imagination.
And you notice the people in front of you parading their inner demons for everyone to see.
Then you turn around and again you see that everyone is carrying their demon around on full display.
And every demon looks different.
In the distance you see the bonfire where you're walking towards,
Where one after the other of the demons is dumped,
Disappearing into the flames,
Steered on by bystanders.
And just like that you add your demon to the pile.
You watch it burn.
See it disappearing in front of your eyes,
Rumbling or melting until nothing's left.
You bid farewell to this inner demon.
With a lightness in your step you walk away.
Things have been burned throughout the night and at the earliest light you find yourself at home.
From this place of security you go deep into yourself.
It is the day of nyapi,
Also called the day of silence,
Where everybody stays home for a full day of self-reflection.
No traffic,
No TV,
No internet,
No loud sounds,
No talking,
No loud.
Imagine a day like this,
Complete silence.
Go deep into yourself and start noticing any thoughts or feelings you may have.
Don't resist,
But also don't attach.
They become clouds drifting by in your mind's eye.
You may still notice them,
But your attention is drawn more and more to the lake underneath the cloudless.
It's stillness and serenity.
Feel this silence inside yourself and notice that when you connect to this stillness your thoughts and feelings seem to become reflections of themselves on the surface of the lake.
They're clear,
Yet they have become softer on the edges.
That's important.
Let yourself linger here.
Let your attention alternate between clouds and the lake within your mind's activity and the stillness underneath.
And whatever happens,
Do not judge yourself.
This is a moment of self-reflection,
Not of self-criticism.
Observe and redirect yourself.
This falls around 6 30 p.
M.
And like everyone else,
You go outside,
Lie down on your back,
And gaze up at the starry night sky.
No light pollution.
No airplanes.
It is a magnificent sight.
And after a good night's sleep,
We visit the last celebration day around nyapi,
At least in this meditation.
The day after new year's day is all about forgiveness.
And we will focus this forgiveness on ourselves.
See yourself just as you are,
With your strengths,
Challenges,
Habits,
Opinions,
Odd strains,
Overwhelming emotions,
And inner demons that remain,
That you will discard on next year's bonfire or at any other moment you see fit.
See it all.
Now everything is equally important in defining you or who you are.
And then forgive yourself for the things that need to be forgiven,
Things you did or did not do,
People that you hurt,
Maybe yourself,
Or who you forgot to support.
Set yourself in your perfect imperfection.
Know who you are,
What you did and didn't do,
For what reason,
What you can work on,
What you excel at.
And all of it is what it is.
You are good.
Okay,
Whatever words you choose,
Exactly as you are.
And if there's anything you would like to work on in this new Balinese new year,
Because you feel it's time,
Then go ahead,
Start tomorrow,
But without any force,
Pressure,
Haste.
You'll get there when you get there.
Simply start bringing yourself back from this deep state of relaxation or focus.
Expans your attention to the room,
The space around you.
Simply breathe in three times with attention.
And please remain seated for just a little bit longer.
Giving yourself the time to come back from this experience.
Namaste.
