Connect With Your Why: Guided Imagery And Art Prompt

This guided imagery and art-based mindfulness prompt will support reconnection with your why—the deeper motivation that sustains you over time. Through somatic grounding, guided imagery, and optional creative expression, you’re invited into a relationship with your why by remembering what you care about deeply enough to keep showing up.

Transcript

Welcome to this guided meditation and art prompt,

Which invites you to reconnect with your deepest purpose,

Your why.

This practice begins with some gentle movement to ground and center,

Followed by a somatic inquiry into what you love enough to keep showing up for.

Then you'll create a visual love letter to your why,

A reminder to you of what matters most.

Let us begin,

First noticing the breath and doing some gentle stretching.

Begin seated with your feet flat on the floor.

Place your ankles beneath your knees and align your knees with your hips.

Extend the spine,

Gently moving your shoulders back so that they're lined up over the hips,

And then perhaps give the shoulders a little wiggle.

Let them settle.

Place your hands gently in your lap.

Your eyes may be closed or focused to a spot in front of you,

And then notice the feeling of the floor beneath your feet.

Notice the chair as it supports you.

Notice the tactile quality of your clothing.

Pause now to notice any obvious sounds in the room with you,

Alongside my voice.

Perhaps it's a fan,

Or the breath of a pet,

Or perhaps an appliance in the background.

Just notice any subtle sounds in the room.

And now open your ears wider,

Noticing any sounds outside of the room.

Begin now by noticing the breath.

Just notice if you're breathing lightly or deeply.

Notice if the breath comes only to the collarbones,

Or does it move into the heart space?

Begin now to breathe into the heart space,

If you're not already,

Noticing the sense of expansion on the inhale before pausing,

And then exhaling.

Continue this for a few rounds of breath.

On the next exhale,

Release the chin to your chest,

And as the breath comes back to natural,

Just allow the head to be heavy.

Keep the spine straightened,

The heart lifted,

And just feel the gentle stretching on the back of the neck,

Keeping the eyes soft.

On the next inhale,

Gently roll the head to one side until the ears line up with the shoulder.

And then on the exhale,

Move the head across the chest,

Inhaling as the head moves up on the other side,

Before pausing.

And then continue moving the head across the chest,

Lining the ear up with the shoulder.

And as the shoulder and the ears line up,

Just allow the shoulder to soften away from the ear,

Before moving the head to the other side slowly,

Allowing the opposite shoulder to soften away from the ear.

As you continue moving the head slowly from side to side,

Just notice all of the little muscles that stretch,

And pop,

And flex.

The next time the head comes to center,

Gently roll the head upright,

Fluttering the eyes open,

As you gently look over one shoulder,

And then the other.

Move the head to look over one shoulder,

And then the opposite shoulder,

Continuing.

The next time the head comes to center,

Just pause,

And as you inhale,

Gently roll the shoulders up to the ears,

And as you exhale,

Roll the shoulders down and back,

Away from the ears.

Continue for a few rounds of breath.

Now the invitation to connect the breath to movement is just what that sounds like,

It's an invitation.

I find that it is helpful for the breath to slow down the movement,

And for the movement to slow down and deepen the breath.

However,

If there is an alignment between breath and movement that is more comfortable for you,

Please follow that.

The next time the shoulders are by the ears,

Just pause,

And as you exhale,

Reverse the direction.

Good.

Circle the shoulders a few more times,

And pause.

Now bring the arms straight out in front of you,

And open the fingers wide,

And make a fist.

Open the fingers wide,

Make a fist.

Do this a few times,

And then roll the wrists.

So,

Making a fist,

Roll the hands in one direction,

And then the other.

Just noticing any little cracks and pops of the cartilage in your wrists.

And then pause.

Still sitting tall,

Lift the heart,

Make an X with your arms,

And place your hands on your shoulder blades.

Essentially,

You're giving yourself a hug as you sit.

Move the shoulders away from the ears,

And then take a deep breath into the space between the shoulder blades.

Pause,

And exhale.

Do this two more times.

Inhaling,

Pause.

Exhale,

Pause.

And one more time.

Inhale,

Pause.

And exhale,

Release.

Bring your arms straight out in front of you once again.

Maybe open them wide like airplane wings,

Pressing them back,

Before re-crossing the arms.

And then once again,

Walking the hands onto the shoulder blades.

Drawing the shoulders away from the ears.

And as you inhale,

Imagine the breath is going into the space between the shoulder blades.

And imagine that breath is breaking up any tension held there.

As you exhale,

Imagine that tension is released.

Complete this cycle at least two more times.

Breathing into the space between the shoulder blades.

Exhaling any tension.

Continuing.

And now bring the hands together in front of the chest.

You can roll out the shoulders a few times if that feels good.

So place the palms together in front of your heart.

And as you inhale,

Interlace the hands and press the palms straight out in front of you.

Stretching the arms straight.

As you exhale,

Bring the arms back to you,

Hands together in front of your heart.

And now as you inhale,

Reach the arms straight overhead.

As you exhale,

Sweep the arms down to the sides like you're painting a rainbow.

And then as you exhale,

Reverse that.

Sweeping your arms upward like a rainbow overhead until the palms come together.

Then draw them straight down in front of your heart.

As you inhale,

Press the palms forward,

Interlacing the fingers if that's comfortable to you.

And then on the exhale,

Hands back to heart.

Inhale,

Arms overhead.

Exhale,

Sweep the arms down.

On the inhale,

Reverse,

Sweep the arms up.

Exhale,

Hands down in front of the heart.

Repeat this movement or sequence of movement for a few rounds of breath.

Or just find some gentle stretching through the arms that feel comfortable for you.

Now let's pause.

And once again,

Let's bring the arms straight overhead,

Drawing them into the shoulder sockets.

Tuck the low belly.

Plant your sits bones as you sit tall,

Reaching above.

And just gently sweep to one side,

Taking a little side bend.

Coming back up to center.

And then bend to the other side.

Just do this gently,

Back and forth a few times.

Imagining that you're a tall blade of grass blowing in the breeze.

If you wish to pause and take a deeper side bend,

Then you're welcome to do so.

Next,

Come back to center with a nice straight spine.

And bring your arms out to the side with elbows bent,

Like cactus arms or like a football goal post.

Again,

Tuck the low belly.

Plant those sits bones.

And gently just sway from right to left,

Keeping the elbows aligned with the heart.

So this is just a very gentle set of twists from one side to the other.

Now as with the side bends,

If you wish to pause and take a larger twist with your hands down,

You're welcome to do so.

Be sure to do one side,

And then the other.

And then coming back to center.

Last but not least,

We'll reach the arms overhead,

Lift the heart,

Sweep the arms up and back overhead.

Taking a little back bend,

And then place the hands on the knees,

Rounding the back.

Repeating this.

So this is seated cat-cow.

Lifting the heart,

Slide the shoulders on the back,

And then rounding the back.

Just doing this for a few more rounds of breath.

Good.

Now pause at center and just notice,

For a moment,

The sense of stillness in the body.

Again,

Eyes may be closed,

Or simply focus the eyes to a place in front of you.

And as you settle into this breath,

And this experience of stillness,

I invite you to bring your awareness to your body.

Notice where you feel grounded.

Notice where your body makes contact with the earth,

Or with the chair,

Or with whatever is supporting you.

As you follow the breath,

I invite you now to consider a question,

And that is,

What is your why?

What do you love or care enough about to keep showing up?

It matters not what you are showing up for.

It could be work.

It could be family,

Or a relationship.

It could be love,

Or life.

Notice what genuinely calls to you.

What feels less like ambition,

And more like devotion?

This might be a person,

Or a practice,

Or a place,

Or a calling.

This might be a way of being in the world.

There is no need to force an answer.

Just let the question rise in your body.

What do you love enough to keep showing up for?

What is your why?

Notice what arises,

Not in your thinking mind,

But in your body.

Maybe there's a warmth in your chest,

Or a settling in your belly.

You might notice softening in your shoulders,

Or maybe there's tension,

Grief,

Longing,

Or something unresolved.

Whatever you feel,

Just notice it.

There's no need to change it.

Just witness what your body knows.

And if you don't notice sensation in the body,

That's okay too.

Notice any words,

Or images that might arise.

Now bring attention to your heart space.

Place your hands on your heart.

Lift the heart up into your hands,

And breathe into the connection between your heart and hands.

Feel the breath move into your hands,

And imagine that you are breathing directly into your why.

Into that thing you love,

Or that purpose that keeps you showing up.

And notice,

What does it feel like in your body when you connect to your why?

Again,

There is no right,

Wrong,

Or supposed to here.

Just notice.

Just feel.

All judgment is placed aside.

Now imagine that your why is an image,

Or an object.

Notice if there's color,

Or a texture,

Or a temperature.

Is this image or object large or small?

Is this version of your why,

If it were something you could hold in your hands,

What would it feel like?

Is it warm or cool?

Smooth or rough?

Light or heavy?

Again,

There's no right answer,

No wrong answer.

Just let your body and mind show you.

Now,

As you continue breathing into the hands,

Notice when you connect to your why,

What becomes possible?

Do you notice or feel anything in the body when you remember why you're here?

Or when you ask why you do what you do?

Notice if your breath deepens,

Or if your jaw softens.

Notice if something in you relaxes or expands with the knowing,

This is what I'm here for.

This is what matters.

Stay with this feeling,

This knowing.

Stay with this sense of purpose that lives in your body,

Not just in your mind.

Breathe into it.

Let it fill you.

Let it remind you.

Your why does not have to be loud.

It does not have to be impressive.

It just has to be true to you.

And it is here.

Right here.

Right now.

In this breath.

And in this moment.

When you're ready,

You may replace your hands to your lap and bring some gentle movement to your fingers and toes.

If your eyes are closed,

Gently flutter the eyelids open.

And as you return to the space around you,

I want to invite you to give form to what you just felt.

Today's art prompt is to create a visual love letter to your why.

This might be abstract.

Create an image using shapes and colors that capture the feeling of your purpose.

Or it might include images,

Words,

Or symbols of what you love enough to keep showing up for.

You might choose to create abstract marks that express the energy of your calling.

You might use colors that represent the feelings you just experienced in your body.

You could create a portrait of the people or beings you're devoted to,

Or a landscape that represents the world you're trying to tend.

You may use words or phrases that ground you in your purpose.

Or collage of images that remind you why you do what you do.

There is no right,

Wrong,

Or best way to do this.

The only requirement is honesty.

As you create,

Stay connected to your body.

Notice what wants to emerge.

Trust your hands.

Trust what you felt in the meditation.

This is not about making something beautiful or even finished for anyone else to see.

This is about making something that reminds you of what matters most to you.

So let your hands move.

Let the image teach you what you already know but might have forgotten.

Take as much or as little time as you need.

There is no rush.

Let the process be slow and savored.

You may wish to pause this recording while you work and return to it for the guided journal prompts.

If you wish to listen to the entire track right now,

The journal section is just a few minutes long.

For the journaling section,

When you feel complete with the image,

I invite you to sit with what you've created.

Just witness it without judgment.

Just be present with your work.

And then when you're ready,

I invite you to write.

Consider these questions.

What does this image or object tell you about what you value most?

Where do you feel your why in the body?

When you connect to your why,

What becomes possible?

And what would it look like to let this why guide more of your decisions?

Lastly,

What wisdom does your why have to share?

Write a few paragraphs using stream of consciousness and let yourself be honest.

Let yourself be surprised.

I'll read those questions again for you now.

And again,

These are just suggestions to help you process your artwork.

You are welcomed to reflect in any way that you wish.

Here's those questions again.

What does this image or object tell you about what you value most?

Where do you feel your why in the body?

When you are connected to your why,

What becomes possible?

What would it look like to let this why guide more of your decisions?

And lastly,

What wisdom does your why have to share?

Remember,

This creative practice is about reconnecting and returning to yourself.

Not about figuring things out at once.

But coming back again and again to what matters most.

And that is your truth.

Your why.

It is a living thing.

It needs tending.

Just like any relationship.

Just like any garden.

And this visual love letter you've created,

Hold it as a reminder.

As a touchstone.

As a way to reconnect when you forgot.

Place it where you will see it regularly.

Somewhere that allows you to return to your why again and again.

I thank you for taking this time to practice with me.

And thank you for asking the question,

What is my why?

Thank you for giving it form.

For making it visible.

And for honoring it with your attention and your art.

Your why does not have to be loud.

It does not have to be legible to anyone else.

It just has to be true to you.

And when you know your why.

When you can feel it in your body.

See it in your mind's eye.

Hold it in your hands through the art you make.

Everything else becomes clearer.

Not easier,

Necessarily.

But clearer.

Remember.

May you remember your why.

May you tend to it well.

May it sustain you in all the ways you need.

As we close today's practice,

The goodness in me honors the goodness in you.