Hi,
I'm Melissa from Meditation for Regular People.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
This session I'll take you through a guided visualization meditation where we'll drop some of the baggage we carry around in the form of anxiety and depression.
We'll take some time to get you really comfortable and relaxed and then let's see if we can lighten the load you're carrying.
Some days that baggage is very heavy,
Some days we hardly notice it,
But let's be with wherever we are,
Whatever we are carrying,
Whatever is easy to release today,
Right here and right now.
I encourage you to find a comfortable and quiet place where you can be undisturbed for a little bit.
Invite your body to rest comfortably wherever you are.
It's okay to sit up on a cushion or really cocoon into a comfy chair or your bed.
Whatever works for you right now today.
Let's be kind to our bodies.
Let them come to a slow stop wherever we're resting.
First let's check in with your body.
How is your body feeling today?
Sometimes our bodies stage a mini rebellion when we ask them to sit down.
They naturally want to be on the move or to the next thing.
So let's let your body know it's okay to take a break by taking a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
And now gently flow that out.
Let's take another long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
And flow it out again.
Let's take one more,
But this time take it from the top of your head all the way to the soles of your feet and invite your body to really slow down and take a break.
Let your body know it's okay to hang out and be still for a while.
Now let's imagine you're standing on the street outside of a house.
It can be your current home,
The home you grew up in,
Or a house that lives in your mind.
Bring your home to life while you picture yourself standing in front of it on the street.
You're holding two heavy suitcases,
One in each hand.
One of those suitcases is full of your worries about the future.
The other suitcase is packed with regrets about your past.
Take a moment standing there in the street holding these two heavy suitcases.
Think about the future.
It will come however it comes.
It will come on its own terms.
Most of what you are worrying about will never happen.
Feel the heavy weight of the suitcase in your hand.
Feel your body struggle to hold it.
Shift your attention to the other heavy suitcase.
Reflect about the past.
Consider how the past can't be changed by you or anyone.
The past is just that,
It's past.
And maybe it didn't even happen the way you remember it.
Maybe the details are fuzzy,
Or maybe you've revised them to tell a better story.
But we can learn from the past while we stand in the present.
We can put in whatever corrections make sense,
Reflect to become more skillful to do better next time and to move on.
Standing there in the street,
Feeling the weight of these suitcases and taking the wisdom of your reflections right here,
Right now,
Make a conscious decision from your heart.
Feel the suitcase of worry about your future.
Feel the heaviness in your hand,
The strain on your body trying to hold it.
What you've given up to keep such a tight grip on it.
Do you need this suitcase?
Is it serving you?
If you're ready to loosen your grip,
Simply drop it.
Simply drop it and see how that feels.
Feel the lightness come into your body.
The freedom that you can now do anything.
And standing there in the street with the other suitcase so heavy about the past,
Feel the suitcase,
The regret about your past.
Feel the heaviness in your hand,
The strain on your body trying to hold it.
What you've given up to keep a tight grip on it.
What does it cost you to open it and revisit it again and again?
What it gets in the way of.
Do you need this suitcase?
Is it serving you?
If you're ready to loosen your grip,
Gently drop it.
Drop it and see how that feels.
Feel that lightness come into your body.
The freedom that you can now do anything.
Walk away from these two suitcases,
Leaving them behind,
Walking into your home.
Feel the lightness,
Feel the freedom.
Find the most comfortable and welcoming seat in your home.
Plop down like you've come in from a long trip and put your feet up.
Relax and rest in the present.
Just breathing,
Taking in that lightness.
Rest in that natural feeling of well-being.
Rest in the awareness of your lightness.
Let's sit for a bit like this,
About 10 minutes without your suitcases,
Without that heaviness and embrace that lightness.
I'll keep an eye on the time.
You just continue to rest with your feet up,
Light and free,
Your body and mind,
Simply following your breath.
Let's begin.
Begin to be aware of the sounds around you,
The room where you're sitting and the world around you.
Simply then welcome yourself home.
Let's take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in together and gently let that go.
Let's take another long,
Slow,
Deep breath in together and slowly release it.
Thank you for lightening your spirit,
Your heart and your life with me today.
You can revisit this lightness anytime by loosening your grip,
Taking a breath and dropping your suitcases.
Take in a slow breath and thank yourself for shifting the world by shifting yourself,
By lightening.
This is how we change the world.
One breath at a time,
One sit at a time,
One person at a time.
Keep breathing.
