It's me,
Lou.
Before we begin.
Find a comfortable position.
Allow your body to settle.
And take a slow breath in and gently let it go.
Today we are going to practice something that can sound simple but can be surprisingly difficult.
Acceptance.
Not accepting that everything is good.
Not pretending that something doesn't hurt,
Not giving up on what you want to change.
Acceptance is something much quieter.
It is the willingness to stop arguing for a moment.
With what is already here.
Think about something in your life that you have been resisting.
Maybe it is a situation you wish were different.
Something that happened.
Something that hasn't happened yet.
A feeling you don't want to feel.
Part of yourself you wish you could change.
You don't have to choose the most difficult thing in your life.
Just something that has been taking up some space inside you.
Bring it gently to mind and notice what happens in your body when you think about it.
Maybe there is a tension,
A tightening,
A heaviness,
A sense of wanting to move away You don't need to change any of it.
Just notice.
Now notice the mind.
Perhaps it says this shouldn't be happening.
I shouldn't feel this way.
I should be further ahead.
This needs to change.
There is nothing wrong with the mind for doing this.
It is trying to protect you.
It is trying to make sense of what is happening.
But notice the energy that can be created when we keep asking reality to be different from what it is.
For a moment see if you can put down the argument Not forever,
Just for this moment.
You don't have to approve of what happened.
You don't have to decide that you want things to stay this way.
You don't have to stop caring.
Simply acknowledge.
This is what is here right now.
This is what is here right now.
Take a breath.
And allow that sentence to be true.
This is what is here right now.
Notice what changes when you stop trying to make the present moment prove that it should be different.
Perhaps nothing changes perhaps something softens perhaps you simply notice more clearly what you are feeling.
Whatever happens is okay.
Acceptance is not another feeling you have to produce.
It is an openness to the feeling that is already here.
Now bring your attention back to yourself.
Not the version of you that you think you should be.
Not the version you hope to become.
Not the version other people expect you to be.
Just you.
As you are today.
Can you meet yourself here?
With the uncertainty.
With the questions.
With the things you're proud of.
With the things you are still learning.
With the parts of yourself you understand.
And the parts you don't.
You don't have to solve yourself.
You don't have to become completely comfortable with yourself.
You can simply begin by being willing to be here.
Take a slow breath.
And simply repeat.
I can meet myself where I am.
I don't have to have everything figured out.
I can allow this moment to be what it is.
And perhaps most importantly Acceptance does not mean giving up.
It means seeing clearly.
Because when we stop spending all of our energy fighting reality we have more energy available to choose what comes next.
So ask yourself gently.
What is within my control now?
Not tomorrow,
Not someday,
Now.
Maybe there is something you can change.
Maybe there is something you can communicate.
Maybe there is something you can release Maybe there is simply a next small step.
You don't have to find the whole path.
Just notice what is possible from where you are standing.
Take another slow breath.
And notice the difference between these two places.
I need this moment to be different before I can be okay.
And this is where I am now.
What do I want to do from here?
There is freedom in that small shift.
Not because life suddenly becomes easier,
But because you are no longer asking yourself to fight reality.
And move forward at the same time.
For a few moments.
Let yourself rest without fixing anything.
Feel your breath,
Feel your body.
Listen to the space around you Nothing to solve,
Nothing to prove.
Just this moment and remember You can accept where you are.
And still want to grow.
You can accept what happened.
And still choose what happens next.
You can accept yourself as you are.
And still become someone new.
Acceptance is not the end of change.
Sometimes it is the place from which real change becomes possible.
Take one final slow breath in and gently exhale.
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness back to the room.
And move slowly.
Before you continue with your day,
Take this with you.
I don't have to fight where I am in order to move forward.
I can meet myself here.
And from here I can choose my next step.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I'm Neelu and it's been an honour to be with you today.
Take good care of yourself.
