So if we haven't met before,
My name is Amber.
I use she her pronouns.
I'm a meditation teacher and I help people learn how to manage the stress of life with mindfulness and meditation.
And my intention with this weekly class is to just create a regular time and place where we can all come and gather whoever's available at the beginning of the week every week to check in,
Reset,
And just be together.
And this week I've been thinking as part of showing up,
Honestly,
As our full selves,
Right?
I never want to pretend that things are okay when they're not okay.
Um,
Because the work of meditation is to be present,
Right?
To it all,
Um,
Opening to and letting ourselves like feel fully what we feel.
And I just want to acknowledge that with everything that's been going on in the world recently,
Specifically in Gaza and Israel,
Right?
Many of us might feel horrified and exhausted and confused maybe by what we've been seeing,
Right?
Feeling tired of seeing all the horribleness and the pain.
And for me personally,
Right?
When I think about the violence that's been happening and asking myself like,
Okay,
What is it going to take to create like big P piece on a global level,
Right?
The feeling that I get is that I feel overwhelmed,
Right?
Like what's happening is bigger than me,
Bigger than what I can personally affect.
And it's really easy to just get like stuck right there.
Um,
But what helps I think is I remember I heard a teacher say once that the reason the world is the way that it is,
Is because people are the way that they are.
And so if we want a peaceful world,
We need to become more peaceful people.
So I didn't say like passive people or like ignorant people,
Right?
But to be a peaceful person sometimes means to let yourself feel disturbed,
Right?
To feel horrified and to take right action.
So today,
If you feel disturbed,
Right?
Let yourself be disturbed.
If you're horrified,
Let yourself be horrified.
And equally as well,
Like if you feel peaceful and content today,
Right?
Let yourself feel that too.
And I hope today's practice will help us be witnesses for ourselves and for each other.
Let's transition into our meditation for today.
So go ahead and find your position and make sure,
You know,
Whatever position you do take is really comfortable.
You know,
I want you to feel really safe and supported today,
Whatever that looks like for you.
Maybe if you'd like,
You can cover yourself with a nice blanket,
Maybe create a little nest with some pillows,
Right?
Support your back,
Whatever you can do to make your space really nice and comfortable for yourself.
And whenever you're feeling ready,
We can begin by closing the eyes.
Peel the floor under your feet.
Start to notice your breath.
The feeling of your hands resting in your lap.
Feeling your back draw long and tall.
And then on your own time,
Nice and slow,
You can start to shift your attention from the external world to your internal one.
Perhaps relaxing the face,
Melting the shoulders down,
Noticing the breath,
The way it flows in through the nose on each exhale,
On each inhale,
And how it feels as the breath passes through the throat and into the chest.
And also being attentive to the exhale,
The way the chest contracts.
Maybe there's a feeling of release as the breath exits the body.
And your only job right now is to start to notice what sensations are here in the body and get curious about them.
And sometimes these feelings can be quite loud and obvious,
Like a sharp physical pain or maybe a thought that feels really important and urgent.
And maybe they're sort of grabbing at our attention and they can be hard to ignore.
That's okay.
We can make space for them.
And in fact,
See if you can do that now.
Make a little space for these feelings,
Whatever is here,
Allowing them to take up space in your body and in your awareness,
And making sure you breathe through it the whole time.
Other times,
Things we feel aren't so obvious.
Sometimes they're more subtle and quiet.
Maybe there's a dull feeling in the arms and legs or perhaps a feeling of tension or emptiness in the pit of the stomach.
Taking a moment to identify what's here.
Noticing where in the body that you feel it.
Maybe the throat or the chest.
Perhaps it's the shoulders or arms or legs,
Wherever you feel it.
Wherever you feel it,
See if you can make a little space for these subtle feelings as well.
Not needing to fix or change anything.
Is it possible,
Even just a little bit,
To allow these sensations,
Both strong and subtle,
Pleasant and unpleasant,
To be here in your body today?
Not resisting the experience,
But instead trusting that the simple act of bringing awareness to a situation is meaningful,
Even if the situation itself doesn't change.
Noticing if there's any mental commentary,
Any reactions you may be having.
And as always,
Using the breath to support us.
To support us.
Coming back to your inhales and exhales whenever you need them.
I started class today talking about big P peace and how sometimes it can feel overwhelming.
But when I meditate,
I'm reminded about little p peace.
The kind that I can nurture inside myself and share with the others around me.
And when I think about that,
Things start to feel a little bit more manageable.
And so as we come a little closer to the end of this meditation,
Is there something that you can offer to yourself that can help bring you a little peace?
Maybe it's a phrase like,
I see you.
I'm here.
I care.
Maybe if it feels right,
You can place a gentle hand over your heart,
Extending a little bit of comfort to yourself.
Or maybe what you need is what you're already doing.
Just the simple act of showing up with your own kind and gentle presence.
All right,
My dear friends,
Let's close our meditation with a deep breath together.
Exhale all the air in your lungs out until they're completely empty.
And together,
We'll take an inhale,
Nice and slow,
Take as long as you'd like.
And when your lungs are nice and full,
One final exhale,
Release.
All right,
My dear,
Take your time with these next steps.
Whenever you're ready.
When you're ready to move again,
You can gently open your eyes and make your way back to us here on the screen.
Thank you all for being here today and for your presence.
I know that this work is not always easy to do,
So I really applaud you.
I hope you all have a really lovely rest of your evening,
And hopefully I'll see you next week.
