Hi,
I'm Kelly Mackin.
This meditation today has special significance to me.
I'm a certified meditation teacher through Unplugged Meditation,
Which is the world's first secular drop-in meditation studio.
The last thing I did as part of my teacher training was lead a meditation at the Unplugged Meditation Studio,
And this is the meditation I taught.
It's about connecting to the silence and stillness that already rests within us,
Which allows us to connect with the truest form of ourselves.
Get in a comfortable,
Relaxed position.
Gently close your eyes and let's go inward.
Take a long,
Slow inhale through the nose for 10 seconds.
And exhale all that still air out for 10 seconds,
Bending forward until all of that air is out of your body.
Again,
Take a long,
Slow inhale fully for 10 seconds,
Expanding your rib cage.
And exhale,
Push all of that air out for 10 seconds.
And turn back to the natural rise and fall of your breathing,
Arriving fully into this moment,
Letting the past melt away,
Letting the future melt away.
Bring home into yourself as you feel your breath flowing in and flowing out.
We go to great lengths to define who we are,
To create an identity that gives us comfort,
To want to do more and be more and have more to feel like we are more.
It's easy to become disconnected from who we really are at our core.
We define our identity with our job titles,
Personality traits,
Beliefs,
Relationships,
The things we have,
And even our wounds.
We can cling to these things and lose ourselves underneath the layers we pile on.
We're going to peel back some of those layers together.
I'm going to ask you to think of specific things that you use to define yourself as part of your identity.
They aren't good or bad,
They just are.
Just go with whatever first comes to mind.
I want you to think about one title you use to describe who you are.
First one could be a job title,
Your role as a parent or friend.
Now silently on the inhale,
Say to yourself,
Let go and deeply exhale whatever the title was.
Again,
Silently inhale,
Let go and exhale that title.
With each of these exhales,
Allow yourself to feel more at peace,
Further immersed within yourself.
Think about a belief that's part of your identity.
One belief.
Inhale let go and exhale that belief.
Think about one relationship that you use to define yourself.
Inhale let go and exhale that relationship.
Lastly,
Think about a wound,
A wound that you use to define yourself.
Inhale let go and exhale that wound.
Feel the lightness in your body now that you've shed some of those layers that we're always carrying around as you breathe in and out.
Let your mind become increasingly steady and quiet.
We're going to use our breath to anchor ourselves into the silence and stillness of this moment.
When thoughts or sensations trickle in,
That's okay.
Just come back to your anchor,
To the breath.
We're always breathing.
Right now we're just witnessing it.
I'll watch the time and guide you out when it's time.
Thank you.
My meditation teacher,
David G.
,
Said that at our core there is a silence and stillness.
That is who we truly are when you peel away the titles,
The ego,
The thoughts,
The beliefs,
The intellect.
That once you get really naked,
You will see that who you are has nothing to do with all that you have given meaning to.
Meditation allows us to turn our attention inward,
To access the silence and stillness that is already within us so we can connect with our deepest,
Truest selves underneath all of our layers.
If we want to make the greatest impact we are capable of in the world,
It begins with connecting to the silence and stillness within us,
And it ripples from us into our lives and the lives of others.
Any time you feel disconnected,
You can come back here.
You can use your breath to come back home.
Begin to arrive back into the room,
Getting some light movement in your body,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for going inward and meditating with me today.
