Keep Calm And Carry On

As we head into a new virtual school year, this meditation focuses on helping us all stop, let go and accept things the way they are right now in this moment. Surrendering to what’s happening doesn’t mean we are giving up, it means we are accepting where things are so we can move forward. I hope this practice helps all of us see that by accepting, we can find a way to keep calm and carry on.

Transcript

Hi everyone,

I'd like to remind you that everyone can meditate.

Don't believe all the stories your mind tells you.

The kids are going back to school and as a working mom,

I want to just take a moment and say,

Oh my God,

This is still going on?

Yes.

Yes,

It is.

I have a dear friend that posted about how I think many of us are feeling.

Education pod or no pod,

Homeschooling,

Braving an aftercare program.

This can all feel overwhelming.

For me,

My anxiety takes on a life of its own.

Once that loop in my head starts,

It's really hard to turn it off.

You know the one I'm talking about,

The one that plays every conversation back to you that you had about something.

So what do I do when I get overwhelmed and into one of these loops?

I stop.

Have the courage,

My loves.

Have the courage to just stop.

Stop all of it.

The spinning,

The chaos,

The incessant voice.

Then I let go of something.

Think of something you can let go of right now.

Today it's the laundry.

I'm letting go of getting that done.

And then I accept.

I accept where things are.

Accept where you are in this moment.

Unless we stop,

Let go,

And accept,

We can get caught in a never-ending cycle of relentless suffering.

Buddha is very big on how we cause our own suffering.

We fight and push up against anything that doesn't feel just right.

We want to find our way out of whatever bad feeling we're feeling,

Which is why some of us turn to wine or working out or handicure face masks or whatever the latest thing is that will get us out of this suffering.

We do all of this to avoid the one thing that will end the suffering.

Surrender.

Because at some point in our lives,

Someone told us the story that to surrender means you give up.

And it does a little.

But the whole idea of stopping,

Letting go,

And accepting,

All of that is this process of surrender.

Surrender can be so incredibly sweet.

It can lead to opening up our hearts,

Our minds,

Our spirits.

Surrender embodies the sentiment of keep calm and carry on.

And for me,

That simply can't happen without surrender.

So once you have yourself in a comfy position,

I want you to lightly close your eyes.

I'll give you a minute to get comfortable.

Get that little half smile of the Buddha on your face.

And as I've said,

I like to lie down,

But get into whatever position is comfortable for you.

I invite you to come here as the most authentic version of yourself.

Leave all your preconceived notions of meditation aside.

Just be here,

Present in this moment with me.

First,

I want you to create your own grounding cord.

Think of whatever bright color feels right for you.

You don't have to see it.

You can feel it or you can hear it.

The point is to imagine a cord of light.

Imagine it running from the base of your body into the center of the planet.

Literally imagine a cord of light running from you into the earth,

Miles and miles down.

Anchor it into the planet.

Acknowledge the gravity pulling on you and your body.

Set your grounding cord on release so that your energy is going into the center of the planet and getting neutralized.

This is also a time that you can let go of any energy that isn't yours.

You can picture dark colors leaving.

Stressful energies are being released.

Take a breath.

Any worries you have,

Let them go down through your grounding cord.

So here you are with your eyes closed in a comfy position.

Now let's get into the center of your head.

This is your control tower.

You're safe here in the center of your head.

Let it be very easy for you to see yourself there.

It's behind your eyes,

Just a few inches back.

There's really no thinking that goes on in that part of your head.

I personally see a purple light in the center of my head,

But some people envision a chair where you can sit in the center of your head and be in control of your body and your life.

Just breathe into that space.

There's no right way to experience this,

But there is a sense of calmness there.

Now say hello to yourself there.

This is a neutral space that is calm and expansive.

Now remember,

The point isn't to completely clear your head of thought.

It's to focus on the center of your head.

I want you to see yourself as being inside your body,

Accepting that we're here in this moment,

Experiencing this together.

Surrender to this moment with me.

Surrender doesn't have to be a dirty word.

Sometimes when we're feeling overwhelmed,

Like right now for some of you with the kids going back to virtual school,

We want to push away all feelings of discomfort,

Fear,

All of it.

Because feeling those feelings and accepting that reality is too much.

We think we might break.

We think we can't handle it.

I want you to know that they are not too much.

How you're feeling is just the right amount.

Whatever you're having a hard time accepting right now is not too much.

Rest in acceptance that your emotions are not too much.

I'm giving you all permission to feel how you're feeling and accept that you are okay in that feeling.

Are you feeling anxiety?

Just feel that.

Let that sink in.

Maybe it's anger,

But this is still where we are.

Then feel that.

Maybe it's fear.

Will they fall behind?

Will I be able to do this?

So many questions are floating around in our heads.

Now I want you to pick one thing that you're struggling to accept.

It can be feedback from a client or friend that was unsettling.

It could be something like the homeschooling.

See what comes up for you.

What we resist tends to persist,

So that's why I want you to focus on something you're having a hard time accepting.

Now sit in what you're struggling to accept.

Rest here a moment in the awareness of how things actually are for you.

Will the client's words mean anything in five days?

Does it really matter if my six-year-old twins fall behind a tiny bit in first grade?

Look at the facts.

Are your kids safe?

Are you safe?

Let's all take a moment to breathe here.

Just let that all go for a second,

That weight you're carrying.

Rest in acceptance that the universe is doing exactly what it's meant to be doing for you and for all of us in this moment.

Now I'm not suggesting you can't be upset.

We can live in gratitude and still be angry at the same time.

They're both valid emotions.

I'm merely reminding us all that before we can move forward,

We have to accept things the way they actually are.

First we accept,

We surrender,

And then we can do something about it.

When we sit in acceptance,

We can stop shoulding ourselves.

I should do this or I should have done that.

I invite you to stop judging yourself for the shoulds or the coulds or the woulds and accept the situation as it stands right now in this moment.

And to help you do that,

Sometimes we need to go inward and remind ourselves.

Maybe there's something you need to say to yourself that you haven't had the strength to say.

I want to give you the space to say that to yourself right now and accept that this,

This moment is enough.

Just saying it to yourself is enough.

When we accept the way things are,

We can let go of what we imagined they were supposed to be and we can see the beauty of this current moment.

When we accept ourselves and our surroundings for who and what they are,

That's when we can see that surrendering is also freedom.

I want you to be gentle with yourself as you sit with what you're trying to accept.

It might not come through as a acceptance in just one meditation.

The idea is to see that you can accept it,

Even if it's just a piece of it.

It's more that you're willing to accept it,

Even if you can't fully do it in this moment.

The more you're willing to accept,

The more that overwhelming feeling will release as we hold on to things that we don't accept.

Accept that what you're bringing each day is the best you can do.

Many of you are working and homeschooling during a pandemic.

Accept that you may not be as productive.

Accept that you may not be as patient as you would like to be.

Accept that you don't have all the answers.

No one does.

My new mantra right now is there's no shame in my game.

So much of my own suffering is a result of me feeling ashamed of this or that or the other thing.

There's no shame in your game either,

Guys.

None.

You're just doing the best you can.

And for me,

That is more than enough.

That is everything.

Now I want to call all that glorious energy back to you that we sent down your grounding cord.

So imagine a golden sun or a ball of light on the top of your head.

Let it grow bigger.

Let it call back your life force,

Your spirit.

Let it gather up your energy wherever you left it.

Watch that golden sun change and grow larger as you do this.

Notice where your attention has been.

Notice where your energy comes back from.

See those bright colors and energy returning to you into this golden sun.

See self-care and validation coming back to you.

When the golden sun is full,

Allow it to come into the top of your head and fill your entire body,

Your cells,

Everything with this beautiful neutral gold energy,

Like solid gold up in there.

Take your time.

This is for you.

Let some of the golden sun go into your aura and your grounding so you're in the center of a golden ball of your own light.

Take a really good breath and release and let yourself be replenished with all this light.

Honor yourself for taking the time to be here with me today.

Now you can bend your head over like you're going to touch your toes or dump off the excess energy.

Stretch out and slowly open your eyes.

As a reminder,

Meditation is just another tool like exercise.

Insides matching outsides.

Thank you for being here with me today.

My light will forever see your light.

And as always,

Don't forget to hydrate.