Welcome.
This meditation explores how to cultivate the experience of aliveness.
To begin,
Close your eyes.
Find a comfortable,
Relaxed position.
Notice the feeling of the chair,
Floor,
Or cushion on which you are relaxed.
Notice if their surfaces are soft or solid or something in between.
Begin now to check in with your breath.
Practice taking a couple of slow,
Deep breaths in and out.
Continue.
As you continue with the breath,
Begin softening any tension you might notice around your shoulders or in your belly,
Perhaps in your eyes,
Forehead,
Eyebrows,
Or jaw.
Just allow the body to soften.
This is a quote from Howard Thurman.
Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive and go out and do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Let the words in this quote sit with you for a moment.
Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive.
Go out and do it.
What the world needs is people who have come alive.
What makes you come alive?
Go out and do it.
The world needs people who have come alive.
Notice any feelings,
Physical sensations,
Thoughts,
Or images that are surfacing as you think about aliveness.
What are you noticing?
Ask yourself,
What makes me come alive?
What are the times when you have felt most vivid,
Energized,
Or engaged?
What are you doing that makes you come alive?
Are you surfing,
Reading a book,
Having lunch with a friend,
Or playing with a child?
Be aware,
We often tend to think of doing as the broader strokes in life,
Our career,
Or our relationship roles.
But here,
Go for the minutiae.
Go for the simple things.
Let yourself explore.
What are you doing that brings you contentment,
Joy,
Fulfillment,
Inspiration,
Or a feeling of expansion?
Are there challenges or obstacles or problems to solve that also bring you a sense of aliveness as you address them?
Notice the times or circumstances that your unique gifts were able to really shine through.
Do any patterns emerge?
What are those patterns?
Our passionate responses to life are like a string of shining lights guiding us home to ourselves and into a life with deeper meaning.
These lights are the talents,
Perspectives,
Connections,
And gifts that long to be expressed through us for the world.
So now is the time to ask yourself again,
What really makes me come alive?
And how can I do more of that?
And also notice,
Are there any patterns or circumstances that really allow my gifts to shine so that I feel like I am lighting up from the inside out?
Take a moment to set the intention to go out and do those things.
Embrace the patterns and circumstances that allow you to shine from within.
Remember,
The world really needs people who come alive.
Include aliveness as part of your daily practice.
If you wish to practice art-based mindfulness,
Take a moment to create an image about your experience of aliveness in this meditation.
This could be a painting,
Collage,
Small sculpture,
Or doodle.
If you choose to do a doodle,
You can draw a box or circle and in that box use line and shape to create the experience of the feeling.
Select line qualities and colors in a way that feel relevant to you.
Take just two to five minutes to create that doodle or drawing.
You might also draw a stick figure and make marks to represent where or how you experienced aliveness in your body.
When you're done,
Take a moment to journal with the image.
Perhaps you write a paragraph or a few sentences to summarize.
Then ask the image,
What wisdom do you have to share?
Let the image answer you.
Ask it,
What three specific things can I do to practice and cultivate aliveness?
Again,
Let the image answer.
Let yourself write with the image freely or with stream of consciousness without judgment or trying to analyze the drawing.
Just let it speak for itself.
I highly recommend that you let the response be written with your non-dominant hand.
It's awkward at first,
But you'll get used to it.
Give it a shot.
You might be surprised with what your image has to share.
