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 negativity and how creating a protective bubble is a powerful tool for dealing with negativity.
It often seems in the world today that there's a lot of negative energy,
And it's generated by a wide range of things,
The lingering pandemic,
Politics,
Wealth inequality,
Political unrest in so many parts of the world,
And more.
And in our lives,
We sometimes have individuals who cause negative energy or negativity in general,
Maybe a neighbor or a coworker or a relative.
And negativity drags on us.
It pulls us down and spoils our sense of peace,
Our tranquility.
It makes us tense and out of sorts.
Negativity can make us nervous and irritable and unhappy and uncomfortable,
And it makes us short-tempered.
And the problem is,
Is that negative energy is a force in our lives.
It doesn't just sit there.
It works on us.
It nibbles at our peace and our tranquility.
And if you were here for the live session where I talked about the circle of control,
Or if you've listened to that meditation,
You may realize that many of these things are outside of our control.
We can't directly change what's going on.
But what we can do is manage how we deal with it,
How we react to it.
You have to remember that words have power and thoughts have power.
And as people who meditate,
You already have a jumpstart on getting ahead of negativity.
Your practice of meditation and mindfulness puts you in a better spot for dealing with negative emotions and negative input from outside.
Learning to love yourself can be a first step to reclaiming a sense of personal space and defining your boundaries.
And a really good way to deal with this negative emotions is to conjure a bubble,
A powerful bubble around yourself,
A bubble that protects you from all the nastiness in the world.
Close your eyes now and let's 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.
First let's scan our body and begin to relax.
Relax your face,
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck and your shoulders,
Such common places for tension in today's world.
Relax your arms and your hands and let go of any tension in your chest and belly and feel yourself getting heavier with each and every breath.
Relax your legs and your feet,
Your arms and your hands and as you begin to relax let's focus more on our breath.
Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
Just inhale slowly and gently exhale.
Just breathe how you breathe and don't force anything.
Notice your breath as it flows in,
Maybe a cool sensation in your nose or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and flows out.
All the while we're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Now as you breathe and continue to relax,
Begin to visualize a bubble around your body.
See it in your mind's eye and take as much time as you need to mentally create a bubble enveloping you.
Visualize it and see the shape and the color and the size of the bubble.
Remember this is your meditation and so it needs to be your bubble.
Take your time with it because you can bring your bubble back to help you again and again so make it your own.
Mine is bluish green because it reminds me of water and you can use just about any color,
Yellow,
Blue,
Gray,
Clear.
Once you can clearly see yourself surrounded by a bubble,
Try to draw up a memory of a time or an experience when you felt particularly calm or in charge or particularly powerful and let that feeling emanate out of your body to fill the entire bubble.
Just take a minute or two to do this.
Perhaps to you the feeling has a color or a quality that you can see as it fills your bubble and after you filled your bubble,
Take another moment to just observe it as it sits around you.
We're just continuing to breathe,
Breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
Creating a bubble of protection to shield yourself from negativity is a wonderful intention.
Be aware of your thoughts and your emotions and the energy around you.
Because when negativity arises,
Regular meditation or mindfulness practices can help you to stay centered and grounded and when negativity does arise,
You can immediately call up your protective bubble.
That's why it's important for it to be your bubble,
The color,
The size and thickness.
Which is what you want and then you can call it up again and again.
Now as we're surrounded by our bubble,
Imagine the bubble expanding each time you inhale and contracting each time you exhale so that the bubble is moving with your breath.
As we continue to breathe,
Picture your bubble growing stronger and more vibrant.
Your bubble,
After all,
Is made of light and love and positivity and as you breathe,
See any negative thoughts or energy bouncing off the bubble's surface,
Unable to penetrate it.
Now I'd like you to repeat these affirmations with me.
Say them aloud or silently to yourself.
I am protected.
I am protected.
I am surrounded by love and light.
I am surrounded by love and light.
And then reflect on the things that you're grateful for.
Feel the warmth of gratitude filling your protective bubble.
And express gratitude for the bubble itself,
Knowing it shields you from harm.
And in our daily life,
Before entering challenging situations or environments,
Set an intention for your protective bubble.
Getting in touch with your breath multiple times a day will also help you to deal with negativity.
It makes you more calm and more centered.
Another thing you can do is to use a mantra that bolsters your sense of protection.
Another thing you can do is to repeat affirmations like,
I am surrounded by positive energy,
Or I am safe,
Or I am protected.
And in your life,
We have to make sure that we establish healthy boundaries with people who drain our energy.
Learn to say no when it's necessary.
And some people wear or carry protective symbols like Ankh or Hamsa or Pentacle.
And if you have something like that that means something to you that makes you feel secure,
Then use it if you like.
There is no right way.
Some people use essential oils like frankincense,
Myrrh,
Or lavender,
Which can be calming.
There are even sprays of lavender that you can use on your pillow to help with sleep at night.
And once again,
Remember that your intention matters most.
Trust your intuition and adapt these practices to what resonates with you.
Remember,
It's always your practice.
I'm just a guide.
I've been on this path of mindfulness for a long time,
But I'm just a guide.
And 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 here in this moment.
And I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to join me in this session,
To join me in this moment.
You've heard me say before that time is our most valuable commodity.
And so I'm honored that you've chosen to invest it in me.
And if you'd like to join us in our group,
Meditation with Michael,
Here at Insight Timer,
We'd love to have you.
Just search for it.
So I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session.
And remember,
When we face negativity,
Having a protective bubble that we can visualize with our mind can be a powerful tool to aid us.
Till next time.
