Welcome to the taking the mask off meditation.
Today we'll be exploring all of the ways that you've been in survival mode for so long.
Taking off the mask of survival is your greatest gift in this moment.
It is the key to the life you dream of living.
Putting down the pain of the ancestors.
Putting down the pain of your own life.
And taking a moment to arrive in this moment.
To meet your mask and set it free.
Softly closing your eyes.
And let the breath begin to slow.
Inhaling gently through your nose.
And exhale with ease through your mouth.
And again,
In through the nose,
Filling the belly up through the chest.
And out through the mouth.
Allowing your body to soften.
Your shoulders to drop.
Unclenching your jaw.
And expanding the belly.
This is a space of remembering.
Or returning.
As you breathe,
I invite you to gently bring into awareness all of the roles you've ever worn in your life.
With softness.
With understanding.
With truth.
The strong one.
The achiever.
The peacemaker.
The one who never needed help.
The one who made it all look effortless.
The one who kept it all together.
Maybe you didn't even realize you were wearing them.
Until your body started to ache.
Or your joy started to fade.
Your soul began to whisper,
This isn't really me.
Somewhere along the way of your life,
Your brilliant nervous system decided,
This is how we stay loved.
And this is how we stay safe.
So you performed.
Or you hid.
Or you became exactly what they needed.
Even if it meant abandoning what you needed most.
You can take a breath here.
It's okay to feel the tenderness of that truth.
And now in this safe and sacred space,
I invite you to gently begin releasing these roles.
One by one.
Just like you would take off a heavy coat you've been wearing for far too long.
You don't need to rip them off.
You don't need to resent them.
Instead,
We can thank them.
Because they served you when you needed them.
They were brilliant,
Creative forms of survival.
They brought you the idea of love you were taught that you had to earn.
But you don't have to earn love anymore.
So with every exhale,
Imagine laying down a roll.
And with every inhale,
Opening yourself to inviting your truest self forward.
Not the self you had to become.
The one hiding beneath that.
The one who is still here.
Still whole.
Still worthy of love,
Just as they are.
Place your hand over your heart.
Do you feel that beating in your chest?
Breathe here.
Let this become a moment of homecoming.
A reunion.
A remembering.
Who am I when I'm not trying to be who they need me to be?
Let this question echo gently in your heart.
Not as a demand,
But as an invitation.
And if there's no clear answer yet,
That's okay too.
Sometimes the soul speaks and whispers.
Sometimes in silence.
Because maybe your homecoming is to stop doing and start resting.
Trust the reconnection is already unfolding.
This mask you've been wearing for so long has reached its expiration date.
And just by your awareness alone,
You take a piece of that mask off.
Sometimes the masks we wear merge into our identity.
It may take time and a practice of coming back to this over and over.
Hearing the whispers and the calling of your soul to come back home.
The more you reach for them,
The more they reach back.
Placing your hands over your heart.
Say,
Thank you mask.
For showing up to help me survive.
But I am ready to live and thrive.
What can you share with me in support of this journey?
And listen intently.
You are safe to just be.
Take a final deep breath in.
And exhale.
Exhale.
Releasing any last remnants of performance,
Of pressure,
Of perfection.
You are safe to come home now.
When you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back into your body.
Into the space that you're in.
Wiggling the fingers and the toes.
And when it feels right,
Slowly open your eyes.
Carry this softness with you into the rest of your day.
And remember,
The more you understand your truth,
The more clearly you'll feel when you're living out of alignment.
And the more courage you'll have to return to your soul.
Welcome home.
