Hi,
I'm Karen.
Welcome.
I'm so glad that you've chosen to spend these next few moments with me.
Wherever your life finds you today.
I invite you to arrive just exactly as you are.
You don't need to fix anything.
You don't need to have answers.
You don't need to know what comes next.
Sometimes life feels steady and predictable.
But often it feels as though everything is shifting beneath our feet.
Plans change.
Relationships change.
Circumstances change.
And we find ourselves standing in places that we never expected to be.
Trying to make sense of whatever comes next.
In those moments,
It's quite natural to feel uncertain.
Natural to feel anxious.
And of course,
You want clarity.
Reassurance.
Or control.
But uncertainty is a part of being human.
And while we can't always control what's happening around us.
We can learn to create moments of stillness within ourselves.
I often think about something my sister used to say to me.
When we were raising our young children.
Whenever life felt overwhelming.
She would smile and remind me.
It's a phase.
It'll pass.
And when everything was going wonderfully.
She'd say the exact same thing.
It's a phase.
It'll pass.
And we would laugh.
But there was wisdom in those words.
Everything changes.
The difficult moments.
The beautiful moments.
The moments of struggle.
And the moments of ease.
Nothing stays exactly the same.
So today,
Rather than trying to solve uncertainty,
Let's just try to make space for it.
Let's step out of the noise for a little while.
And will practice being still.
Not because stillness gives us answers.
But because stillness helps us to remember that even when life feels uncertain,
Were capable of meeting this moment.
And for now.
.
.
That's enough.
This is a great time to simply come to sit in stillness.
Yes.
Stillness.
Stillness without direction or answer.
Stillness to experience whatever might come up.
By choosing to be still rather than to react.
We're making space to simply notice what's there.
And so,
If this topic speaks to you.
Maybe find a place that's a little bit removed from all the chaos.
And for this meditation.
You'll probably be seated because it's not a terribly long meditation.
But if you'd rather lay down,
That's okay too.
So whether you're seated on the floor.
Maybe resting on a cushion.
Or in a chair.
Or lying on a bed.
If you're in a chair or sitting on the floor.
Arrange yourself so that your hips are just a little higher than your knees.
This just helps for the breath to move more easily.
And if you're in a chair,
Rest your feet flat on the floor with your knees uncrossed.
If you're comfortable with having your eyes closed,
You can close them.
And if not,
That's okay too.
Just keep your eyes with a softened focus and a slightly downward turned gaze.
Let's begin by checking in.
Notice the quality of your thoughts.
In times of uncertainty.
Thoughts might be running pretty quickly.
Out of control.
But see if you can rest a light focus there.
Not allowing one thought or another to hold too much of your attention.
Instead.
Allowing the thoughts to move in and out of focus.
And if you notice that the mind is resting too hard or too long on one singular thought,
See if you can gently invite your focus,
Your attention.
To notice your breath.
It's just an invitation to step away from those thoughts.
Now notice what's there emotionally.
Often,
In a state of uncertainty,
We default to anxiousness,
Resting in fear.
But even a low level of fear is a pretty chaotic space in which to live.
And that's really hard for your body.
See if you can notice any sensations that might be present in your body.
There might be places that feel tight or tense.
Spaces where you're tucking your anxiety.
Perhaps into your hips.
Clenching your belly.
Lifting your shoulders up toward your ears.
Or tension in your jaw.
Perhaps you even feel a tightness in your skull cap.
Simply notice what's there.
And now.
Gently invite your attention.
To rest on your breath.
Feeling it coming.
And going.
There's no need to lengthen it or deepen it.
Not trying to change or alter it.
Instead just becoming aware of its changing nature.
The body has a great capacity.
To do what it does.
Whether you're paying attention or not.
And this is a wonderful opportunity.
To simply watch the infinite wisdom of the body.
Notice how easily the breath moves.
How the breath can change.
How the breath sounds in your throat.
Or your head.
As you bring awareness to the sounds within you.
Perhaps you become aware of sounds around you.
Not looking for sounds.
But as they come,
Allowing them to move through you.
Just as you do your breath.
In this moment.
Bringing yourself.
To stillness.
And it might feel as though you're stepping out of the universal timescape of chaos and flux.
Just to allow yourself to breathe.
To simply breathe.
Well before the brain can cognize that an emotion is beginning to move through and wreak havoc on the body.
The body is in its own experience of shifting.
Tightening.
Breathing.
Adapting and when stimuli moves in.
Weather through site.
Sound.
Touch Smell.
The body is going to respond by releasing hormones.
And it will change the nervous system depending on what the stimuli can be.
And in those times of uncertainty.
We often find ourselves shifting into the sympathetic nervous system.
But rather than letting yourself respond to those momentary images,
Words.
Thoughts.
Or sounds that might trigger you into an emotional reaction.
Simply look at them as passing states.
Notice the sensations changing in the body.
Watching them rise and fall.
Allowing them to come and go.
Just like your breath.
And returning your attention once again to lightly rest with your breath.
If you notice that your mind has wandered,
Come back.
Simply come back.
We're not trying to solve anything right now.
Not looking for a solution.
We're just making time.
And to know.
That in this moment of uncertainty,
In this stillness.
That you're alright.
Notice the sensation of being supported by the chair.
Or the floor.
Imagine that wherever you're sitting,
You're like a beautiful,
Tall oak tree.
With roots reaching down deep into the earth,
The dark earth.
And your roots anchor you safely there.
Again,
Notice that you are alright.
And allow your attention once again.
To shift back to your breath.
Imagine your breath like a blanket.
Wrapping itself around you.
Protecting you.
Knowing that within you,
You have all that you need.
We can't know what the future holds.
And this can create very anxious thoughts and emotions in the body and mind.
But know that we are always in a state of becoming.
Trust,
Trust that you are supported by the universe.
Just as you're supported by the Earth beneath you right now.
Can you again visualize your roots?
Holding tight into the earth.
And now wrap yourself in your breath.
Allow yourself to breathe in love.
And to breathe out love.
To breathe in hope.
To breathe out hope.
We can't know what our future holds.
And the best that we can do is to lay out as many conditions as possible.
For good fortune and positive outcomes.
But even when things don't unfold the way that we hoped,
We have the capacity to meet what comes.
Of course you're allowed to be frightened or anxious.
Angry or sad.
You're allowed to any and all of these emotions.
But you're also allowed to sit.
And stillness.
And to pause.
To remind yourself that this moment too will pass.
And in this moment,
You have what you need.
And when you're ready.
You're going to begin to re-presence yourself back into this space of now.
Know that this tool can travel with you.
And in those moments of overwhelm.
You can search for that stillness within.
Allowing your breath to wrap itself around you.
To nourish you.
To sit or stand in stillness.
Allowing your roots.
To dig deep into the earth beneath you.
To hold you safe.
To remind you that you are enough.
I hope that this practice leaves you feeling a little more grounded.
A little more supported.
A little more trusting of your ability to meet whatever comes next.
So much love.
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