Welcome to our meditation today focused on resilience and growth through our experiences.
Some experiences in life may knock the wind from our sails and slow us down.
However,
Each of us has the capacity to adapt,
Come back stronger and more resilient to withstand future stormy experiences that life may offer.
Let's get started with our meditation.
Go ahead and get into a comfortable position,
Sitting with your spine erect and hips slightly higher than your knees or lying down.
Any position is fine as long as your body remains comfortable and your mind remains alert.
Close your eyes or dim your eyesight.
Cross your arms and gently hug your midsection so that your fingers are gently straddling the sides of your ribcage.
Breathe in and out through your nose at your normal pace.
Feel the sensations of your fingers touching the sides of your ribs.
Notice the temperature of your hands.
The gentle pressure of your forearms and hands on your midsection.
Notice the expansion and contraction of your ribs as you breathe in and out.
Now breathe a little deeper and a little slower.
With each breath and expansion of your ribs,
Notice how you become more relaxed.
Keep practicing this breathing technique for a few moments to relax and calm your body and your mind.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and return your arms by your side,
Resting your hands by your side or in your lap,
With the tips of your thumbs and first fingers gently touching.
This will help keep you grounded in each moment.
Let's set our intention for this meditation.
You're invited to repeat it with me three times if you'd like.
I'm blessed with resilience,
Putting wind back in my sails and coming back stronger than ever.
I'm blessed with resilience,
Putting wind back in my sails and coming back stronger than ever.
I'm blessed with resilience,
Putting wind back in my sails and coming back stronger than ever.
Continue breathing in and out through your nose at a pace that's comfortable for you,
Focusing on the air as it passes your nostrils,
On each inhale and exhale.
Feel the sensations of your body as it rests on the surface beneath you.
Feel the tops and bottoms of your feet,
Ankles and legs,
Hips and pelvis,
Low back,
Mid-back and ribs,
Upper back and shoulder blades,
Fingers,
Hands,
Arms and shoulders,
Your neck and shoulders releasing tension,
Face and head.
Take a breath in from the top of your head all the way down to the tip of your spine.
Exhale from the bottom of your spine up and out the top of your head.
One more breath in from the top of your head all the way down to the tip of your spine.
Exhaling from the bottom of your spine up and out the top of your head,
Releasing tension and going deeper into relaxation of body and mind.
Focus on the area between your eyes,
Your mind's eye,
As you breathe in and out.
In your mind's eye,
Picture yourself in a place where you feel unshakable and confident.
Nothing can stand in your way.
Use your senses to place yourself here in the present moment.
Notice what you see,
What you hear,
What you smell.
Notice how this feeling of being unshakable and confident feels in your body.
Here in your body,
Does this feeling reside?
Focus on this feeling of unshakable determination and strength.
Breathe into these areas of your body.
Into these sensations so you can recall them when you need to.
Now,
Become a distant observer.
Picture yourself in a place and a time where you felt let down and upset or angry.
Simply being a witness and a distant observer without attaching to this moment.
Notice the sensations that you've felt in this time and place.
Where in your body do you feel it?
Where does anger,
Upsetedness,
And the feeling of being let down reside in your body?
Breathe light into these areas so that you may learn what these sensations mean.
In your mind's eye,
Envision yourself holding the sensations of unshakable strength,
Confidence,
And determination in one of your hands without attaching to it.
Now,
Envision yourself holding the sensations of upsetedness,
Feeling let down,
And anger in the opposite hand without attaching to it.
Now hold awareness of both sets of emotions and sensations at the same time without attachment to either of them.
You're simply the witness of these emotions and sensations,
Holding awareness in both of your hands.
By practicing holding awareness of these opposite sensations and emotions,
You're practicing the ability to be awareness of thoughts and emotions and sensations without attachment or judgment.
The more you practice this,
The less your thoughts,
Emotions,
Fears,
And anxieties will have a hold on you.
They will have less and less power over your life and allow you to come back stronger and more resilient than ever before.
You're putting the wind back in your sails.
Go back to the sensations of your unshakable strength,
Confidence,
And determination.
Those sensations you imprinted in your mind in case you need to recall them.
Breathe into these areas and exhale out from your heart center,
Sending these positive sensations out to the world around you.
Keep breathing into these areas of your body that facilitate a feeling of unshakable strength,
Confidence,
And determination,
And exhaling these sensations from your heart center out to the world around you.
I'll give you a few moments.
Come back to your normal breathing pattern,
Noticing the positive,
Uplifting energy of the space within and all around you.
You have used your breath and sensations to put wind back in your sails.
Feel your body as you rest on the surface beneath you,
Your bottom,
Your back,
Neck,
And shoulders,
Like a weight has been lifted and replaced by a light wind to keep you growing in strength,
Perseverance,
And confidence.
Going forward today,
Remember this.
When you have moments of fear,
Anger,
Anxiety,
Use your sense of recall to bring back the sensations in your body that you feel when you're at your strongest,
Most unshakable,
Confident self.
If you're unable to recall these sensations,
Picture yourself holding the words of unshakable strength,
Determination,
And confidence in one of your hands.
Focus on that and breathe into it,
And exhale it from your heart center out to the world around you,
Using your breath and your energy to lift your sails.
You are resilient.
You have wind in your sails,
And you can bounce back.
In a moment,
I'll count down from five to one,
And our meditation will be over.
Make sure to take time and ground yourself into the present moment by using all of your senses,
Sight,
Sound,
Smell,
And touch.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Our meditation is now over.
Go out into the world with your sails flying high.
I'll see you next time.
