In this meditation,
I hope to guide you to a place of being able to recognize and release your worry.
When I was a little girl on family vacation,
I would spend hours standing in the warm waves of the Gulf of Mexico.
Just before each wave arrived,
I would jump,
Allowing my feet to flutter and my body to be carried gently up and back down.
I can still remember the sensation of going to sleep on those nights as I relived the pleasant feeling of being carried up and down by one wave at a time.
There was no fear,
Just presence and joy.
As I grew older,
Taller,
More aware,
My life began to resemble that vast ocean in a different way.
The waves I had once enjoyed so much became distractions,
Annoyances.
They kept me from focusing on the bigger waves that were rising further out.
As an adult,
I felt I needed to focus on those.
Learn for those,
Prepare for those.
Maybe you can relate.
Can you see now the dichotomy between the child allowing and enjoying the presence of each wave one at a time compared to the adult with eyes focused on future waves,
Overcome with worry,
Frustrated by the crash of the waves that are hitting right now?
And here's the real truth,
We think we know what those big,
Far away waves will bring,
But we don't.
We can't.
Anything could happen before they arrive in the shallows with us.
The sea will simply crash and return to the sea.
I would like to guide you now to release your worry about those far off waves.
Let's settle in.
Make sure you're seated in a comfortable position or lying down,
Hands gently resting on your knees,
Your waist or the ground beside you.
Take a moment to anchor yourself in your breath,
Breathing slowly,
Deeply,
Naturally,
In and out of your nose.
Picture yourself in this ocean of life,
Standing in waist high water.
Look out into the vast sea and spot the waves that you're worried about.
Maybe they represent career,
Finances,
Relationships.
What are they?
Name them.
Keep your breath slow and even as you allow yourself to listen to your fear around each of those far off waves.
And now,
Remind your fear of the truth.
Simply say aloud or in your head,
I don't know,
I can't know,
But I am strong enough to handle each wave that comes to me.
Now visualize this inner strength as a warm,
Golden light in your center just above your diaphragm,
The solar plexus.
This is where the stress response lives and our self-confidence flows from.
With each in-breath,
Allow this healing light in.
And with each out-breath,
Let it expand and brighten.
Let this golden light expand until it fills your entire being.
And with each out-breath,
Let it expand and brighten.
And now that you're glowing with strength,
Let's look at today.
What is today's wave?
Name it.
And now imagine yourself meeting today's wave with presence and playfulness.
And just sit in this space for a moment with a little smile on your face.
In this space,
You are open to possibilities,
Cheerfully greeting and interacting with all that life brings you.
What was annoying becomes beautiful.
What felt like a distraction becomes the most important thing you could do.
Fear lives in the focus on the outer waves.
Fear doesn't live here.
And so,
When you find yourself full of worry or fear,
All you ever have to do is shift your attention from the far-off waves to today's wave.
And remember,
You are always strong enough for today.
