Hello,
Welcome.
My name is Jen.
Today's meditation is designed to support you when it feels like everything is just falling apart.
So this could mean so many different things,
But if the title of this meditation resonated with you,
You are in the right place.
So for this particular meditation,
You can sit or lie down,
Do whatever your body is calling you to do.
Just ensure that you can breathe somewhat deeply and ensure that you're comfortable.
As you get into this position,
Begin to focus on your shoulders,
The tops of the shoulders,
And focus the breath there,
Inhaling directly to the shoulders and exhaling,
Completely releasing and softening the shoulders.
Now we're going to inhale and focus on the lungs,
Just expanding the lungs right to left,
Front to back,
Nice deep chest breath.
And when you need to,
Release fully,
Completely,
Slowly.
And our next breath,
Inhale,
Fill the belly like a big balloon,
Fill even the lower back,
Expand.
And when you need to,
Slowly release.
Inhale deep to the base of the spine,
And when you need to,
Release.
Now take one more full body breath,
Inhale and fill the entire body,
From toes to top.
And when you need to,
Slowly,
Steadily release.
Now just find a nice,
Steady,
Deep breath.
Just noticing the inhale,
Noticing the exhale.
Notice what happens to your body as you inhale,
And as you exhale,
This brilliant rhythm that's always here for you.
And as you focus on the breath,
Begin to focus a little deeper into the body.
So trace the breath into the lungs,
Maybe expanding the diaphragm,
Pushing it down,
And release.
As you inhale,
Notice the way your skin feels.
Now focus on the thoughts,
Inhaling and exhaling.
And whatever you're thinking,
Just accept it,
And bring the attention back to the breath and exhale.
Notice if the same thought comes up again,
Or a different thought.
And just notice,
Accept,
And release.
Continuing to breathe like this,
With our thoughts,
We're going to implement a leadership practice,
A resiliency practice,
In which we notice what we are thinking.
We take full assessment of the situation we're in,
We accept it fully,
And we choose to move forward.
So continuing with this deep breath,
I want you to give yourself permission to bring up whatever it is that's been bothering you,
Or the multiple things that have been bothering you.
And just allow your brain to go there,
Knowing that you're in a safe space,
And continuing to focus on the breath as these thoughts come.
Whatever is coming up,
Just see it,
See it as separate from you.
And with each exhale,
Don't try to release the problem,
But just release the breath,
Continuing to notice.
Really focus on these problems,
These issues,
These things that occupy your mind.
Notice what they are.
Look at them from different angles.
Look at them from different distances.
As you inhale and exhale,
All the while keeping attention on the breath as these thoughts arise.
The second component of this process is to begin to accept what you see.
Not that you accept bad behavior,
Or bad circumstances that are directed to you as good,
But just that you accept the fact that these things are.
Accept reality as it is.
If this is difficult for you to even conceptualize,
Try to take a very small thing to begin,
A small irritation,
And bring it to mind.
This is not the same as permission.
It's a simple acceptance of where you are right now.
So,
Continue to breathe and focus on this word acceptance,
Accepting the reality of the situation.
Take two more breaths and really focus.
We're noticing and accepting.
For the final component of this practice,
We're going to bring the issue that's most bothering us.
The reason we feel that everything is falling apart,
So we've noticed the situation that we're in,
The problem or problems that we're facing.
We've looked at them from different angles,
And we've accepted that we are where we are.
That the situation exists,
Whether it should or should not,
It does.
So,
The final component is to think about an action,
However small that we can take,
That is the best action.
So,
I invite you to choose for this final portion of our exercise to move forward.
Choose one best action.
Continuing to breathe deep,
You may want to consider any role models or people you look up to,
How they might respond if they were in the same situation.
You may want to think about a time where you felt like you were at your best,
How that version of you might respond in this situation.
So,
Because reality is what it is,
While it might not be ideal,
What is one small thing that you can do?
Whether that is to make more time,
To meditate and consider and clarify your mind.
Whether that is to speak up about something or to move forward or on from a relationship or a situation that is unhealthy.
Or whether that is just to cultivate the strongest possible mindset you can.
Think about one way you can do that.
One thing that you can do that will create a small positive movement forward.
Choose.
Take a few breaths here,
Slow,
Steady and deep.
And just sit with this proposal,
This possibility to choose the next right action.
Deep breath,
Full body breathing,
Full focus.
Trusting that if nothing's coming up that something will,
Maybe in the next hour or day.
Because you are open to choosing the highest possible response,
Or the highest possible movement,
Or the highest possible action to take a step forward.
Take a nice full body inhale,
Slow,
Steady and deep.
Toes all the way up to the top.
And when you exhale,
Exhale,
H-A.
Two more times,
Inhale.
Exhale with a sigh.
One more time,
Inhale.
And exhale.
Now as you begin to feel back into your body,
Consider the simple acronym N-A-C,
Notice,
Accept,
Choose.
And consider that you can remember that acronym and return to this simple practice even during your day.
You don't even have to be in full meditation or concentration.
We're just taking a moment to notice what's happening,
To accept reality,
And to choose to take agency and to make your next best step.
When you're ready,
Slowly begin to find a little movement in the body and blink your eyes open.
Take in the light of the room.
Allow a gentle smile to cross your face.
Sit tall,
Shoulders back,
Head high.
I wish you all good things.
Thank you for practicing with me.
