Welcome to this brief meditation which is designed to offer some support when you're feeling unmotivated.
It's just a few minutes long and at the end I will offer you an art-based mindfulness prompt.
You are welcomed to complete the prompt or not.
Let us begin.
Start by taking a moment to settle your body into a comfortable position.
You may close your eyes or keep them slightly open with your focus to a place a few feet in front of you.
Allow your spine to lift and your shoulders to soften.
Perhaps you give your arms a little wiggle.
Today we will practice remembering motivation.
Begin by taking a full breath in,
Pausing and a long slow breath out.
Again pausing.
Continue.
Full breath in,
Pausing and a long slow breath out.
As you continue allow the mind to focus on the breath.
You may continue to breathe like this or allow the breath to come back to natural.
Do what feels comfortable for you.
Now bring your mind to a place in your life where you are experiencing a lack of motivation.
Perhaps it's a task at work or a project you've been putting off at home.
Maybe it's repairing a relationship issue with a friend or family member.
Just notice what surfaces for you and take a moment with this.
As you envision this issue listen to the following questions lightly and just simply observe what comes up.
You'll notice also any physical sensations that you experience alongside the thoughts.
So as well take a moment to observe your physical body.
If this becomes uncomfortable continue to bring your mind back to the breath and notice if there's any judgment or negative self-talk that comes up.
You'll just step back and observe it in the same way you might observe clouds moving across the sky.
Observe your self-talk and then let it pass through.
As we continue there's no need to figure anything out or to change anything.
If nothing comes to mind just continue to focus on the breath.
Continue to notice any thoughts that arise and let them pass through your mind as if carried by a gentle breeze.
So about this issue ask yourself when it comes to this what is my greatest aspiration or hope?
Again witnessing what comes up for you and now ask what about this issue is most important to me?
What is most important?
Now ask what might be getting in the way of me addressing this issue?
What might be getting in the way?
Continue anchoring yourself with your breath.
This is also a good time to check in with the physical body.
Observe your entire experience.
Now ask yourself how do I want to show up in relationship to this issue?
Observe what does or does not come up.
We are not trying to solve this issue we are simply trying to be with it from all angles.
Consider if this issue was in progress or completed what would that mean?
If this issue was in progress or completed what would that feel like?
See if you can really feel these feelings allowing yourself to fully absorb it.
Notice your emotions and any physical sensations such as lightness or expansion.
As you experience these feelings of accomplishment or completion consider how you can access this place again the next time you face this issue.
How can you use these feelings or sensations as a source of focus?
Can they serve as a source of motivation?
Finally ask yourself what is my intention moving forward?
As we complete this meditation place your hands on your heart.
As you lift your heart into your hands notice also the weight of your hands on your heart.
Breathe into your heart and into your hands and repeat to yourself when I'm motivated and when I'm not I treat myself with compassion.
Again when I'm motivated and when I'm not I treat myself with compassion.
Let's finish again with a full deep breath in and a long slow breath out releasing your hands to your lap and allowing the breath to come back to natural.
If you wish to move into a practice of art based mindfulness I invite you to take a moment to create an image related to task completion as experienced in this meditation.
This could be a small sketch or doodle or a more involved image in any media of your choosing.
You might wish to capture an image or images that presented in your mind related to the issue that you worked with or you might choose to select color,
Texture,
Line and symbols that represent the physical experiences of motivation and task completion as you experience them.
Here you could even do a quick stick figure using color and shape to highlight how and where you had these experiences in the physical body.
As you create write down any words or phrases that come up for you.
You can place these on the image itself or write them down separately in your journal.
When you're done take a moment to journal or write with the image.
Perhaps you write a summary paragraph or a few sentences and then ask the image what wisdom do you have to share.
Let the image answer you.
Write down the first things that come to mind.
Try not to interpret the image.
Just let it speak to you as if you were talking to a friend.
When you ask it a question what does it have to say?
Try to write from the drawings perspective.
You could then go on to ask what one to three specific steps can I take to show myself compassion or what one to three steps can I take to reconnect with motivation or to complete this task or address this issue.
Again let the image answer.
Allow yourself to write freely or with stream of consciousness and without judgment.
At the end ask the image if it has anything else to share.
Remember there's no right or wrong way to create your image and it's not necessary to dialogue with it in your journal.
The important thing is that you spent time with motivation with what it feels like to not be motivated and to observe your entire experience with it.
Whether or not you choose to write about the image that's fine but you might be surprised what it has to share.
