This meditation is one you might like to use if you're about to face a difficult situation or conversation,
Whatever it might be and it's one that I've used in my personal practice on more than one occasion.
My name is Lucy Stone and this is Meditation Rocks.
So sometimes we know that issue is brewing.
We know we've got to have that conversation or write that email or be in a situation that potentially is going to be a little bit uncomfortable or awkward.
Meditation can be used to practice and prepare yourself for that situation.
This meditation is called the Golden Shield.
So what we're going to do is to imagine that we have a golden shield around us that nothing can penetrate.
And then when you go into that situation you might like to imagine that shield is still with you and that you are safe and protected behind it.
Let's see if it works for you.
So get yourself somewhere comfortable and we will begin.
So just making sure that your posture is active,
Your spine is long and that your feet are flat on the floor.
Your legs are uncrossed.
Take a moment to allow your sit bones to settle.
And just put your hands in a comfortable position in your lap on your knees.
And then if you're ready to close your eyes or soften your gaze.
And just start to have an awareness of how you feel.
But remember without any judgement,
Not allowing that inner critic to talk too loudly.
So just taking these first few moments to have a connection with your breath.
And also with the weight of the body in the chair or in the ground,
Wherever you might be.
So start to feel your rise and fall of your breath within your body.
And let's take two deep breaths together.
So breathing in through your nose,
Filling your lungs.
Hold your breath for a moment.
Exhale fully through your mouth.
And again,
Breathing in deeply through your nose.
Hold the breath.
Exhale fully through your mouth.
And now close your mouth if this is comfortable for you.
And start to breathe in and out through your nose.
So this breath,
This nostril breath is called the Yuzhai breath.
Yuzhai means victorious in Sanskrit.
And this breath was used to calm and balance the mind.
Sometimes before battle or difficult situations.
So I'd like you now more than ever before to tune in to this Yuzhai breath.
And as you breathe in I want you to feel that life force of your breath filling your lungs.
And imagine that it's giving you a sense of power and protection.
And as you breathe out I want you to imagine that this breath circles the body completely around from the front,
Around the back,
Back to the front.
Almost like a golden light or golden shield.
So we breathe in,
We use the breath to feel energised and powerful within our chest.
And then we exhale building this golden light,
Golden shield around us.
And so with every breath that we take we feel that sense of power within the chest.
Almost like a body of armour.
And then as we exhale this shield around us is going to get bigger and thicker.
So I'm going to leave you for a minute or so to breathe in,
Really take as much air into your lungs as you can.
Pause for a moment,
Feel that power.
Exhale fully,
Send the breath from front to back,
Back to front.
Creating this incredibly powerful shield around you which is only going to get thicker and thicker with every single breath.
And I want you to notice that sounds have become quieter and maybe thoughts have become fewer as you begin to create this bubble or shield of protection around you.
And you are all that matters behind this shield.
Nothing can get to you,
Nothing can touch you.
You are protected and you are safe.
You might like to say I am protected,
I am safe.
And this shield can be with you at any time.
So just beginning to soften the breath a little bit,
Feeling the benefits of this shield around you.
And then with every exhale now begin to feel a little bit lighter.
Because as you are ready to let the shield fade and lower your shield as you prepare to face whatever it is that is on your mind.
So letting the shield fade,
Just taking a few deep breaths,
Usually breaths.
Powerfully exhaling through the nose and get ready to feel victorious.
Everything is going to be okay.
So just let the breath return to a comfortable rhythm and flow for you.
Maybe start to wiggle fingers and toes,
Have a little stretch with the arms,
Moving the head and neck a little bit here.
And then bring your hands together,
Give your hands a bit of a rub to create some warmth and heat and hover your hands over your eyes and bring your hands down when you are ready.
And I hope that helps even a little if you have a difficult or awkward situation to face and let's face it we all have them from time to time but don't forget your shield is pretty powerful.
I look forward to speaking to you again very soon.
Have a nice day.
