Hello,
My name is Hillary Lafon and I am so grateful that you have joined me today to explore the concept of changing perspectives.
Whatever led you to today's meditation is trying to help you find a new way or a new thought,
A new way to look at things,
A new way to think of things,
Changing perspective.
So take a moment to get yourself comfortable,
Knowing your own body,
Your own spirit,
Whatever that means for you.
Maybe you feel more alert today and you want to sit upright.
Maybe you're anxious and you want to walk around or move a little bit.
Maybe you want to lie down with your head on a pillow and your feet elevated.
Take a moment already embodying the idea of changing perspective,
Shifting perspective.
Just as children when they learn,
They constantly move,
They constantly change their body positions.
Notice if there's a position you always go to and maybe you switch it up.
Finding yourself situated.
Allow yourself to close your eyes.
Take a moment to set an intention.
What would you like to get out of today's short practice?
What are you trying to do?
And maybe the whole purpose is to do less.
Maybe there's too much on your plate.
Listen to what your mind and your body is telling you.
What do you need?
What do you intend to work towards?
And with our intention,
Notice for a moment how you feel physically in your body.
Noticing any pain,
Tension,
No pain,
No tension.
Allowing yourself to settle in and soften.
Noticing for a moment how you feel emotionally.
What emotion is in the forefront of your mind?
Although we're always trying to find happiness and joy,
That may not be it.
And if it is,
Just take a moment to luxuriate in that feeling.
Try not to grasp onto it,
Just to notice it.
Emotions come and go.
And if you're feeling emotions that are uncomfortable like anger,
Anxiety,
Frustration,
Know that this too will pass.
So we've set ourselves up in a position that's comfortable.
We've taken note what our intention is.
We've also noticed what our physical and mental sensations are and feelings.
And now let's focus on our breath.
Noticing if this is the first breath that you've acknowledged for the day.
And welcome,
Welcome it.
Roll out the welcome mat to your emotions,
To your breath,
To the here and the now.
Whatever they may be.
Remembering that mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment.
In a particular way,
Without judging.
Feeling curious as a child,
Seeing what you can learn.
Breathing,
Relaxing.
Let's take a few breaths together,
Inhaling deeply through the nose,
Chest rises,
Stomach expands,
Sipping in the air,
Letting in light and love and energy.
And as you exhale,
Letting out all that which does not serve you.
Sighing it out,
Breathing it out,
Letting it go.
Breathing again deeply through the nose,
Allowing each breath to permeate every cell in your body.
And relaxing,
Letting it go,
Breathing out,
Feeling yourself lighter,
More expanded.
One more time together,
Inhale in through the nose and letting it all go,
Sighing it out.
As we allow ourselves to soften and melt like a warm stick of butter on a hot summer day.
Letting our spine soften,
Noticing any tension in the body,
In the hands,
In the feet.
And just relaxing these areas,
Maybe just by one percent.
If you can't physically relax,
Energetically relax,
Set the intention,
Put the energy out there,
That you're relaxing,
Softening.
Thinking of the concept of changing perspective.
Where is an area in your life that you feel stuck,
That you feel like you can't move forward?
Nothing too traumatic.
This is just a practice in a safe environment for when things come up in our life,
We have tools,
Breathing,
Softening.
What is this one area you're trying to grow perspective,
Change perspective?
Maybe it can be with a living situation,
A relationship,
Something at work.
If you're ever stuck in a thought process or pattern,
I encourage you to add some movement in it,
Maybe go for a walk.
I invite you to speak to a stranger,
See what they have to teach you.
How about being vulnerable,
Asking for help,
Putting it on the table?
It's amazing what a good book,
A good conversation,
Even things that we see on the internet or on the TV,
How it can instantly change your perspective.
We are not stuck.
If only we allow ourselves to see the bigger picture.
I sometimes think of the concept of brain jail,
When we're stuck with an incessant thought in our mind or thought pattern or process and it repeats over and over and over and it seems like we can't get out.
But just by sitting here,
Just by doing this exercise,
This practice,
You're working towards changing your perspective,
Your shift,
Changing your energy so that you can have the life you want and lead the life of your most authentic self.
As you relax and settle and breathe,
I encourage you to commit to one thing today that you can do to change your perspective.
Something small,
Something tiny,
Maybe around 4 p.
M.
You have a normal routine.
Switch it up a little bit.
If you work out in the mornings,
Maybe work out in the afternoon or the evenings.
If you don't work out at all,
Commit to going for a walk for 5 minutes.
If it's hard to talk to strangers,
See if maybe you can talk to one person you wouldn't talk to at the store,
On the street and if that feels like too much,
Commit to a smile.
These small little shifts in our patterning and our behaviors have a ripple effect to bring us what we need,
What we most desire.
You have the power in yourself to change your perspective,
To shift your perspective,
To change your life.
As we end our time together,
See if you can make yourself 1% more comfortable as we take three deep breaths,
Exhaling all the breath out,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose or the mouth,
Sighing it out,
Softening.
Two more times inhale through the nose,
Feeling your body expand,
Grow larger,
Sipping in the air and then letting it go.
One more time inhale and exhale.
Before you start your busy day,
Take a moment just to feel how you feel emotionally,
If that has changed in just the last 10 minutes.
If not,
Taking note and noticing is part of the practice,
Not judging,
Not beating yourself up.
How about how do you feel physically?
And if there's anything that has crept up,
Any aches and pains,
Again use this time to just settle in 1% more comfortable,
Just for a moment longer.
Remember what your intention was when we first started and then also I encourage you to think about your commitment,
The one thing you're going to do today,
No time like the present today to help you shift and change your perspective.
Thank you for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
