The purpose of this meditation is to guide you into a more peaceful state when you are feeling frustrated.
Like a teacher,
Mindfulness provides guidance and helps you gain perspective,
And often that is enough to calm life's frustrations.
Get into a comfortable seated position,
Either on the floor or in a chair.
If you are in a chair,
Your feet should be flat on the floor.
If you are on the floor and need support,
You may want to sit with your back against a wall with your legs either folded or extended out in front of you.
Whichever is most comfortable for you in this moment.
Your torso should form a straight line from your tailbone to the top of your head.
Your shoulders should be relaxed and down away from your ears.
Your arms should be resting at your sides and your forearms resting in your lap.
The palms of your hands can be faced up if you want the feeling of receiving peace,
Or face down for the sensation of being grounded in peace.
Choose whatever you feel you need in this moment,
And close your eyes.
Now we'll explore the natural flow of peace that you carry with you wherever you go.
The act of breathing.
Begin by taking a slow,
Deep inhale in through the nose.
Then release the breath by exhaling out of your mouth.
Repeat with another slow inhale in through the nose,
And exhale out of the mouth.
Once more,
Inhale,
Exhale.
On your next inhale,
Focus on filling your belly,
And then your chest,
Full of air.
And on the exhale,
Focus on pushing all the air out,
Emptying your belly.
Contract your abdominal muscles to squeeze everything out.
Repeat this pull and push of air in and out at your own pace for the next few breaths.
Now relax into your natural breathing pattern.
Frustration is born of your reactions.
It's not the computer or the car that won't start.
It's not the boss or child that won't listen.
It's not the traffic that won't move,
Or the flight that got delayed.
Frustration is born in the thought choice we make after something unsettling happens.
Consider what might happen if we took a moment to examine the feeling of frustration instead of responding to it.
How might that choice shift our perspective?
That's what we are going to explore right now.
Take a moment now to locate the feeling of frustration in your physical body.
Where do you feel it the most?
Maybe it's your neck or shoulders.
Maybe it's your stomach.
Maybe your hands.
Or perhaps it's in the muscles across your forehead,
Crinkling up in between your eyebrows.
Now,
Travel to that place in your body by focusing all your attention on that location.
When you get there,
Take your time.
Notice everything you can about what you physically feel in that spot.
Make note of what you feel by calling it by name in your thoughts.
Then,
Imagine yourself with a notebook and pen in hand.
Write down the name of the feeling in a page of that notebook.
When you're done,
Return to your breath.
As you inhale,
Imagine your breath flowing to the exact spot of your discomfort.
Watch your breath surround it and then scoop it up.
Then,
As you exhale,
Imagine the discomfort being carried up,
Out,
And away from your body.
With each inhale and exhale,
Less and less of the discomfort remains.
Take a few moments and do this now.
Now,
Imagine that with each exhale,
Your breath reaches out to a well of peace to gather some up.
Then,
As you inhale,
Imagine your breath pulling peace from that well and depositing it into the spot where the discomfort was removed.
Take a moment and do this now.
Imagine that the spot is filled with peace and all that is left for you to do now is simply enjoy it.
Breathe at your normal rhythm and take a moment to enjoy that peace now.
If at any point you feel that your peace may be slipping away,
Just take a deep inhale to gather more from your peace well.
Now,
Begin to slow the flow of peace between you and the well.
Continue to breathe naturally,
But allow the connection to detach from the source.
The peace you have gathered up is now self-sustaining in the place where you have planted it.
Watch and feel it as it flows in a circular motion and radiates out into the rest of your body.
Let the peace flow through you until you feel it at the tips of your fingers and toes.
When you're ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Begin to make soft circles with your wrists and ankles.
If you're sitting cross-legged on the floor,
You can extend your legs out and begin to rotate your ankles.
And now,
Notice the feeling of the surface beneath you,
Whether it's the floor or a chair that's supporting you.
Begin to notice any sounds you may hear in the space that you are in.
Allow yourself a few moments to re-establish your awareness of your surroundings.
And when you are ready,
Softly and slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your practice.
Keep planting seeds of peace.
