Hello and welcome to this internal family systems meditation,
Designed to help you access and rest in the restorative,
Unwavering warmth and compassion of self-energy.
Some people call this our soul,
Or essence,
Or buddha nature.
Internal family systems uses the term self,
And what self refers to is the sacred place within each of us that is wise and loving,
That does not judge,
And that holds us safely through all of life's twists and turns.
Self is the heart of our being,
Which is always there for us,
But which we sometimes forget about in times of struggle.
The practice of returning home to our true nature helps us to find clarity,
Peace,
And belonging in our bodies even when the world around us feels uncertain.
While this is a powerful tool to use when we are experiencing big emotions,
I invite you to practice it on a regular basis,
During the times when you aren't feeling particularly stirred.
The more familiar we are with the feeling of self-energy and how to access it when we're calm,
The more readily we can summon it when we are not.
The beautiful imagery in this meditation is being used with permission from a talk and meditation called Accessing Healing Self-Energy by my fellow Insight Timer teacher Dan Roberts.
I invite you to visit and follow his page here on the app for calming and insightful mindfulness and internal family systems talks and meditations.
And I also extend my sincere gratitude to Dan for his gracious agreement to share his work.
Now let's get started.
Taking a moment to ground into the present,
Closing the eyes or softening your gaze,
Inviting your thoughts to rest for now.
You could even speak directly to them,
Letting them know that you appreciate their input and that you will get back to them very soon.
But in this very moment,
You are taking a short break.
There's nothing for you to do,
No one who needs your attention right now,
Nothing to keep track of,
No plans to make.
Becoming aware of your body,
Gently breathing,
Following the breath for a few cycles.
The stream of cool air on the in-breath and warm air on the out-breath.
Gently in,
Gently out.
Then sensing into your feet and legs,
The support of the surface beneath you.
And noticing the softness of your torso.
The way your belly and ribs expand and fall with the breath.
Checking in with the shoulders and the neck,
Inviting any tension that's present to loosen,
To soften.
Softening the face,
Paying special attention to the brow and the tiny muscles around the eyes,
Relaxing the jaw,
And maybe slightly parting the lips,
Allowing the face to be still and expressionless.
Imagining now that you're standing on the top of a hill on a cloudy spring day.
Looking out through your eyes at the scene all around you,
See the green hills and valleys stretching out into the hazy distance.
Look down at your feet and take in the rocks and grass and tiny flowers growing where you stand.
Then turn your gaze up to the sky,
Which on this cloudy spring day is completely covered from horizon to horizon in thick gray clouds.
As you look up at the blanket of clouds overhead,
Even though your rational brain knows the sun is up there behind all that gray,
On some level it feels hard to believe.
There's a difference between the scientific knowledge that the sun is always there,
Whether we can see it or not,
And a more in-your-bones belief,
Knowing that the sun is still there and will appear again even if you can't see or sense it right now.
Self is the same as the sun behind the clouds.
It is our powerful inner resource that's always there in some form,
In calm and in turmoil.
We just need to learn how to access it.
How to go from the academic form of knowing that it exists to feeling its power deep in our bones.
Keep looking up at the cloudy gray sky,
And as you do,
Suddenly something wonderful happens.
Light at the spot you're focusing on,
The clouds part,
Revealing a glorious spot of blue and the sun bursting forward in all its glory.
See the sunlight pouring through that break in the clouds,
The sun's rays lighting up the hills and turning the slopes of vibrant,
Almost luminous green.
Watch as those rays reach the top of the hillside where you stand,
Warming your skin and shining brightly in your eyes.
Now imagine closing your eyes and feeling the warm,
Bright light bathing your face.
See the translucent skin of your eyelids growing red where the sunlight hits them.
And now imagining that this warm,
Life-giving light bathes your whole body.
Feel that energy start to soak through your skin,
Warming your muscles,
Your veins and arteries,
Your ligaments and tendons,
Your organs,
Blood and bones.
Feel the warm,
Healing energy lighting up every cell of your body.
Imagine that this energy can reach all the hurt parts of you,
Every place inside that needs some warmth,
Some love,
Some healing and care.
Let those sore places be nourished and comforted.
Just stay with this for a moment,
Enjoying this healing energy coursing through your entire being.
Then slowly,
The gap in the clouds starts to close,
The rays of sunlight getting weaker and weaker,
Gradually fading away until they're gone.
Then imagine sitting down on the grass,
Which is still warm,
Knowing that the sun still exists behind the cloud cover,
Just waiting to reappear and nurture you with its warm and loving rays.
In this residual warmth,
Take a moment to process what just happened.
What was this experience like for you?
How are you feeling in this moment?
In this place of calm and clarity,
Is there anything that you'd like to ask yourself?
Any concern you wish to gain insight on?
Or perhaps just extending the inquiry,
What do I need to know right now?
Try not to think of an answer,
Instead allowing the wisdom of self to arise on its own.
Whether you get an answer or not,
Either way,
It's okay.
Answers may come later to you,
Or maybe silence is the answer you need.
Simply allow yourself to rest in this place of stillness for just a little while longer,
To be cradled in the warm and loving energy of self.
And now slowly drawing your attention back to the present,
Noticing your body,
Maybe bringing some soft movement to your fingers and toes,
Gently rolling the neck from side to side,
And taking a few deep breaths.
Before we end,
Before you open your eyes,
I invite you to consider what you want to take from this meditation into your day.
How will what you have learned here today positively impact you and those around you?
How will you channel this loving energy of self in your day-to-day activity?
And when you're ready,
Opening the eyes.
Thank you for joining me.
I offer you light and love from my heart,
My self,
To yours.
