Welcome.
This meditation offers a way to deeply reconnect with the strength and confidence of your true natured self.
At the end I will offer an art prompt.
You're welcome to complete the prompt or not.
Let us begin.
Find yourself seated in a comfortable position.
Close the eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Feel the floor or cushion or chair as it supports you and notice the relationship between the breath and the movement of the body.
Notice the expansion of the chest with the inhale and the receding of the torso or chest with the exhale.
Continue focusing on the breath for just a few more rounds of breath.
Noticing what comes up in your mind,
Observing the mind and placing the thoughts aside as you come back again and again to the breath.
As we begin imagine yourself in a difficult situation.
It may be something coming up that is bringing fear or worry or a situation that you're already in.
Maybe you want to ask for a raise or you need to have a difficult conversation with a loved one or colleague or you have an upcoming appointment that is bringing some anxiety.
Just notice what surfaces for you and recognize any emotion or aversion that is present as you bring this event to mind.
Alongside noticing the event and alongside observing the emotion and self-talk,
Notice any sensation that arises in your physical body.
For this moment let yourself experience,
Really experience,
Having less confidence than you would like.
Now place your hands on your heart.
Breathe into your hands.
Repeat to yourself,
Even though I'm feeling like this,
I can still connect with strength.
I can connect with strength and confidence.
You may keep your hands on your heart or release them to your lap.
As now,
Imagine the strongest version of yourself.
Picture your posture,
What you're wearing.
Notice the energy that you exude.
Ask yourself,
What would the strong confident part of me do about this situation?
How would this situation be handled?
As you continue with your breath,
Picture your strongest self managing the situation with complete kindness,
Care,
Mindfulness,
Patience,
Assertiveness,
And wisdom.
You might even wish to place your hands back on your heart here.
As you picture your strongest self managing the situation with complete kindness,
Care,
Mindfulness,
Patience,
Assertiveness,
And wisdom.
As you visualize this situation in your head,
Take a moment to notice the strength within you.
Allow yourself to feel strong and confident.
Notice now the self-talk,
Mood,
And physical sensation of increased confidence.
Notice also any images that come to mind.
Images of yourself or something else.
Take this next moment to simply observe the experience of your strength and confidence.
Releasing your hands to your lap if you've not already.
Know that as you move forward with your day,
You can live as an expression of the strong you.
May you reconnect with your intentions of wisdom and compassion in the face of difficulties.
If you wish to move into a practice of art-based mindfulness,
I invite you to take a moment to create an image of strong you.
This could be a drawing,
Painting,
Doodle,
Or collage.
Try to express the felt experience of strength as you observe this in your meditation.
Try to avoid drawing the trigger or the situation that makes you feel bad or less confident.
Again,
Focus on the experience of strength.
When you're done,
Take a moment to journal with the image.
Perhaps you write a letter from the strong you to the part of you that seeks more confidence and strength today.
Let yourself write freely or with stream of consciousness,
All without judgment.
Let it be from the perspective of the image.
You might be surprised what it has to share.
