Week 8.
Moving forward.
Welcome,
I'm Dr Ed.
This is week 8,
The final practice in this series.
10 minutes to reflect on where you've been,
Where you are now and where you're going next.
Over the past 7 weeks you've practiced Noticing Autopilot Reconnecting with your body Observing your thoughts Sitting with discomfort Creating a pause Offering yourself compassion And bringing mindfulness into everyday life.
That is not nothing.
And today is about integration.
About making this sustainable.
About committing to what comes next.
So,
Find a comfortable position and let's begin.
Take 3 deeper breaths.
In and out through your nose.
Breathe in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Now,
Let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Notice that you're here.
You've showed up.
For 8 weeks you've been doing this work.
And that matters.
A lot of men start,
But very few finish.
And you're here.
In week 8.
Give yourself credit for that.
Think back to week 1.
8 weeks ago.
Where were you?
What brought you here?
What were you struggling with?
What were you hoping would change?
Maybe you were burned out.
Or overwhelmed.
Maybe you were tired of feeling disconnected from your life.
Take a moment now to acknowledge that's where you were.
Not where you are now.
Where you were.
Notice what it felt like to start this.
The skepticism.
The resistance.
The hope that something might shift.
You were willing to try something different.
And that took courage.
Now notice what's different.
You might notice big changes.
Or you might notice small ones.
Both matter.
Maybe you catch yourself on autopilot more often now.
Maybe you notice tension in your body before it becomes chronic.
Maybe you can watch a thought spiral without getting swept away.
Maybe you can pause before reacting.
Maybe you're kinder to yourself than you were 8 weeks ago.
These aren't small things.
These are the skills that change how you experience life.
Ask yourself what practice resonated most.
What surprised you?
What was harder than you expected?
What are you noticing now that you could not see before?
You don't need to have all the answers.
But just notice what has shifted.
What has changed.
Here's the key part.
This isn't the end.
It's the beginning.
8 weeks builds a foundation.
What you do next determines whether it lasts.
Think about this.
What practice do you want to keep?
You don't need to do all of them.
You don't need to meditate for an hour every day.
But you need to do something.
Maybe it's 5 minutes of breath awareness every morning.
Maybe it's 3 minutes breathing space when stress spikes.
Maybe it's a body scan once a week.
Maybe it's your free anchor activities showing up fully for ordinary moments.
What feels sustainable?
What actually fits into your life?
Choose one thing and commit to it.
Not because you should,
But because it helps.
Now make a commitment to yourself.
Not something vague like I'll try and be more mindful.
But a specific commitment.
It will sound like this.
I'll practice the specific practice at the specific frequency.
So for example,
I will do a 10 minute body scan every Sunday morning.
I will use the 3 minute breathing space when I notice stress building.
I will be fully present for my morning coffee.
My commute home and walking through the door.
What's yours?
Decide now.
A specific practice and a specific frequency.
Write it down after this meditation.
And tell someone if that helps you to stick to it.
Put a reminder on your phone.
The practice that continues is the practice you actually do.
Not the practice you think you should do.
Here's what you've really been practicing.
It's not about meditation.
It's about how you live.
You've been practicing.
Noticing when you're on autopilot.
Coming back to the present moment.
Being with difficulty instead of avoiding it.
Treating yourself with kindness instead of criticism.
These are skills for life and they apply to everything.
Relationships,
Work,
Stress,
Decision making.
How you show up for the people you care about.
The formal practice for meditations train the muscle.
But the real practice is your life.
Being present for your actual life.
Not the life you think you should have.
But the one you are actually living.
That is the work.
And you are doing it.
So,
Let's bring this to a close.
Take three deeper breaths.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
You've completed eight weeks of practice.
That's not the end of the journey.
But it's the beginning.
You now have the tools.
You know how to notice autopilot.
You know how to reconnect with your body.
You know how to work with different thoughts and sensations.
You know how to pause.
You know how to be kind to yourself.
The question is,
What will you do with these tools?
My hope is this.
That you continue.
In whatever way works for you.
That you keep coming back to presence.
That you're kinder to yourself than you were eight weeks ago.
That you live more of your life awake instead of on autopilot.
Thank you for practicing.
Thank you for showing up.
Remember,
Every moment is a chance to begin again.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
