Hello.
Welcome to this holiday season meditation.
Thank you for joining me in this practice.
I hope that you'll find it as a useful tool to help you calm down when things are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.
Christmas is thought to be a very cheerful and positive time of year,
And it can also be very busy,
Stressful,
And even a bit sad at times for some of us.
It's important to take time for yourself.
Give yourself a moment to pause during the chaos.
A moment to allow yourself to feel the big emotions that might be lingering.
A moment to drop into your body.
A moment to just breathe.
So let's begin by bringing your attention inward.
Dropping your gaze to your lap or maybe closing your eyes.
Notice where your body connects to the surface beneath you.
Allow your body to be heavy,
Rested,
And supported by the earth below you.
If you'd like,
You can shift your position so that you are able to remain still throughout the practice and be comfortable too.
Sitting up nice and tall but in a relaxed,
Comfortable way.
Let your shoulders fall away from your ears.
Let the muscles in your face,
Around your eyes,
And your jaw soften,
Relax.
Allow your belly to be heavy,
Relaxing through your hips and your legs.
Drawing a deep breath into your lungs and then a giant sigh.
Let all that go.
And then gently shift your attention to that breath.
Closing your mouth and noticing how it feels to breathe in and out through your nose.
Begin to draw the breath in at a slow and steady pace,
Not forcing anything to be deep but rather just slowing down a little bit more and more with each breath.
Then releasing the breath the same way,
That slow and steady pace.
Allow your attention to shift to your physical body and notice if it's holding on to any tension.
Can you visualize that sweet,
Healing breath coming into your body and finding that area of tension?
And then can you hold the breath there for just a moment?
And as you release the breath,
Visualize that tension being released too.
Repeat this as many times as necessary until all the tension has been released from your body.
If your mind begins to wander,
Just gently nudge it back,
Focusing back on the breath.
Now let's take this opportunity to reflect on some blessings in your life.
If I were to ask you,
What's good in your life?
Where does your mind take you immediately?
Bring to mind something that you are truly grateful for.
A person or a pet.
It could be an opportunity or even a place.
Perhaps you are blessed to be flooded with images of things that you're grateful for.
Or maybe you're facing a difficult time in your life right now and you need to dig a little bit deeper to think about the good things that are happening all around you.
Gratitude is such a powerful mood booster.
Feeling and expressing gratitude can often shift your energy from being low to an expansive and abundant frequency.
I believe that when we practice visualizing best-case scenarios,
We train our minds to think of more positive outcomes instead of the worrying and the our minds do when it's running wild with thoughts.
So can you begin to visualize the holiday season that you want to have?
Be specific as possible as you imagine all the different holiday scenarios going exactly as you would like.
The family dinners,
Office parties,
Finding and buying or making the perfect present.
All of your travel plans all going perfectly.
Maybe it's your dream to spend some time alone.
Or maybe you dream of a big family gathering where everyone gets along and full of joy and cheer.
Maybe you're dreaming of spending the holiday with someone special.
Even if it's not possible in this life,
It's always possible in your dreams.
So allow yourself to dream best-case scenario for this holiday season.
And as you begin to imagine your dream holiday,
Can you notice how it makes you feel?
As you proceed with your plans today and the days to follow,
Take a moment to pause when you notice this feeling return.
The feeling of gratitude,
Joy and love.
When it shows up,
Pause to take a breath and be present with your feelings.
If you find yourself in a difficult situation or feeling low,
You can use this gratitude practice to raise your vibration.
Open your heart and your mind to the possibility that things are working out for the best and for your highest good.
And remind yourself that somewhere,
Someone is grateful for you and your presence in their life too.
If you are unable to find the laughter and love this season,
Then perhaps you can try to look to be that laughter and love for someone else.
Who will you be spending your holidays with?
And what feeling is it that you want to embody?
When you hear the word peace,
What does that word bring to mind?
Releasing your worries,
Judgments,
Fears and doubts with every exhale,
Visualize the most peaceful place that you know.
Here in this place,
You're free from the stress,
Burdens and the hustle and bustle of this holiday season.
Inhale.
Welcome in that calm energy and fresh air into your lungs and let it fill up your body.
And then letting go of any unwanted thoughts and any lingering tension as you release the breath and everything that comes with it.
This is how you connect to the peace within yourself,
The inner peace.
Allow your breath to find its natural rhythm.
Allow your awareness to drift back to the present moment.
Take a moment to notice what you can hear in the space around you.
Notice if you can smell anything in the space around you.
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Look around,
Notice what you see.
Stay fully present in this moment as you take in your surroundings.
Notice how you feel.
Give space for whatever you're feeling.
Because it's all OK and all of your feelings are valid.
And if you find yourself in a low energy space,
Try to think of a way to show up and make a positive impact on someone else's day.
When we are unable to find peace around us,
May we always remember that there is peace to be found within us.
Thank you for being here.
I appreciate your presence.
I wish you a very happy holiday season and a blessed new year.
Namaste.
