Just Being Meditation

Recorded in nature during an Insight Live, this meditation is supported by a choir of birds to help you ground yourself at the moment and... just be. Doing this practice will support inner peace, self-compassion, and self-acceptance. Thank you for being here. You are welcome. You are enough. You are whole.
This track was recorded outdoors and contains ambient sounds

Transcript

The theme of the meditation today is just being.

I am going through a phase in my life at the moment where just being is incredibly helpful.

It's always helpful but I've noticed how much just being in the moment,

Being with myself,

Being with whatever is coming up,

Is such a gift.

Not getting swept away or not drowning myself in ego patterns,

In mind patterns,

Thoughts,

All of that.

It's a relationship breakup which is why I'm here also.

This is my refuge on my campsite that I'm permanently residing at the moment.

Just being is such a gift for all of us and being able to tap into just living the moment,

Just being curious,

Exploring whatever is present and whatever constructs we put around it.

So let's go ahead and make ourselves comfortable.

We'll get right into the meditation.

It'll be about 20 minutes I think and seeing if you want to close your eyes,

If it's possible or comfortable for you and allowing yourself really,

Giving yourself this gift of settling in,

Whether it's in a seated posture or whether it's lying down or maybe you're engaged in some sort of activity.

The beauty of mindfulness that I practice and teach is that you can do it virtually anytime,

Anywhere,

Anyplace.

And just being,

I mean,

We don't really have to do anything for it,

Right?

It's more of an undoing.

So let's do that.

Let's undo whatever it is that we were doing right before this moment.

An undoing is for some part it's a physical activity and for a large part it's a mental activity.

We can't undo the body and its automatic,

Automated processes.

The nervous system is active.

The breath is breathing itself.

Blood is circulating.

The heart is pumping to circulate it.

And we also can't really undo whatever is happening around us.

You might notice there is an airplane crossing over.

The birds are still very much in their doing mode.

If you could call it doing,

The singing and the being that they do.

It's undoing us,

Undoing yourself.

Disentangling the mind in a way.

And then letting go of the doing,

Settling into the body more and more with each breath.

Let's scan through the body slowly to strengthen the connection that we have with this beautiful body of ours.

This beautiful physical body.

Maybe starting with the head.

Are you noticing any sensations?

Is there a melting,

A softening that can happen across the face?

Letting the eyes rest and relax.

Floating in their sockets,

If you will.

Perhaps bringing the hint of a smile on the mouth,

Curling your lips slightly.

I was so surprised when I first heard that bringing a slight smile to the face is actually more relaxing to the muscles than not smiling.

Scanning the throat area.

Is there any tension or tightness in the throat of words left unspoken perhaps?

Or sadness?

Or just from bracing yourself against the world and its triggers?

Checking in on the shoulders.

Thinking if you can relax the shoulders even a tiny bit more.

Melting as if the sun is shining on your shoulders and they're melting from ice to water.

Or even into gas.

Scanning the chest,

Resting your attention on the heart area.

How is the heart doing?

What are you noticing?

Are you noticing its steady beat?

The aliveness.

Is warmth radiating out?

And scanning further down the back.

Relaxing the spine.

Letting the belly be soft and open.

Seeing the pelvic area,

The hips opening here as well.

Noticing if there's any bracing,

Any tension being held,

Any tightness.

Perhaps breathing into it.

Letting any tension dissolve in the outbreath.

Taking contact with your seat,

Your sit bones,

Your bum.

The connection with the surface you're sitting in on or lying on perhaps.

And seeing perhaps if you can let yourself be carried a tiny bit more.

Surrendering yourself to the moment.

Surrendering yourself to whatever is holding you.

And scanning further down the legs,

Your strong legs.

And the feet.

Contact with the floor.

Seeing the feet.

Then opening up to taking in the whole body at once into your field of awareness.

Just being with your body.

And perhaps if it's possible for you bringing deliberately a sense of gratitude into the body.

And maybe there's some difficulty for you,

Maybe you're ill,

You're injured.

Perhaps there's a belief that the body hasn't been giving you what you desire.

Your experience of the body hasn't been as you had wanted it to be.

And that can be there too.

Just being is unconditional.

You include whatever judgment there is,

Whatever emotion,

Whatever desire.

And if it's helpful to support your gratitude,

Your thankfulness,

Perhaps placing one or both hands on your heart.

And seeing if you can connect with the body's strength,

The body's health in whatever way it's manifesting for you,

Or has been manifesting for you.

Perhaps your body has been tense and painful.

And that has been your experience for a short time or longer time.

And in that,

Is there space for even a tiny bit of gratitude?

Perhaps the pain and the injury is teaching you something.

You might not like the lesson,

But we don't really have control over the lessons that were given,

Right?

Or perhaps your body has been hurt by someone else.

Perhaps there's shame or guilt or anger.

Can you be with that experience as well?

Of course,

If that's too overwhelming,

Then please don't hurt yourself more.

And take the opportunity to focus on something that is right.

Perhaps it's the breath,

Perhaps it's the sound of the birds behind me,

Around me.

Just being with however your beautiful body is in this moment.

Beautiful in the midst of everything.

And then letting go the focus on the body and bringing your focus to the gentle waves of the breath,

Somewhere in the body where you can sense the breath most clearly.

And if you need the support of an anchor to focus your attention,

Then perhaps placing one or two hands on your belly and noticing the rising and falling of your hand as you inhale and exhale.

Pressing your attention on each in-breath for its full duration and each out-breath.

Perhaps you're saying 100 company so far I would suggest,

I'm just trying,

Milaughter Just being with the breath.

Letting the breath breathe itself.

This natural rhythm,

The only thing you're adding is your attention.

Kind attention,

If that's possible for you.

Resting with the breath.

No need to go into your doing mode and making your breaths longer.

Breathing more deeply into the belly,

It's not necessary.

Just being with however the breath is manifesting itself in this moment.

And then for the last moments of the meditation,

Zooming out,

Letting go of your attention on the breath and sitting for a few moments in open awareness.

Just being with yourself,

With your experience,

With whatever your attention is being led to from moment to moment.

Perhaps observing that all with a slight smile on the face,

In the heart,

In the belly.

Just being with the breath.

And then from this space,

The space that you're.

.

.

Sitting in or lying in or doing something in.

Maybe expanding some of your heartfelt gratitude and kindness into the world.

Sending a wish into the world,

The world that needs so much to learn to just be.

Be with the people,

To be with themselves,

To be with the moment.

To be with each other.

Even if there seem to be differences on the surface.

Even if we seem to disagree on things that matter to us.

Sending an intention into the world that we are all in this together.

We're not doing this together,

We are in this together.

Letting us just be with that.

Thank you all.

Thank you for joining.

Thank you for spending your valuable time and energy and your beautiful space with me and with us this morning or afternoon or evening or night.

I hope you'll have a blessed rest of the day or a fantastic and luscious and gorgeous sleep.

Reviews

Wonderfull...thank you so much for the meditation... loved the birds. Are they Dutch birds 🐦 ? I was born in the Netherlands but don't recall such beautiful sounds... bless you.xx 🙌