Transforming Financial Stress

In this honest and empowering meditation, Lou guides you through a process of turning financial pressure into purposeful transformation. Drawing from his recent challenges, Lou invites you to shift your perspective—seeing stress not as something to escape, but as a force that can forge your inner diamond.

Through breathwork, mindfulness, and guided visualization, you’ll learn to soften anxiety, reconnect with your unshakable inner resources, and receive wisdom from your future self. This practice offers not only grounding but a reminder that even in uncertain times, your brilliance is already within you, waiting to shine.

Please note: This audio is ripped from a video.

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome.

My name is Lou Redman.

Thank you so much for choosing to listen and practice with me.

Today we're going to be exploring financial stress and so I'm going to share a little bit of the inspiration for today's practice and then get into our work to help you transform any financial stress you might be feeling.

And since you may know how I share a lot of these practices is by going through these experiences in my own journey and recently I have been feeling a financial stress in a way that I haven't for a long while and I'll share just some of the circumstances to paint the picture.

I moved my home across country which brought a bunch of expenses and also paying for rent that was more than my past rent.

At the same time my wife stopped working so I started to take on all her bills which was a new thing that I hadn't done before and then to be transparent my revenue from Insight Timer has been cut by two-thirds of the revenue that I was making due to some changes that the app made and just my content not getting out there as much as it had before and also enrollment in my one-on-one coaching and my programs are all down.

So and all of this came together at the same time to bring this new pressure that I am experiencing and this is not to complain by any means I'm going to speak to why I think this is actually really helpful for me and it might be helpful for you too if you are feeling that stress but first I want to define terms.

Stress is not anxiety.

Stress is often an in-the-moment experience.

It speaks to what is actually true.

Anxiety is the thoughts that we put on the experience often projecting worry out into the future and so this example for me is actual physical stress.

There is a new pressure that is coming in to my experience and so often I know in my journey it's the stressful situations that have created the biggest transformations and that is because to change we need tension.

We need energy.

There needs to be some kind of movement and often if we're just comfortable we don't make the changes that we need to make and so I am welcoming this pressure.

There is the classic metaphor of coal needing pressure to eventually turn into a diamond and I think this is relevant.

We don't get out of our comfort zone until there is some pressure.

For the past four years I have made the exact same revenue and so I've gotten very comfortable almost at this bit of a plateau and while I'm making less right now I'm so grateful for this situation because it is creating the tension that I need in order to think of new solutions,

New creative ideas to help me break out of this plateau and so that's the pressure that I'm feeling and I'm aware that your pressure might look different.

You might have debt.

You might have other things that are really putting a hold on you but what I want to offer is that no matter what stress looks like around finances right now to invite you to see it as a change agent.

That this tension you're feeling is what is going to help you transform.

The pressure is turning your being,

Your resolve,

Your belief,

Your mindset into diamonds.

Trust that this is what will transform you and we will work on how we can transform through this pressure in our meditation.

And so go ahead and close your eyes and start to turn inwards feeling your body on your chair or cushion and let's begin with a sigh taking a deep breath into your belly,

Filling up the ribs,

The chest,

Holding the breath for just a moment at the top.

Take an extra sip of air and sigh it out.

See if you can make a sound and then let your breath become natural.

Let all your muscles relax.

So as we ground we're going to be working with this metaphor and experience of a diamond.

And not only is diamond a metaphor for dealing with pressure but in Buddhism it's also used as an example for cutting through illusion.

It speaks to this innate luminous presence that is multifaceted shining in different directions yet each containing the whole.

And so as you continue to slow down,

Imagine in your body there is a diamond and feel where that might be.

Maybe it's your chest,

Maybe your lower belly,

Your forehead,

Maybe you sense it as your whole body.

Connect to where this diamond is.

And even if you still feel like it still might be more coal than diamond,

Notice its potential.

Let's take a few moments to breathe and bring awareness to your inner diamond.

And from here,

I invite you to bring up the circumstance that is creating financial stress or insecurity in your life.

Maybe it's the economy,

Your retirement plan,

Maybe your business is taking a hit.

And so as you bring up the circumstance,

Notice how it impacts your body.

Notice if there's any parts that tie in.

What I'd like us to do is to separate the stress,

The physical experience,

Maybe even the emotional experience from the anxiety,

Which is,

Although an emotion is often a secondary emotion,

We often overlay our anxiousness onto the primary experience.

And so seeing if you can stay with your body,

Stay with the impact of this stress.

Noticing if there's any anxiety that bubbles on top of that.

And then so that we can clear the anxiety,

Maybe even clear some of the stress,

We're going to do an anxiety releasing breath,

Which is simply breathing out for longer than we breathe in.

And so I'm going to do a count of two and four,

And you're welcome to do this in your own time if you need more space.

So inhaling through the nose for one,

Two.

Exhaling,

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Again,

In two.

Exhaling,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Do a few more on your own.

And as you do this,

Imagine the anxiety melting away.

Maybe you even sense your inner diamond cutting through the illusion of anxiety.

And if it helps,

You might even see what happens if you thank the anxiety on your exhale.

Thanking it for keeping you safe.

It's just trying to help you stay ahead,

To make sure that you're okay.

It wants what's best for you.

And so trying maybe one more time,

Offering it thanks as you slowly breathe out.

And then taking a breath with me,

Letting go.

And as you hold the circumstance of your financial stress in your mind,

Notice if there are any judgments of good or not good.

And offering that these are not judgments for you to make.

That we can't know whether this is good or not good.

It might seem not good in the moment,

But it could also,

In five years,

Look back and be like,

Wow,

Yes,

I needed that to happen.

And so connect back to where you located that diamond inside.

Notice if it feels brighter and feel this resource that is your brilliance.

As you breathe,

Feel the diamond's luminous quality.

Maybe you even feel a light starting to shine through it.

Each breath shining a little brighter,

A little more expansive.

And as you hold the situation,

Allowing its pressure to continue to form the diamond within you.

And I'll offer some affirmations,

If you'd like to repeat silently or out loud.

My inner resources are unshakable.

I have everything I need to grow from this.

This is forging me more and more into my innate brilliance.

Thank you for this opportunity.

I'll see you in the next video.

Noticing the impact of these words.

Now shifting a bit here,

And I'd like you to feel as if you are yourself in five years.

You are your future self.

Sensing where you are at in your life,

In all categories.

Noticing how much you have grown.

Feel the diamond in you shining brighter than ever as it's been forged through all the challenges,

Cutting through all the illusions.

So feel the luminous nature of your diamond.

And as your future self,

Imagine you are turning and looking at your current self.

Knowing what he or she is going through right now.

Maybe sensing a tenderness you might have towards the self,

And offering her or he a reminder that they need to hear.

Your inner resources are unshakable.

You have everything you need to grow from this.

This is forging you more and more into your innate brilliance.

You will be so thankful this happened.

Your inner resources are unshakable.

You have everything you need to grow from this.

This is forging you more and more into your innate brilliance.

You will be so thankful this happened.

Sending them that energy and offering any other words or feelings or reminders that you want to share with them.

Now coming back into yourself as you are now,

Feeling your body,

Feeling the diamond within you,

And noticing what it's like to have received those messages from your future self.

And from this space,

Noticing is there any inspired action that comes?

How can you use your resources,

Your creativity,

Your wisdom to take action amidst this pressure?

So just noticing if any ideas or inspirations come.

They last breath in together,

And letting that go.

And when you're ready,

Gently opening your eyes and coming back to your space.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

If this was resonant and maybe you feel that you fall into more of the scarcity category around finances,

I actually have another practice called Overcome Feelings of Financial Scarcity.

And another one called For When You're Financially Struggling.

So go ahead and check those tracks and meditations out.

And let me know what you thought by leaving a comment.

I always love hearing from you.

Until next time,

I hope that the stress that you are feeling transforms you into exactly who you are becoming.

I am sending you so much love.

I am rooting for you always,

And I will see you again soon.

Take care.

Reviews

Thank you, Lou. 🙏

Feeling better about that diamond!

Thanks so very much for moving me out of "stuckness" and into "greatness"!

Really helpful. Many thanks Lou 🙏❤️💫