Welcome to this guided meditation.
My name is Isabella.
I am a Reiki master and certified coach.
Who works with clients to help them create a deeper connection to themselves.
Always with compassion and awareness.
Some of you might know me from my lunar cycle practices.
But today we are going to explore shadow work.
Gently bringing awareness to some of the parts of ourselves that we might find a bit harder to accept.
We all have parts of ourselves that we are comfortable showing to the world.
And other parts that we might judge,
Reject.
Or even try and hide.
So these might be emotions like anger or jealousy.
Maybe insecurity.
Or qualities we have decided we simply don't want to associate with ourselves.
But pushing these parts away doesn't necessarily make them disappear.
Sometimes they show themselves through our reactions.
Particularly in the people and behaviours that really trigger us.
Shadow work gives us an opportunity to become curious about those reactions.
Not so that we can judge ourselves for having them.
But so that we can understand ourselves a little more deeply.
The intention today isn't to fix or get rid of any part of yourself.
It is simply to notice what might be asking to be seen and accept yourself fully with love and compassion.
So if you haven't already,
Find a really comfy position.
Preferably seated with your back straight,
But you can lie down if that feels better for you.
And gently close your eyes.
Take a long,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And slowly breathe out through your mouth.
Again,
Breathing in.
And as you breathe out.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Relax your jaw.
And let go of any tension you might be holding in your face.
Just allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
And bring your awareness into your body.
Notice the feeling of the surface beneath you.
And the weight of your body being supported.
There is nowhere else you need to be right now.
There is nothing you need to work out.
Just allow yourself.
To be here.
I want you to bring to mind someone who has triggered you recently.
This isn't about revisiting your most painful experiences.
But perhaps you can think of someone who really irritates you or frustrates you.
Someone who gets under your skin.
Allow one person to come to mind.
And rather than immediately get caught up in the story of what they did or why they annoy you,
Simply notice what happens inside you.
When you think about them.
Become really aware of your body.
Perhaps you feel a tightening in your chest or stomach.
Maybe your jaw clenches.
Perhaps you feel heat or tension.
Or restlessness.
Notice the emotion that comes with it.
Is it anger,
Irritation?
Jealousy.
Frustration,
Discomfort.
Whatever is there,
Allow it to be there without trying to change it.
And now gently ask yourself what it is about this person.
That you judge.
Maybe you find them selfish or arrogant.
Are they needy or controlling?
Are they attention seeking or unreliable?
Maybe it is another word completely that comes to your mind.
Try not to overthink it or analyze it.
Simply notice what appears.
And now we're going to turn the attention away from them and gently back.
Towards you.
Ask yourself if there is any way that this quality exists within you too.
You're not saying that you are the same as this person.
You are also not saying that their behaviour is acceptable.
And you don't need to force yourself to find something that doesn't feel true.
Instead.
Imagine this quality existing on a spectrum.
And if the quality you see in them feels like a 10.
Have there ever been moments?
When you have been maybe a one or a two,
Even a three.
Maybe you have been selfish when you needed to put yourself first.
Maybe you have tried to control something because you were frightened of what would happen if you didn't.
Maybe you have wanted attention or felt jealous.
Being impatient or needed reassurance.
Just notice.
And there is nothing wrong with you for finding these things within yourself.
They are all part of being human.
And if you really can't recognise the quality in yourself.
Become curious about the opposite.
Perhaps you find someone incredibly selfish because you have learned that you must always put everybody else first.
Perhaps you judge someone for wanting attention.
Because somewhere along the way you learnt that it wasn't okay for you to want to be seen.
Maybe somebody else's vulnerability frustrates you because you have always felt that you needed to be strong.
Just allow yourself to notice whatever comes up.
Take a slow breath in and breath out.
Now gently ask yourself what this reaction might be showing you.
And give yourself some space.
Perhaps there is something here that you have not been allowing yourself to express.
A need you haven't acknowledged,
An emotion you haven't wanted to feel.
Or a quality you have been trying very hard not to be.
Whatever comes up.
See if you can meet it with curiosity.
Rather than judgment.
Bring your attention now towards your chest,
Your heart center.
And if it feels comfortable,
Place one hand there.
Take another slow breath.
And imagined for a moment.
That you were speaking to someone you deeply cared about.
Who had just admitted this part of themselves to you.
How would you speak to them?
Would you criticize them and tell them that they should be ashamed?
Or would you remind them that they are human?
See if you can offer yourself that same understanding now Remind yourself that you are willing to see this part of yourself.
That you do not need to judge yourself for being human.
And every part of you is allowed to be seen.
Notice how that feels.
You don't have to love every quality you discover within yourself.
Acceptance doesn't mean that we have to act on every emotion or excuse every behaviour.
It simply means that we stop pretending certain parts of ourselves don't exist.
The person that you are thinking about may still irritate you.
I'm sure that they are very irritating.
And that they really do frustrate you.
You may still disagree with their behavior.
Maybe some of their behaviour is completely unacceptable.
Nothing about this practice requires you to change that.
But perhaps you can recognize that your reaction has also given you an opportunity to learn something about yourself.
Allow that person to slowly fade from your awareness now and bring your attention completely back to you.
Feel your breath moving slowly through your body.
Feel the surface underneath you.
And notice the sounds in the room around you.
Before we finish.
Ask yourself,
What part of yourself?
You might be ready to stop pushing away.
Don't search for an answer.
Just allow the question to settle.
What part of yourself?
Might you be ready to stop pushing away?
Take one final deep breath in through your nose.
And slowly breathe out through your mouth.
Begin to gently move your fingers and toes.
Maybe roll your shoulders or move your head gently from side to side.
And when you feel ready.
You can slowly open your eyes.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
It has been an absolute pleasure.
To guide you and your shadow.
