Hi and welcome to this daily dose of recognizing your needs.
Tuning into and honoring your true needs is a foundational skill for cultivating happiness,
Allowing you to nurture yourself and live with greater balance and fulfillment.
Start by sitting upright,
Symmetrically and comfortably.
Close your mouth so that you're breathing through your nose and close your eyes as you slowly let your attention turn inwards.
Make sure that the front of your body is open so as to receive the full range of your breath.
And once you're comfortably seated,
Become entirely still.
The only thing that is moving is the air coming in and out of your nostrils.
Now notice what is happening in your experience of this moment.
The different sounds around you.
The sensations of your chair or cushion beneath you.
And if you feel a particular mood today,
Notice how it manifests in your body.
Turn your attention to the sensations of your breath and notice how your body is breathing by itself,
Without you having to do anything but to observe this rising and falling movement.
If at any point during this meditation you're distracted by thoughts,
Sounds or sensations,
It's perfectly normal and it's okay.
When you notice these thoughts,
Simply bring your attention back to your breathing.
That is to say to the sensations coming in and out of your nostrils or to the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen.
Follow your breath from the very beginning of your inhale to the very end of your exhale.
And now,
Simply by observing your breathing,
Allow it to slow down so that the flow of air becomes thinner and thinner,
As if your breath was following the rhythm of very small waves on a quiet beach.
When you follow your breath with your full attention,
It's as if you were diving in the depths of your inner ocean.
You can watch the waves of your thoughts and emotions from an area of calm and serenity.
If you get caught by one of those waves,
It's all right.
Simply bring your attention back to your breath.
I'm now going to list 20 different needs presented in pairs.
Pay attention to the way the words resonate in your body and see if one or more needs are present in you right now.
Protection and safety.
Rest and hunger.
Affection and comfort.
Inner listening and empathy.
Integrity and assertiveness.
Acceptance and peace.
Movement and play.
Lightness and creativity.
Connection and belonging.
Meaning and presence.
Now focus on one of the needs that resonated with how you are currently feeling and notice how that need is manifesting in your body.
Allow this need to take space within you and be curious about it,
As if you were listening to a toddler trying to ask you something.
Imagine one thing you could do to help satisfy this need on your own.
Now visualize yourself talking about this need to someone who might help you satisfy it,
Perhaps simply by listening to you.
And visualize yourself satisfying that need.
Here and now,
With every inhale,
Bring to your body the feeling of having satisfied a need that was present for you.
We're now going to practice five affirmations to help you recognize and communicate your needs and thus increase your ability to take care of them.
Allow the words contained in these affirmations to resonate within you while remaining focused on the needs that are present in you.
Focus on the sensation of the cold air entering and the warm air coming out of your nostrils.
First affirmation.
I listen to my body to recognize my needs.
Second affirmation.
I give myself what I need.
Third affirmation.
I bring awareness to how I nourish myself mentally,
Physically,
And energetically.
Fourth affirmation.
I allow myself to ask others for what I want.
Fifth affirmation.
Every day I give love to my body through good nutrition,
Sleep,
And exercise.
Before ending this meditation,
Once again observe your current mood and observe how you feel when you're connected to the present moment.
And you can now slowly come back to the space around you by noticing the surrounding sounds,
The weight of your body on your seat or cushion,
And when you're ready you can slowly open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed today's daily dose of recognizing your needs.
Feel free to return to this as many times as you want to help you hone this skill.
Have a great day,
And I'll see you tomorrow for another daily dose.
