Welcome to this meditation.
Today,
We'll explore a softer way to meet the new year.
Take a moment to settle in and get comfortable.
Position yourself in however you feel the most supported.
If you'd prefer to lay down,
Stretch out,
And allow yourself to surrender and lean into the surface beneath you.
If you'd prefer to sit,
Sit up with a straight posture,
With legs crossed or your feet firmly planted into the ground.
Rest your arms gently by your side or on your lap,
With your palms facing either upward or downward.
Take a moment to relax your jaw and release your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Drop your shoulders,
Soften your chest,
And if you can,
Invite a soft,
Natural smile to your face.
If you feel safe to do so,
I now invite you to close your eyes.
If not,
You can simply lower your gaze or softly focus on an object in front of you.
Turning to the breath,
Slowly inhale through your nose,
Filling up your lungs with air,
Feeling your rib cage,
And stomach expand.
As you exhale,
Slowly release your breath through your mouth,
Feeling your stomach contract.
For the next few moments,
Continue breathing just like this.
You might want to try inhaling your nose,
You might want to try inhaling for four counts,
Holding for four,
And exhaling for six counts.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Wonderful.
You can continue to count or just continue breathing through your nose and out through your mouth in whichever way feels most natural to you.
To assist you with connecting to your breath,
Focus on whichever area you feel your breath the most.
Maybe you feel the gentleness of your breath at the base of your nostrils,
Right above the top of your lips.
You can also feel the gentleness of your breath at the base of your nostrils,
Right above the top of your lips.
Maybe you more easily notice the rise and fall of your chest or the movement in your stomach.
Whichever feels right to you,
Rest your attention there.
As you continue to breathe,
Give yourself permission to be here now.
That is totally okay.
Our brains are supposed to think and wonder.
Let's allow meditation to be a practice of noticing what's happening in our minds without being swept away and recognizing our ability to bring ourselves back to this moment.
And this moment.
And this one too.
Whenever you find yourself getting carried away in thought,
Remind yourself that it's okay.
And gently return your focus to where you feel your breath in your body.
At the start of a new calendar year,
We often feel the excitement of presenting a new and improved version of ourselves.
We form resolutions,
Set intentions,
Establish goals,
And focus our energy on the new things we'd like to see,
Be,
Have,
Or do.
This is the moment when we can be here.
We can be here.
We can be here.
We can be here.
This excitement,
However,
Can soon turn to pressure as we get caught up in the pursuit of newness.
When things aren't going our way or aren't looking like how we thought they would,
We wrestle with what is and meet the present moment with resistance.
When we resist what's happening in the here and now,
We risk missing the subtle clues that gently guide us to the fulfillment of our desires.
What if the path to your deepest desire is different than the one you mapped out?
Would you be willing to trust the new way?
If we hold our plans loosely,
We replace resistance with curiosity and create space for things to unfold in the way that God intended.
If there's only one thing you set out to do this year,
May it be to be open to the way things can come to you and flow through you.
Allow all things to be fulfilled in unexpected ways.
Gently bring your attention back to the room by slowly bringing movement back to your body.
You can wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes.
Moving in whichever way feels natural to you.
Whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Remember to resist nothing,
But instead be curious about what's unfolding.
