Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about dealing with difficult times.
This meditation is based on a live session I did recently.
You know,
In the course of our lives we all experience difficult times,
And from so many different areas.
We might have issues with school,
With our relationships,
With our health,
With the health of those we love and care about,
And so much more.
We might have problems with where we live,
Problems with the dishwasher or the garbage disposal.
And then there's problems with the weather,
With maybe droughts or flooding.
And I've said many times before that life is hard,
But we can get through it together,
And by getting in touch with our breath.
You know,
And then on top of all the personal things,
We have worldwide problems.
Wars going on,
Natural disasters,
Crime,
The economy,
And in the U.
S.
There's just daily craziness going on.
And I've often said that we really can't control most of the things in our life,
But what we can control is how we react to those things.
And in the course of my life,
Meditation has helped me with everything.
It helped me to deal with multiple strokes.
It helped me to deal with learning to walk again.
It helped me to deal with being out of work,
With the struggles of my daily life,
When I was depressed about my condition,
And when I had to have painful tests in the hospital.
And here's just a few ways that meditation can be especially powerful during hard times.
It helps us to regulate our emotions.
It helps slow the rush of our reactive emotions and gives us some space to feel them without being overwhelmed.
It can give you space and a feeling of calm when things are crazy.
And through practices like breath awareness or body scans,
Meditation brings you back to the present,
Where clarity tends to reside.
You know,
Even pain can be fertile soil.
Meditation lets you sit with discomfort long enough to see what's quietly unfolding beneath it.
You know,
Getting in touch with my breath didn't make me walk again after the strokes,
But it did give me the resilience and the focus and the strength I needed to keep on going.
And during difficult times,
A loving-kindness practice can be a reminder that you're deserving of care,
Especially when things get heavy.
You all know how I like quotes,
So I have a few here for you now.
The Dalai Lama said,
All human beings have an innate desire to overcome suffering to find happiness.
Training the mind to think differently through meditation is one important way to avoid suffering and be happy.
And one of my favorites is from American professor John Kabat-Zinn,
Who said,
You can't stop the waves,
But you can learn to surf.
Think about that,
If you will.
And close your eyes now,
And let's start to get in touch with our breath.
And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
You know,
Difficult moments call for gentleness,
Not tension and heroics.
And you're allowed to be exactly how you feel.
Now to start,
I'd like us to have some heart-centered breathing.
With some breathing where we'll inhale for four counts,
Hold for four counts,
And exhale gently for a count of six.
And with each breath,
Let your awareness settle inward.
Feel the rise and fall of your chest,
This rhythm that has carried you through all your days.
We'll just do this three times.
So if you're ready,
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Last time,
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Good,
And now let's just breathe naturally.
And with each breath,
Let your awareness settle.
Feel the rise and fall of your chest.
Our breath is our anchor when the seas around you grow wild and tempestuous.
Let's scan our body.
Relax your face.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Look for any tension in your chest or belly.
Relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to settle in,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Just one breath at a time.
And then the next.
And then the next.
Now I'd like you to do a visualization with me.
Imagine that you're in a quiet forest just before sunrise.
It's quiet,
And the night has not been easy.
Winds of worry and shadows of sorrow.
But slowly,
The light begins to weave through the trees.
And it's dappling everything with light and shadows.
Now as you picture this with every inhale,
Picture the soft,
Golden light stretching out toward you.
And with every exhale,
Let the darkness retreat.
Not banished,
But acknowledged.
And with each breath,
That soft,
Golden light expands,
Coming towards you and putting the darkness in the past.
Let the silence of the forest be a mirror for your own quiet strength.
Even pain has its purpose.
It shows you where care is needed most.
So right now,
Breathe.
Just breathe.
And if you feel comfortable,
Whisper softly or repeat in your mind.
And I'll say each one twice.
This,
Too,
Is part of my path.
This,
Too,
Is part of my path.
I breathe through the storm.
I breathe through the storm.
Last one.
I soften,
I stay.
I soften,
I stay.
And if emotion rises,
Let it come.
You are not broken for feeling deeply.
Now if you will,
Bring your hand to your heart.
And feel the warmth beneath your palm.
This is your inner sanctuary.
And it's never out of reach.
Even in hardship,
Even in difficult times,
Even in the hardest times,
Your breath is always there for you.
It's an anchor,
But it's also a buoy.
And it's there for you when you have pain,
When you have worries,
When you have sadness,
And when you have joy.
Our breath is there for us in all moments.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
We all experience difficult times.
Our personal lives and the lives of those in the world can be hard.
But we can get through it together.
And by getting in touch with our breath.
Now as we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch.
And feel how good it is to be alive.
How good it is to be in this moment.
Just breathing and relaxing.
And knowing that no matter how difficult the times are,
The day too will pass.
All the bad times will go away.
And will disappear over time.
And we can get through it together.
Just breathing.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session.
Till next time.
