Hello everyone,
My name is Hillary.
Thank you for joining me for this releasing of a negative thinking patterns meditation.
Let's start by finding a quiet place somewhere where you can begin to sink in,
Eliminating any distractions.
Make your way into a comfortable position with your body,
Either seated on a cushion upright or lying down supported by the ground.
Let your body relax by consciously releasing any tension and begin to dive deep into this very moment.
We'll start by centering ourselves by bringing our immediate attention to our breath.
Without trying to regulate it in any way,
Breathing naturally,
Just watch the breath as it flows in and out.
This may be the first time you've noticed your breath today but notice how drawing your attention to your breath makes you feel.
Bring awareness to the sensations that arise when you breathe in and the feelings that accumulate when you breathe out.
On your next breath,
Take a deep breath in,
Inviting in the possibility of freshness and positivity and then exhale,
Let it go all the way to the end of your breath and slowly coming back to a natural rhythm as you find your cadence,
Silently say to yourself,
Breathe in when you breathe in,
Breathe out when you breathe out.
Now the power of anchoring ourselves to our breath becomes a technique to draw your attention towards this very moment.
There may be times that your mind begins to wander or negative thoughts begin to creep in or anything that's not self-serving while you practice being present and aware.
And if a negative thought begins to come in just acknowledge it.
Thousands and millions of thoughts creep into our mind every single day and some are negative,
Some are positive,
Some come with reason,
Some are completely unwarranted.
But often we find ourselves clinging to negative thoughts and let them take us down a spiral of negative thinking.
This can quickly leave us feeling angry,
Sad,
Anxious or even depressed.
So the intention of today's meditation is to help you release negative thinking that you may be experiencing either now or if it ever happens throughout your day.
And to develop the tool to give yourself permission to let go of negative thoughts that don't serve you well and ultimately finding freedom and joy in the space that it creates.
The amazing part of our minds is that we can actually control what we focus on.
When a negative thought begins to creep in acknowledge that it's there,
Acknowledge that it's trying,
Then use the power of your mind to push it away and instead draw your awareness to the breath,
Maybe taking more intentional breaths.
Deeper,
Fuller inhales,
Longer,
More cleansing exhales.
Perhaps you visualize breathing in something fresh,
Something new,
A new way of thinking,
A new way of being.
Then as you exhale imagine yourself releasing any residual thoughts that may be lingering.
You you you Continue to make progress in your mental discipline.
Continuously pushing away any negative thoughts,
Any unproductive thoughts.
This simply being.
This might feel challenging right now,
But your ability to remain focused in meditation will increase naturally with practice.
That is why we call this our meditation practice.
We cultivate this meta-awareness which allows us to bring our mind gently back into this moment.
Every time you catch your mind wandering,
Have the discipline to bring it back.
Every time you do,
That's a win.
Slowly begin to deepen your breath.
Full breath in through your nose.
Powerful audible breath out of your mouth.
Notice how you feel.
Maybe you notice yourself feeling lighter,
Calmer,
Perhaps a little more empowered that this practice feels easier for you today.
And know that you have a clean and open space to invite thoughts in that help you feel joyful,
Creative and free.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Namaste.
