So we'll begin by coming into a comfortable position,
Whether you're sitting or standing or lying down.
I'm just bringing your body into alignment.
So if you're sitting in a chair,
Your knees are over your ankles,
Your hips and your butt are back against the chair back.
Your back is long,
Shoulders back and down.
Back is long.
Imagine a string from the ceiling attached to the crown of your head,
Just gently lengthening your neck and your spine.
Take a deep breath in and let out with a sigh.
Let go of everything that you brought with you today,
Anything you don't need for the next 10 minutes.
Another deep breath and a sigh.
Then you can either close your eyes or leave them open,
Just softly focused,
Not really looking at any one thing.
Begin to turn inward.
Just notice what's going on with you today.
So notice the first thing that comes up when we ask that question of ourselves,
What's going on with me today?
And it could be something mental,
It could be something physical,
It could be an emotion,
Could be a nagging thought.
This could be something that's fleeting,
So it's just a sensation for right now,
Or it could be something that you've been carrying around for a while.
And now take that first thought that came to your mind when you said,
What's going on with me today?
And assign it a color.
And this may seem silly,
But whatever color pops into your head,
Unless it really doesn't feel right,
Go with that color.
And then imagine that it has a shape,
Whatever comes into your head.
Remember,
It may seem silly,
But no one else can see what you're doing.
And it's a really fun exercise.
So now what's going on with you today has a color and a shape.
Maybe it has a texture,
Or a weight,
Or a temperature.
It may not have all of those things,
Or it may.
And then how big is it?
Is it a little thing,
Or is it a big thing?
And now that you've physically imagined what's going on with you today,
With a color and a shape,
A weight,
A temperature,
A size,
Where is it living in your body?
Do you feel it in your chest,
Your back,
Your head,
Your belly,
Your left big toe?
Really sit with it.
Feel it there.
Live with it.
And if it begins to be uncomfortable,
Just come back to your breath for a moment,
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
And then just come back again to what is going on with you today.
You may find that as you bring your attention to it and focus on it,
That it starts to dissipate.
And that may happen in any number of ways,
It may just disappear,
It may get smaller,
It may start to wash away,
It may not change at all.
Maybe they'll get bigger because you've put your attention on it.
So notice what's happening with it.
And trust that whatever is going on is what needs to go on to help you let go of what you need to let go and retain what you need to keep.
And now even if it got bigger,
It didn't go anywhere.
We'll fill that space with something else.
So even if it got bigger,
It stayed where it is,
You can fill the space around it.
So as you inhale,
Imagine the breath.
And imagine the breath as a beautiful colored light.
It can be white,
It can be gold,
Whatever feels healing and powerful to you.
And again,
I know this feels a little silly,
But that's okay.
Imagining as you inhale,
That you're bringing in beautiful colored light.
And that space around what's going on with you today,
That space inside the empty spot where maybe what's going on with you today left is filled with that swirling,
Colorful healing light,
The energy of your breath,
The energy of your attention.
Each time you inhale,
It gets brighter.
And each time you exhale,
You let go of any last vestiges of stress and tension,
Any last remnants of what you don't need that was going on with you.
Inhaling,
You'll be feeling some tingly warm energy.
Exhaling,
Feeling your shoulders drop,
Your jaw relax,
Tension leaving the body.
And if it starts to feel uncomfortable,
Just bring your attention to your breath.
Just focus on the breath,
Let go of everything else.
And now take a deep breath in,
Let it out with a sigh.
Start fresh.
Bring your attention back to that spot in your body.
And without judgment,
Without any preconceived notions,
Notice what's going on there now.
It may feel exactly the same.
It may feel completely different.
Just notice it.
And then start to bring your awareness to your entire body in space.
So if you're in a chair,
Your feet on the floor,
Your back against the back of the chair,
Wherever you are,
Whatever part of your body is touching the surface you're on.
And then notice the air on your skin.
If your eyes are closed,
Notice the edges of light peeking in around your eyelids.
Notice any sensations of taste or smell.
Notice the sounds of your body,
The sounds of your breath,
Maybe your digestive system,
The sounds around you in the room and farther out.
Take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Let go of the meditation.
Bring yourself back to the physical realm,
Your physical body,
The world around you.
And if you had your eyes closed,
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and continue on with your day.
Thank you so much for joining me.
I hope this helped.
May you have peace in your thoughts.
May you have strength in your words.
May you have joy in your heart.
And may you have a very happy new year.
Have a wonderful day.
