Nurturing the Seeds of Safety,
A meditation by Maggie Stevens based on the work of Tara Brock in Radical Compassion.
Begin by getting comfortable in a stable position.
Feel where your body is in contact with the chair or cushion or floor.
Feel supported by the Earth.
And be aware of your breath as you inhale and exhale.
Lightly scan your body,
Starting from the tip and crown of your head and moving at a pace that works for you down to your toes.
And if you find tension,
Just send your breath there and see if you can consciously relax that part of your body.
And relax into your breathing.
And be curious,
What's the count of your inhale?
And what's the count of your exhale?
Sometimes when we turn our attention to the count of the breath,
It actually slows down.
And whatever it is,
Is just fine for you.
And see if as you breathe,
You can transition your in-breath right into the out-breath in one smooth,
Continuous and easy process.
This is practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness of the sensations of breath.
You may be aware of thoughts or emotions that rise up and move on.
And now that you've established a calm base,
You may want to take your hand and gently place it on your chest or your cheek or your belly or have one hand hold the other.
And simply be aware of that caress of your skin touching skin.
And now try offering yourself a few words of love or comfort.
I'll give you several suggestions,
But use any words that you find true and meaningful.
I'm here.
I'm with you.
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
I'm staying with you.
I'm not going anywhere.
In this moment,
May I be kind to myself.
May I give myself the compassion I need.
May I hold my pain with tenderness.
I am worthy of self-compassion.
This is hard and it's part of being a human.
Repeat whatever phrases bring comfort to your heart.
And now we'll evoke some supportive and loving people or places,
Activities or memories.
And if you don't find anything in one category,
You can just forget that one and go on to the next.
I'll offer several questions and just choose what resonates most deeply with you and brings you the most ease.
With whom do you feel you belong,
Cared for,
Loved,
Secure?
This could be an animal,
A spiritual being,
A historical figure or a loved one.
It could be a character from fiction.
Someone,
Some being,
When you think of them,
You smile.
Now think of a place where you have felt most secure,
Most safe,
Relaxed and strong.
A place that you call home.
It could be this is in the natural world or a fictional setting or maybe it's a place you lived once and it could be a church or some other building.
See if you can picture a place in your mind's eye where it's easy to relax.
See if you can discover an activity that you do that brings you a sense of security or strength or safety or relaxation.
It could be a hobby like drawing,
Dancing,
Gardening.
It could be listening to music or riding a bike,
Playing a sport.
That activity connects you to flow in your own body,
A sense of wholeness.
And now think to an event or experience from your past.
A time when you felt either safe or accomplished,
Empowered,
Strong.
When you were whole,
Your body,
Mind and spirit all together in one place.
And now we'll deepen our attention.
Choose any one of the suggestions,
The person,
The place,
The activity or experience and focus on that.
Bring the details to your mind's eye and notice the feelings that arise in your body.
And where they are in your body.
Savor these experiences of safety and strength and competence,
Creativity,
Relaxation.
Let them sink in deep.
Recognize this as your true nature.
And now recall a worry or an anxiety or an obsession or issue that you've been having.
What are you believing right now?
Now bring back to mind that person or place,
Experience or event from earlier.
That strength,
That calmness.
And see this issue,
Anxiety,
Worry,
Whatever it is,
See it as a package in your hand.
And either hand it over to the person or leave it in your place of strength.
Hand it over saying,
I'm done with this.
This is not my job anymore.
I'm handing it over.
And know that that person or place or time of strength and relaxation can take care of it.
And you can put it down.
Give an expression of thanks and then turn and walk away.
And know that is behind you.
What is the feeling in the body now?
Scan your body.
How does it feel?
How does your heart feel?
How does your mind feel?
Consider what has shifted.
And then be mindful of that.
Remember what has shifted so that you can bring that forth.
Now take a deep breath.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes and reflect on this experience.
