Hi,
This is Dr.
Lavanya Devdas.
I am a psychologist,
A woman,
A woman of color,
A daughter,
A sibling,
A partner,
A homemaker.
And today I wanted to share an affirming meditation for women all across the world to honor their strengths,
Their versatility,
And to take the time and space to recognize being a woman.
Before I guide you through the affirmative meditation,
I wanted to introduce Insight Timer,
An online meditative app that hosts thousands and thousands of guided meditations for people all across the globe.
As I guide you through this affirmative meditation,
I am going to be guiding you through breathing,
Using your body and your breath to hold and recognize an affirming compassionate stance towards yourself as a woman,
The different roles that you play,
And offering the same affirmation to those around you.
Let us begin by first sitting in a comfortable posture,
Either on a couch or a chair,
Making sure that your back is supported,
Your neck and back are aligned,
Making sure that if your arms and hands and legs are crossed to please uncross them,
And to gently close your eyes and focus on your breath at this time,
Just noticing how you're breathing,
Without judging any right or wrong way,
Just noticing and observing how that in-breath feels within your body,
And noticing what is happening within your body as you carry that in-breath within you,
And breathing out,
And noticing how your body lets that air out,
Breathing in,
Noticing how your body rises with that in-breath,
And breathing out,
And noticing a simultaneous softening of your body into its original resting position,
Breathing in,
Noticing how your spine expands upward along with your diaphragm tightening,
Your legs tightening and the muscle groups tightening,
And your body rising as if towards the ceiling or the open sky,
And breathing out,
Noticing your spine relaxing,
Shoulders dropping,
Air escaping from your lungs,
And loosening of your diaphragm and your legs,
Your calf muscles,
Breathing in,
Stomach and your diaphragm tighten,
Your chest expands,
And there's a gentle stretch of your spine towards the ceiling,
Arise with that in-breath,
Breathing out,
And letting that air gently escape from your stomach,
Your chest,
Out through your nostrils while your neck and shoulder blades relax along with your spine,
Your chest,
Your stomach,
And your legs,
Breathing in,
Feeling that air rise up with your body,
And now we're breathing out,
Tracking the movement of your body and the muscle groups,
And the intricate nature of movement within your body with that in-breath and out-breath,
Breathing in,
Letting your body rise with that in-breath,
And breathing out,
At this time,
Noticing any changes,
Any thoughts,
Feelings,
Or body sensations that may or may not arise,
Holding any change with compassion,
With that openness in-breath,
Without judgment,
And gently coming back to your in-breath and out-breath,
And now I invite you to honor that core within you,
To recognize that core within you,
With your genuineness,
With your strength,
With your versatility,
With your womanhood,
With being a mother,
With being a parent,
With being a sibling,
A sister,
A child,
A daughter,
A woman,
A woman of color,
A homemaker,
Any role that you play outside of home,
Hosting all of these different dimensions that you hold within you,
That you bring out from you,
Day in and day out,
Every day,
Every month,
Every year,
Holding the sacred space within each of these roles that come from your core of being a woman,
Honoring the effort,
Honoring the roles,
The relationships that you bring to the table,
Honoring the strength within you in this space right now.
Taking a breath in,
Feeling the uplift of your body as you honor these different roles and dimensions within you,
And breathing out from that sacred space from your core self.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
In honor of that authenticity,
That genuineness that you try and bring out every day,
Relentlessly,
Fiercely,
Holding your strengths and areas of growth with compassion,
With nurturance,
Because your core self within you holds all of these every day.
And now honoring the authenticity and the connection that you bring to your family members as a woman,
Honoring the strength that you bring to the people around you in your neighborhood,
Honoring the deep,
Endless infinite space of strength.
