From Scarcity To Abundance

This meditation will help transform a mindset of lack, jealousy, and competition, into one of mutual collaboration and abundance. Through gratitude and sympathetic joy, you'll increase your well-being and allow more good things into your life. This was recorded live from an event on Insight timer. For the first seven minutes, Lou talks on the subject and then leads you into a 30-minute meditation.

Transcript

I'm excited to share this practice with you today,

But I'm nervous to tell you why I'm excited.

So this is actually a practice that I've been doing in my own meditation for the past couple weeks.

And the reason why I've been doing it is I'm just going to go ahead and share it.

Many of you know that Insight Timer has allowed these opportunities for teachers to connect and there's all these different events happening.

It's really been such a blessing for me to be able to connect with you.

I'm sure it's a blessing for each and every one of the teachers.

And hopefully,

It's also you've gotten a lot of value out of it.

That being said,

I was scrolling through my Insight Timer app the other week and I caught myself in these old patterns.

These old patterns of having jealousy come up.

These old patterns of feeling like I wasn't doing enough.

These old patterns of feeling like I needed to compete in some way.

And then this goes back to me being a little boy,

Very,

Very competitive growing up,

Playing sports and always getting ahead and always rating myself compared to others.

I'm also an Enneagram type three.

So if you have any idea what that means,

I have a proclivity to measure myself in relationship to others as a lot of us do.

And I have to say that this jealousy used to completely paralyze me.

I used to get sucked in like a vortex scrolling through social media and it would just make me feel so,

So bad.

And I've grown so much from where I was.

And the reason is I've actually I created a course on Insight Timer called Learn to Stop Caring What Others Think where I talk about these topics because I've worked so strongly in my own journey and I believe we teach what we need to learn most.

And so that being said,

I'm not an enlightened master and I am still working with this myself that I still have these things come up.

What has shifted over the years is my awareness of them,

My awareness of being of noticing,

Just like we're noticing an emotion,

Like noticing that that's coming up and then realizing that I don't have to go there,

That I could skillfully respond.

I could separate myself from that feeling and choose a different way to respond to it.

Because what happens when we're feeling jealousy,

When we're feeling in competition is we are believing in scarcity.

We are believing that there is not enough to go around.

And so we have to do something,

We have to compete,

We have to do something in order to get ours.

And this is the opposite of an abundant mindset.

This is the opposite of there is more than enough to go around.

This is that when you win,

I win.

And this is what I really want to base the work that I do and the life that I want to lead because those other emotions are going to put us down into moving away from an abundant nature.

And we get caught up in this separate small ego self that doesn't see the union,

That doesn't see that when we give,

We actually are receiving.

And so there's two practices that are really,

Really important when we're thinking about how do I bring more abundance into my life?

How do I stop thinking in scarcity?

How do I feel like there's more than enough to go around?

The first practice is gratitude,

Really foundational practice.

My favorite Eckhart Tolle quote,

Gratitude is the foundation of all abundance.

And that's abundance in every area of life,

Abundance in your money as it's often kind of related to abundance in your love,

Abundance in your peace,

Abundance in your joy,

Because what we appreciate appreciates.

And so using the example of money,

Let's say you're making $100 a week,

Instead of feeling like that's not enough,

Right,

And you're feeling into the space of lack,

Finding a way to feel gratitude for that $100 a week and allowing that to expand.

It reminds me,

For a long time,

I wasn't supporting myself or really making any money doing the work that I was doing.

And I got an opportunity to speak at a library,

And they paid me,

They were going to pay me $125 to give a talk and do like a little meditation.

And I was so excited that I got this opportunity.

It was I was blown away.

I was super pumped for it.

And I did it.

And I got the check.

And afterwards,

I after I cashed the check,

I put it on my wall.

And then every day,

I would look at it.

And I would just be so grateful for it.

I would just be like,

Thank you.

Thank you for this opportunity.

And guess what happened?

Slowly,

More opportunities started to come,

The check starting to get a little bit bigger.

And it started to expand.

And so it's kind of funny.

My wall doesn't look as nice as it does now.

It used to have a bunch of voided checks on the wall.

If you walked into my house,

You would think I was like a psychopath or something.

Because I would feel the abundant nature,

Even though it wasn't much to most people's standards.

To me,

It felt so abundant.

And so that's why it's important.

Whatever small accomplishment that you have,

Whatever small win that you have,

Appreciating the small win is when we appreciate the small things,

The small things become big things.

And so that's the first practice we're going to focus on.

Second is known in the Buddhist lineage of mudita,

Which is sympathetic joy,

Meaning that we share in the happiness of others,

We share in the abundance of others,

We share in the joy of others.

So this can be a little easier if it's our partner,

Like our spouse,

And they come home and they have an accomplishment or they have something positive in their life.

And we're like,

Yeah,

Awesome.

We can hopefully be happy for them pretty easy.

It's a lot different when we're scrolling through Instagram or we're scrolling through Facebook and someone shares something positive that happened in their life.

And we have like a weird relationship with that person for whatever reason.

And we go into like these feelings of,

Oh,

Good for that person.

Like,

Why is that person boasting?

Like we have all these negative feelings start to come up of jealousy and whatever it might whatever those negative feelings like be might be judgment.

And we're sending those negative energies out there.

So of course,

If we're trying to bring in abundance,

Bring in peace and happiness into our life,

But yet we are judging another person for being happy,

Then we are going to sabotage ourselves on that journey.

And so this can be really challenging,

Especially if there's people that really trigger you into feeling this.

And so we're going to work with that in our practice,

Similar to how you would do it in a meta practice.

But it's just got a different connotation to it.

It's really trying to celebrate them and say,

Yes,

Even though I know that they're part of me that wants to feel jealous,

That there is more than enough to go around that I can be happy for you because guess what?

When you win,

I win.

You don't take away from my abundance.

You don't take away from my joy.

We can actually share in this together.

And begin to close down your eyes and start to come into your body and allow your hands to find a place where they feel comfortable.

Maybe that's your thighs.

Maybe that's in between your hips.

And I don't do this often,

But I feel like if you have some of the nervous energy that I have,

That it might feel nice to just roll the shoulders back a little bit.

And then rolling them forward.

Just bringing the intention of easing the nervous energy that might be moving through your body.

And then eventually allowing the shoulders to fall down the back.

And starting to settle in.

And to ground us today,

We're going to use the elements.

And so starting with the earth element of the physical support beneath you.

And so feeling whether that's your chair,

Your cushion,

Maybe it's your bed.

Allowing yourself to be held by the earth.

And then also sensing where is the soil in relation to where you sit or lay right now.

If you went a couple floors down your house or the basement or way down your apartment complex.

Just imagining where that actual earth is and energetically imagining that your body is rooting down deep into that space.

And then we'll invite in the air elements of starting to connect.

The air moving in and out through your breath.

Feeling your body,

It's a gentle lift of your upper chest up towards the sky,

Kind of sensing the air around your torso.

Feeling both the rootedness of the earth,

But also the lightness as we move into air.

Noticing quality of the breath as it moves in and out.

And then noticing the water element.

Feeling the fluidness of your body.

And if our body really is 70% water,

Sensing where that might be.

And then lastly,

Connecting with the fire within you,

So maybe just feeling the heat and the temperature that you're feeling right now.

But also sensing the fire and the passion that is within your heart.

And then connecting with all of those elements of nature inside the earth,

The air,

The water,

And the air.

And remembering that nature is a representation of abundance.

And nature seems to always create,

It does not want,

It has more than enough.

And you are a part of that nature.

So see if you can just get a sense of the fullness of that within you.

At your nature,

There is an abundant quality.

And then together,

Let's take a full and conscious breath in.

And breath out.

As Eckhart Tolle reminds us,

Gratitude is the foundation of all abundance.

And so we're going to use this gratitude to build our own foundation.

Start to imagine your body as a container.

Within it,

There's these physical parts,

There's these emotional parts.

And all of those mystery,

Mysterious energies that are in between.

And if we can rid the energies of lack,

Jealousy,

Scarcity,

And fill this container with peace,

Contentment,

Abundance,

Then we can work to expand it outwards to receive more and also to impact more.

And so sensing what is in your container,

Sensing your bones,

Your breath,

Your blood,

Noticing if there's any tension in your body.

And then noticing where you might be feeling any sort of discontent.

Maybe there's unhappiness,

Nervousness,

Unworthiness,

Jealousy,

Fear.

Just allowing what is and is not to be in your container.

Feeling that is all welcomed.

And then coming to your heart and sensing your heartbeat.

And noting that this heart can heal all of those unwanted energies.

That it can fill you in a way that brings peace,

Love,

And more than enough.

And so let's start filling this container with gratitude by just finding gratitude for this heart,

For its beating,

For the life that it's given you.

Working for you each second of the day since you were born.

How abundant this heart is.

So feeling that appreciation for your heart.

And as you feel that gratitude,

Imagining that you're filling your body container with thanks.

Feeling it with appreciation.

Feeling the energy of abundance start to enlighten the body.

And then letting go of the heartbeat and this time moving to finding gratitude for the relationships that you have in your life.

So it could be one relationship that comes to mind right now and it could just be a few either close friends or family members that you have.

And it also could be the relationship that you have with yourself.

And so whatever it is,

Seeing if you can feel the sense of gratitude for these people in your life,

Feel the sense of thanks for what they bring you.

And as you're doing this,

You're continuing to fill the body container with more of its energy of gratitude.

And then moving on and finding gratitude for the resources that you have.

For some that is money,

Whether it's a small or little amount,

Your home,

Your car,

Your bed,

Finding things for the resources you do have that support you.

Feeling that gratitude,

Fill your body container,

Sensing that there is enough,

That there is more than enough.

And as you start to expand this,

Sensing all of those things that you found gratitude for,

Your heartbeat,

Your relationships,

Your resources,

And as you fill your container,

Imagining it's starting to clear those unwanted energies that may have been there,

Healing and just clearing it out.

And then I'd like you to repeat these words of affirmation to yourself silently.

Are you welcome to just listen and receive?

Opportunities come to me freely and easily.

I am a magnet for what I want and who I'm meant to support.

Opportunities come to me freely and easily.

I am a magnet for what I desire and who I'm meant to support.

And maybe imagine yourself as a magnet and just starting to bring in these positive energies towards you from wherever they are.

And then together,

Let's take a full and conscious breath in and breath out.

And so we've built this foundation with gratitude.

So imagining those energies,

They're just going to still fill your body,

But we still may have some blockages within.

And so we're going to continue to fill our container so that it is a magnet for what it already is.

And so I'd like you to bring to mind someone in your life who seems to be doing well.

I know it's a challenging time for many of us,

But seeing if you can find someone maybe closer to you that is doing well,

Maybe someone that you care about more than others,

Maybe it's a child or a parent or a friend.

And so bringing them to mind,

Maybe you even see them kind of in front of you.

We're going to work to share in their well-being,

To share in their joy and to wish them more.

And so repeating these words,

Imagining that you're sending it out to them,

May you receive all you desire.

May your successes grow and last.

May your life flourish.

May you feel love and joy in all your days.

When you win,

I win.

When you win,

I win.

And so maybe you repeat that last one.

Maybe you repeat one of those phrases and just really working to share in their well-being,

And be happy for them.

When you win,

I win.

Seeing that body container,

Those energies start to expand outwards even more.

And then moving on,

Depending on who you chose,

There still might have been a part of us that's like,

That's good for them,

But what about me?

And that may have been there and it may not have been there,

So just acknowledging if it was.

And now we're going to work to make this just a little bit more challenging,

Where the work can really take transformation.

And so bringing to mind someone in your life who brings up strong feelings or any feelings of competition,

Jealousy,

Envy.

It could be one person,

Could be a group,

Could be someone you know and someone who you may not know all that well or at all.

It's someone you see on social media,

Colleague.

And we're going to start by first bringing this compassion inwards,

Almost as if we're invoking a prayer to rid ourselves of these feelings.

And so again,

Having that person in mind,

But first bringing this inwards and sharing with yourself.

There is more than enough to go around.

May I be cleansed of all toxic emotions.

May I experience the abundance in and around me.

May I be a vessel of truth and support for all.

May I be love and give love unconditionally.

There is more than enough to go around.

May I be cleansed of all toxic emotions.

May I experience the abundance in and around me.

May I be a vessel of truth and support for all.

May I be love and give love unconditionally.

Maybe repeating one and just kind of imagining that energy is starting to continue to cleanse your body container,

Cleansing any of those feelings that are blocking the energy of abundance in your life.

And then again,

Bringing that person to mind whom you have that challenging feeling or you feel jealousy towards and sharing with them these words.

Maybe you imagine yourself saying it to them.

Maybe you're just sending it out into the world.

May you receive all you desire.

May your successes grow and last.

May your life flourish.

May you feel love and joy in all your days.

When you win,

I win.

And I do that one more time and just noting if that it was tough to actually feel these things that is normal,

That's part of the process.

And so just staying with it.

May you receive all you desire.

May your successes grow and last.

May your life flourish.

May you feel love and joy in all your days.

When you win,

I win.

And then maybe sending the one that was most challenging for you towards them or maybe just wishing them happiness.

Just noticing what it does to your energy.

And then coming once again,

Feeling the body container starting to expand outwards,

Almost like the aura of abundance is starting to grow with all the work that we've done together.

It's full and it can continue to expand.

We're not trying to fill it from the outside.

And so coming back to those affirmations one more time before we close,

Feeling the energy around you that you are this magnet and repeating to yourself,

Opportunities come to me freely and easily.

I am a magnet for what I desire and who I'm meant to support.

Opportunities come to me freely and easily.

I am a magnet for what I desire and who I'm meant to support.

And imagining your energy field starting to grow and those opportunities coming in because you are exuding that which you are,

You're retracting that which you are,

You're retracting that abundance within yourself.

So maybe imagining something that you have been desiring to come into your life,

A relationship,

A job,

Sensing that that is moving towards your field.

Because you winning means everyone wins as well.

And then noting that if you do have time,

You can come back here sensing the magnet and just kind of imagining yourself pulling in those energies,

Feeling the gratitude.

But if you'd like to start to come back,

Start to gently bring maybe some movement into your body.

And when you're ready,

Go ahead and open your eyes.

Reviews

Thank you for allowing us to connect through your vulnerability. I found this a very powerful guided practice ✨️

Outstanding! Thank you, thank you thank you I am filled with gratitude for this meditation. Many blessings to you!💕🙏

Just amazing! Exactly what I needed. I will come back to this practice over and over. Thank you!

I absolutely appreciated your honesty and vulnerability in the beginning. It helped me open myself more. Thank you for that! I haven’t meditated without music before…the way you spoke and the flow was perfect!

Wonderful meditation. Thank you 🙏🏼.

One of the most authentic and motivating meditations I've heard in a long. I actually was on a walk and magnetized 2 opportunities that came freely and easily to me. Thank you!

Thank u for your time. It is helpful. Im sending my gratitude to u from Asia.

Thank you so much for this meditation, i was struck with how unkind i have been to others, i have struggled so much with being happy and supporting others withvtheir wins in lofe. I cried through the whole meditation qnd struggled a lot with feeling abundance asvi was struggling with deep jealousy and shame. I will keep coming back again and again because there is a lot i need to do in this area. Again thank you

This was a really beautiful & supportive practice. Thank you 🙏🏻

Nice talk and meditation.

Amazing. So needed and so helpful. Thank you

Thanks for sharing.

Amazing. Thank you so much for getting me back into a place of gratitude and abundance when I was feeling angry and resentful. I needed this!

Thank-you for being so truthful - and wise. I love the path you have chosen this lifetime as we all get to benefit from it. Your meditation notifications always bring a smile to my heart because I enjoy every single one of them. Thank-you for sharing so freely (literally) and for your generosity of spirit. I am grateful for you 💜.

A unique and powerful gratitude meditation with spot-on & relatable affirmations that you can actually believe. Many thanks.

So good to hesr this again ; feeling grateful to wake up in my nice warm bed with the rain pouring down outside. Thanks Lou 🙏🏻🌺

Much needed. Thank you 🙏🏾 12/4/20

This was an incredible learning for me today. Thanks Lou🙂

I was on this live, and I am so happy to see this was recorded. Thank you!

Fab, I enjoyed doing this.