Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I'm going to talk about using meditation for healing.
And this meditation is based on a live session I did recently.
A healing meditation is basically a mindfulness practice that's designed to promote physical,
Emotional,
Or spiritual well-being.
The thing is,
Is meditation,
By its very nature,
Is healing.
Let me say that again.
Meditation,
By its very nature,
Is healing.
So if you aren't injured in any way,
Physically or mentally or emotionally,
Meditation is good for you.
But if you are injured in any way,
And you focus on your meditation,
It can help heal you.
And it basically involves focusing your mind and energy on calming and restorative thoughts.
And often we pair that with visualizations and positive affirmations that help encourage healing.
This type of meditation can help reduce stress,
Foster inner peace,
And support recovery,
Whether it's from physical ailments,
Emotional challenges,
Or simply the daily wear and tear of life.
Meditation can heal you from emotional trauma,
Physical trauma,
And just everyday issues.
Now most often,
Healing meditations incorporate certain elements.
First is deep breathing,
Because this relaxes your mind and body and creates an optimal state for healing.
Breathing styles like box breathing and alternate nostril breathing come to mind.
Another aspect of healing meditations are visualizations.
Picturing a restorative energy or light or other positive energy and have it flowing through you.
Then we couple that with positive affirmations,
Repeating positive statements like,
I am whole,
Or I welcome healing to help reinforce your intention.
After my strokes,
I would often say things like,
I can do this,
Or I could get back up,
Because I fell a lot.
And another aspect of healing is gratitude.
Acknowledging all the positivity in your life.
Letting go of any pain or negativity.
Much of what we perceive as pain is able to be conquered by our minds.
And I've learned that different cultures react to pain in different ways.
For example,
Irish people tend to get quiet when they have pain,
Hispanic people tend to get noisy,
And so on.
But by relaxing the mind and body,
Using positive affirmations,
Breathing,
And using visualizations,
We can diminish pain.
Close your eyes now,
And let's start to get in touch with our breath.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
The only thing that matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
Now as we begin,
We're going to start focusing on our breath.
Just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
We're going to scan our body.
Just relax your face.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
Let your arms and hands relax.
Look for any tension in your chest and belly.
And let your legs and feet relax.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments when we're happy,
When we're sad,
When we're stressed,
And when we're not.
So just focus on your breath,
And don't just breathe.
Notice your breath.
Perhaps a cool feeling in your nostrils as the breath flows in.
Or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and flows out.
You just want to breathe.
Just breathe.
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
And if you hear sounds in the room,
Just ignore them.
They're just part of our world.
And if you have thoughts,
Just do the same thing.
Thoughts are like clouds in the sky or waves on a lake or leaves floating downstream on a river.
I want to try something a little different.
I want you to continue breathing.
But I also want you to visualize.
Visualize a golden light,
And it's hovering just above your head.
And this light symbolizes healing,
Love,
And renewal.
So just picture it in your mind's eye,
This golden ball of light hovering over your head.
And we're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Now slowly let this light descend,
Surrounding the top of your head,
And feel it gently warming and soothing you.
It feels so comfortable to have this golden light moving down over our body.
As the light moves down,
Let it touch every part of your body,
Just warming you and soothing you.
As it moves down over your forehead and your jaw and your shoulders,
Let the light flow down your arms and through your chest and into your abdomen.
Feel it growing,
Warming.
Moving down over your legs and your feet.
And all the while you're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Our breath is like a river,
As it flows in and flows out.
Now,
If you feel willing,
I'd like you to repeat the following positive affirmations.
You can say them out loud or to yourself,
Whichever makes you happy.
Remember,
This is your meditation.
I'm just the guide.
I'll say each one twice.
So here we go.
I am whole.
I am whole.
I am resilient.
I am resilient.
And last one.
I welcome healing into my life.
I welcome healing into my life.
Now,
I'd like you to continue breathing and just imagine any emotional wounds or burdens you carry,
Any pains that you have,
And view them as dark clouds.
Now,
I want you to watch as the golden light sweeps them away,
Leaving only clear skies in their place.
And because of that,
You are lighter,
Freer,
And at peace.
Now,
As we continue to breathe,
I want you to think of someone you are grateful for,
No matter how small.
Something or someone,
A person,
An animal,
Or something in your life.
And hold this feeling in your heart and let gratitude fill every corner of your being.
We're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
You know,
When I had my strokes and they told me I would never walk again,
It was extremely difficult.
But meditation helped me.
It helped me to deal with just the nature of my situation.
And I have used meditation in getting in touch with my breath,
Multiple times a day,
To help me.
It helped me when I was learning to walk again.
It gave me the focus I needed.
It helped me to deal with painful tests.
Getting in touch with my breath allowed me to stay calm during frequent stays in the hospital.
It allowed me to stay mindful when I was told that I only had five years to live or that I would never walk again.
It was meditation that helped me to keep a good attitude and to manage the stresses that came from walking with a cane and only having partial use of my left arm and leg.
It also helped me to remain calm when I would choke because I have no gag reflex on the left side of my throat.
I utilized box breathing,
Alternate nostril breathing,
4-7-8 breathing,
And more.
I used positive affirmations and visualizations.
And during this time,
I came to truly believe that words and thoughts have power.
So I don't know where I would be without meditation and mindfulness,
Without getting in touch with my breath.
It has helped me through all the most difficult periods in my life.
It helped me to heal from strokes when they told me I wouldn't be able to.
You know how I like quotes.
So I have a good one by author Bryant McGill who said,
The goal of healing is not to be forever happy.
That is impossible.
The goal of healing is to be awake to the beauty of life.
I just want you to keep breathing,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Notice your body.
Notice the golden light that's engulfing you.
The golden light that is calming,
Keeping you in this moment.
You know,
The Buddha said that you yourself,
As much as anyone in the universe,
Deserves your love and affection.
And that's why you always hear me say that you have to be kind to yourself.
Now as we sit here,
Bathed in our golden light,
Thinking with gratitude for someone or something that we're thankful for in our life,
We're all here together.
And meditation and mindfulness can help to heal you from emotional trauma,
Physical trauma,
Or any issues that you have.
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.
Life can be hard.
But meditation and mindfulness,
Getting in touch with your breath multiple times a day,
Can help to ease the stress,
Can make your life better.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session.
Till next time.
