With closed eyes,
Allow yourself to relax comfortably and in sync with your breathing.
Feel yourself within your body,
Relaxing fully.
Let's take a nice deep breath into your stomach.
Hold it slightly at the top and relax fully through the exhale.
Let's take one more deep breath into your stomach.
Hold it and exhale deliberately through your mouth.
Returning now to normal breathing,
Feel the support beneath you,
Connecting you to the environment surrounding you.
Be aware of the sounds around you and take a deep breath in and let it out.
Give your body permission to release everything not needed.
As you release,
Allow yourself to let go.
Your body no longer needs to hold on.
Feel the space around you.
Picture it as a warm blanket covering you.
Breathe in this space and feel the rise and fall of your breath.
Breathe down to where the weight of your body rests,
Right below the base of your spine.
This is called your root.
Breathe into your root and let it relax and expand on your breath.
Visualize the bottom of your feet taking root into the earth,
Going deeper and deeper and deeper still.
This type of grounding provides for you a strong connection to the earth and anchors you through the meditation.
Moving your awareness to the top of your head,
Your crown,
Visualize being on top of a mountain where you are far away from any earthly cares.
Bathe your crown in soft violet light,
Experiencing a feeling of space and boundlessness,
Peace,
Thoughtful harmony and focus.
As you continue to let go and become fully relaxed,
Don't worry about the thoughts that enter your mind.
Just acknowledge them and refocus on your breathing.
Listen to my voice as I guide you to a time when you were a child,
Around eight or nine.
Imagine yourself walking up to a local park.
There is a big blue swing set in the middle.
You can see other kids playing on the swing set.
As you look,
You notice another kid swinging back and forth,
Back and forth,
Smiling,
Laughing.
Take a deep breath and approach the wire fence that surrounds the playground.
As you approach the fence,
You unlock the gate and enter the playground.
Take a moment to feel the excitement running through your body,
The chills going up and down your spine,
Hairs standing on your arms,
Almost as if you want to run,
But don't.
Stand there for a moment and just look around.
What do you see?
You notice the child on the swing set,
Other kids playing on the seesaw,
Rocking back and forth on a spring horse.
You notice a jungle gym with two kids hanging from rings,
And you notice an empty swing and start to walk towards it.
As you approach the swing,
You climb on the seat and grasp the thick chains.
Feel the coldness of the chains against your hands.
Feel the coolness running through your body.
Now you take a deep breath and lay back and bring yourself forward.
You are swinging.
Your smile and laughter now matches the smile and laughter of the child next to you as you both enjoy swinging and trying to go higher than the other.
Yet both of you are going at the same speed and neither one is going higher or faster,
But together in unison.
For whatever reason,
You both are okay that no one is winning.
You are just having fun.
Take a moment to breathe in unison with the motion of the swing.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Living in a world where masculinity is toxic precludes a world in which individuals live from a place of internal joy,
A place where peace and compassion of oneself reside.
When we learn to tame our ego,
We become more masculine by revealing our internal character,
Which solidifies our existence in the world.
Learning to tame and heal the ego will lead us to a life where we value compassion,
Empathy,
Equality,
And respect.
Living a life as a man does not mean we must live a toxic life.
Living life as a man says that we are accountable for our actions,
Feelings,
And our thoughts.
I challenge you to think about the person not whom you appear to be,
But the one you indeed are.
The child on the swing,
Not competing with the other child,
But enjoying each other's company and just having fun.
Understanding who you are internally is where change happens,
And this is where we tame our ego and live a life of social wisdom,
Which gives us the ability to promote peace,
Compassion,
And challenges other men to do the same.
Let's bring the focus back to the swing set and enjoying some fun with a new friend.
Give this friend a name.
When you are ready,
Begin to slow down the swing until you are completely stopped.
Say bye to your friend and begin to walk toward the gate.
As you approach the gate,
Open it and leave the park behind.
You now have created a place where you can go when you need to feel equal and live as you truly are internally.
Shift your focus to the top of your head,
Your crown,
And feel the warmth going through your body.
Take a nice deep breath and hold it slightly at the top and exhale.
Take another deep breath and this time when you exhale,
Capture the warmth and the soft violet light that you received in the beginning of the meditation.
Be aware of how your body is feeling and take a moment to smile.
Now with focus and intention,
Direct the energy,
The feeling you received from this meditation,
To your stomach and let it be stored there.
You can access it whenever you need it.
Now focus your attention to the bottom of your feet and release the grounding.
Feel the roots releasing their grip from the earth.
Before you end this meditation,
Allow yourself to rest here for a moment,
Welcoming in all the positive energy balanced through compassion.
You are a beautiful human being.
