Welcome to this meditation.
I'm Lindsay.
This meditation is focusing on flowing with change,
How we approach it and our potential resistance to it.
So just take a moment to settle your body.
You're welcome to be seated or lying.
Find a position where you can be without any physical discomfort.
So perhaps sit up on something if you're seated.
And once you're settled,
Close down your eyes or have them downcast.
Observe your breathing.
And as you gently settle into a rhythm,
A steady rhythm,
Can you check that your shoulders are soft,
You're not holding any tension in your face,
No tension in your hands or your belly.
As you breathe gently into your belly,
Feel the expansion.
And as you breathe out,
Feel the belly draw in.
The breath is one of the best things we have to settle our nervous system.
So just taking a moment to let your breath settle,
Steady,
Relaxed pace.
As we journey through life,
It can come with many changes that can affect us both mentally and physically.
And life can be so fluid,
It is rarely static.
And sometimes we can be faced with circumstances in our life that challenge that sense of attachment,
The desire we might have for permanence,
The resistance to anything being or feeling different,
Whether it's in our own body,
In our relationships,
Our interactions,
That whole external world around us.
And there are often no hard and fast rules which can leave us floundering in the unknown.
For some of us this can feel quite challenging and it's really easy for us to get caught up in the unknown.
For us to get caught up in intrusive thoughts and worries about these changes,
About what's ahead that we're trying to make sense of and wonder how we might manage and move through any changes that are coming.
So with all of that in mind,
Just notice your internal landscape.
Has your breath stayed the same?
Have you been holding your breath?
Perhaps your heart feels like it's beating faster?
Or is there a sense of ease and softness in your body still?
And just paying attention to when you think about change,
How your body physiologically responds to that.
And just coming back to that soft,
Steady,
Gentle breath.
Checking that your belly is rising and falling.
Although we don't know what each day will bring,
We can rely on change.
Change is constant.
So do we look towards it,
Towards the unknown towards the unknown with fear and trepidation?
Or can we perhaps be curious?
What does change look like?
What does it feel like?
Does it bring feelings of anxiety or maybe determination?
Perhaps a mixture of both.
Consider the paradox of resistance.
If you find that you feel you're quite resistant to change,
This can be a protective mechanism and not uncommon.
But sometimes we are resisting the inevitable and this can add to feelings of stress.
Overcoming resistance may feel insurmountable some days,
But through breathwork,
Movement and mindfulness practices you can build a wall of resilience.
Both internally by reducing muscular tension and the physiological impact of stress and externally in your response to the stresses you feel.
In your response to the stresses you face.
And thereby we strengthen the nervous system.
Doing this takes patience and commitment to exploring feelings that arise when change occurs.
Coming back to that sense of curiosity.
Can you encourage the mind to observe rather than avoid?
And often when you flow with change and navigate difficult paths,
You grow and transform.
Instead of I can't cope,
Consider what coping mechanisms can I learn to support my journey?
Take a moment to check in again.
Notice if the body feels easeful or has any tension crept in.
And often where do you find that tension?
Do you clench your teeth?
Do you grip your hands?
Perhaps the body feels hot.
So just noticing when you are considering things that maybe feel challenging,
How your body responds to that.
And it's a really good observation of how connected our mind and body are.
How one can affect the other.
So take a moment,
Slow your breathing if you need to.
Just gently draw it in,
Gently empty.
You can always place a hand on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your breath.
Rising and falling.
Rising and falling.
Buddha once said,
Take refuge in the island of self.
This is where you find your roots and from those roots you forge a strong bond to your inner self and develop clarity and peace.
There's a real sense of turning inwards and finding these qualities.
And for that we need patience and we need to keep showing up and trusting in the process.
If you were to plant a seed you don't expect to wake up the next morning and see it flower without any care or attention.
If it isn't fed with water and love it doesn't flourish.
The soil becomes dry,
The leaves turn brown and the flowers wilt.
So you nourish it and you prune it so it can re-flower and grow even stronger.
This is the same with your mind.
It needs to be nurtured and all it asks is this unshakeable belief that all you need is right here in the island of self.
And when times are hard you prune,
You nip unhelpful thoughts or behavior patterns in the bud to encourage new and more positive ways of thinking to emerge.
There can be a sense of allowing yourself to be vulnerable,
Not being afraid to ask for help.
And with vulnerability comes truth and courage.
Social connection is important,
Sharing your story can be uplifting.
It can enable a sense of support or perhaps you simply listen and hold space for someone else.
But for now hold space for yourself.
Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.
Breathe in,
Feel the belly rise.
Breathe out,
Feel the belly fall.
Bring your full attention to your breath,
Slow and steady.
Inhaling one,
Two.
Exhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhaling one,
Two.
Exhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhaling one,
Two.
Exhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Continue at your own pace.
If counting doesn't work for you just simply let it go.
Just let your body breathe.
Perhaps you notice a subtle quietening of your mind and a slowing down of your heart.
When you deal with both internal and external stresses you can use your breath.
By lengthening your exhale you drop into a calmer state.
And over time and with practice you may find you return to a calmer state a little quicker each time.
If you're still counting,
Releasing the breath.
Remembering that the breath helps to anchor us to the present,
Where we're not lingering in the past or worrying about the future.
The breath can guide us gently to the island of self for refuge.
Pause here for a moment.
Focus on your breathing and slow it down.
As you breathe in say,
I have arrived.
And as you breathe out,
I am home.
Keep returning to your island of self and welcoming yourself in.
Reminding yourself that you can't control what is yet to come.
But you can manage the present and when you feel like you're losing yourself in your environment,
Come back to self.
Come home.
As we prepare to come out now,
Take a moment to gather your attention into your immediate environment.
Sounds coming into your awareness,
Near and far.
The sense of touch,
Your body on the ground,
Your hands on your body.
And begin to move slowly now,
Maybe a roll of the head,
Some gentle movement in your fingers and your toes.
Take a moment to stretch out from top to bottom.
And if you're lying knees in and rolling to your side,
Just taking your time to come to seated.
And once you're there,
Bringing your hands over your heart center,
One on top of the other.
Just breathing into your heart space.
Breathing in,
I have arrived.
Breathing out,
I am home.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I look forward to meditating with you again soon.
