Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I'm going to talk a little bit about self-healing,
And this is based on a live session I did recently.
And if you listen to my meditations or come to my live sessions,
You know that I'm often saying that you need to be kind to yourself,
And you'll also hear me say quite often that words and thoughts have power,
And there's a reason why I say that,
And there's a reason why self-healing modalities resonate.
They give people agency.
When someone feels overwhelmed,
Or stressed,
Or disconnected,
Having a practice you can do by yourself,
Be it breath work,
Or meditation,
Or grounding,
Or journaling,
Creates a sense of empowerment,
Perhaps into your body's built-in regulatory systems.
Practices like slow breathing,
Mindfulness,
Gentle movement,
And visualization all activate the parasympathetic nervous system,
And that's not being mystical,
That's physiology.
So for example,
If you're feeling stressed,
You could make a ritual of sitting in a certain place,
Lighting a candle,
Or some incense,
And then getting in touch with your breath.
And over time,
Your body comes to associate these actions with stress relief.
And whether it's lighting a candle,
Sitting quietly,
Or doing a body scan,
The structure itself can be soothing.
Having recovered from multiple bad strokes,
You can bet that I've used self-healing a lot.
So many of the things that I'm going to recommend today are things that I have done or do myself.
And the thing to remember is in so many other areas of life is that what works for one person might not work for another person.
So you have to find what works for you.
And just like it's always your meditation,
It's your health,
And you'll find out what things help you the most.
Some people find it helpful to do journaling,
Writing down your thoughts and emotions and experiences,
Without judgment,
And help reduce anxiety and increase self-awareness.
Sometimes emotional check-ins,
Taking a few moments each day to ask yourself,
How am I feeling right now?
And name the emotions you're experiencing.
Meditation,
Quieting the mind or focusing on the breath,
Can help manage stress and increase awareness.
And cultivating positivity,
A gratitude practice.
Daily remind yourself of all the things you're thankful for,
And that can shift your mindset towards positivity.
You have to prioritize sleep.
You have to move your body.
You have to make sure you nourish yourself with good food.
You get plenty of rest and relaxation.
You have to set boundaries and learn to say no when necessary to protect your time and your emotional well-being.
Close your eyes now,
And let's get in touch with our breath.
And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
The only thing that truly matters when we meditate is that you're comfortable and alert So as we start to settle in,
Focus on your breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
And then the next.
And then the next.
Let's scan our body.
Relax your face.
Unfurl your brow and unflinch your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
These are common places of tension in today's world,
With people spending time hunched over phones and tablets and laptops.
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.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments.
When you're feeling happy,
When you're feeling sad,
When you're feeling stressed,
Or when you're trying to heal yourself.
Breath is most important.
Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
And if you have thoughts,
Just let them go.
They're like waves on a lake,
Or clouds in the sky,
Or leaves going downstream on a river.
Just breathe.
Just breathe.
And let yourself settle.
Feel the weight of your body being held by the chair or the floor or the earth beneath you.
And there's nothing you need to do right now.
In this moment,
There's nothing you need to fix.
There's nothing you need to solve.
It's just this moment,
You and your breath.
Let your next inhale gently expand your chest.
And let your exhale melt tension downward like warm water flowing through you.
Now if you will,
Begin to imagine your breath as a soft healing light.
And you can choose a color for the light that feels soothing to you.
Maybe a warm gold,
A soft blue,
A gentle green.
Whatever feels right to you.
And as you inhale,
This light enters your body.
You can see it.
And as you exhale,
It loosens and releases anything heavy,
Anything tight,
Or tired.
When we inhale,
There's nourishment.
When we exhale,
There's release.
So as you're sitting there breathing,
Let the breath move into your shoulders.
Into your jaw.
Into your belly.
Let it move into your legs and your hands.
And each breath as I am winding you a little more.
And if you will,
Bring your awareness to the area around your heart.
Not forcing anything,
Just noticing.
And if you will,
Place a hand gently over your heart.
Feel the quiet reassurance of that touch.
Silently offer yourself a phrase of kindness.
Something simple and true.
And I'd like you to repeat the following positive affirmations.
And you can say them either silently or out loud.
And I'll say each one twice.
I am allowed to heal.
I am allowed to heal.
I am worthy of care.
I am worthy of care.
Last one.
I am doing the best I can.
I am doing the best I can.
Let the words echo softly inside of you.
Like ripples on a still lake.
And imagine that healing light from your breath gathering around your heart.
Glowing brighter with each inhale.
And on your exhale,
Let that light spread outward.
Into your chest.
Into your shoulders.
And onto your arms and into your belly.
Your hips.
Your legs.
All the way to your feet.
And let it rise up too.
Into your throat.
Your face.
Your scalp.
So that now your whole body is bathed in gentle restorative light.
And if there is a place inside you that feels tender.
Or tired.
Or in need of attention.
Bring the light there.
Not to force change.
Just to offer warmth.
And presence.
And compassion.
Let that part of you know.
You are not alone.
I am here with you.
You are just breathing.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Surrounded by this healing light.
Begin to imagine the healing light settling into every cell of your body.
Like soft embers glowing quietly.
And feel your breath.
Feel the steadiness of your body.
Feel the calm you've created from within.
And just take a moment to acknowledge yourself.
For showing up.
For choosing healing.
For choosing care.
Healing yourself is one of the best things that you can do.
And you have the power right there within you.
If you listen to my meditations you know that I like quotes.
And I have one for you from American author Caroline Miss.
Who said,
The soul always knows how to heal itself.
The challenge is to silence the mind.
Take in one final inhale through your nose.
And let it out through your mouth.
Letting out a sigh.
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 here in this moment.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each one of you.
And I hope you'll join me again till next time.
