Welcome to Meditation with Mary Frances.
I'm so glad you could be here to meditate with me today.
This meditation is to cultivate a sense of wholeness and balance.
Because there are just those days when life leaves us feeling jagged or raw.
We've had a really stressful day at work.
We had a problem with a co-worker.
Maybe we were at home with the kids and they're just on our last nerve.
And for whatever reason,
We just feel very jagged and out of balance.
And we want to regain that sense of wholeness that puts us in a much better frame of mind to deal with our lives.
So let's begin the meditation by getting in a comfortable position,
Whether you're sitting in a chair or sitting on the ground.
Just get comfortable and get in a position where you can straighten your back as much as is comfortable for you.
Just let yourself start to settle in.
And if you haven't closed your eyes,
Go ahead and close your eyes.
Begin to focus inwardly.
And just listen to the sound of your inhale and exhale.
Acquaint yourself with your breath just in this moment.
What's it doing?
What does it sound like right in this present moment?
What does it feel like?
Your breath is unique to you.
So just take this time to listen to it,
Your inhale and exhale.
Be with your breath.
See if you can slowly let it deepen and lengthen without forcing it.
And as you breathe,
Just take one of your hands and place it in the middle of your chest over your heart.
And let yourself bring your focus to that area of your chest where your heart is.
Think of the energy of your heart as that place where all possibilities exist,
Where everything can happen.
And as you breathe,
I want you to imagine that you're sitting at the ocean.
You're perfectly comfortable.
The temperature is perfect.
And you can hear the crash of the waves.
And you're just watching those waves coming in and then going out.
And as you breathe,
I want you to imagine that you can look out over the ocean.
And as far as your eye can see,
All that you see are those waves and water in every direction in front of you.
And that the horizon is so far out where you see the ocean and the sky meet.
There is just this expanse of ocean and sky in front of you.
And there's just this real sense of space.
And breathe that in to your heart,
Letting it just expand that area of your chest,
Letting it soothe,
Letting it create space.
And as you breathe in that image of the ocean,
Let the sound of the bowls create even more space within you.
Let them dissolve any stress from your day,
Any worries.
Let the tide,
Let the waves take any concerns you have far out into the ocean away from you and let them dissolve.
Let the tide,
Let the waves take any concerns you have far out into the ocean away from you.
Let the tide,
Let the waves take any concerns you have far out into the ocean away from you.
And as the sound of the bowls fade away,
Let that image of the ocean fade away with them.
And as you inhale,
Say to yourself,
My inhale opens my heart.
And as you exhale,
My exhale brings me balance.
Just match the words of this affirmation to the length of your inhale and exhale.
My inhale opens my heart,
My exhale brings me balance.
My inhale opens my heart,
My exhale brings me balance.
And just repeat that with your breath to yourself.
My inhale opens my heart,
My exhale brings me balance.
If your hand is still on your heart,
You can put it down on your lap or wherever is comfortable for you.
And let's just take a breath together and sound three ohms.
And you can either sound them out loud or just in your mind.
Just take a breath.
And let's just take a breath together.
Whenever life has left you feeling out of balance or a little raw,
A little jagged around the edges,
You can always come back to the heart.
You can put your hand on your heart,
Bring that image of the ocean back and just take a couple breaths.
You can even just repeat that affirmation to yourself.
My inhale opens my heart,
My exhale brings me balance.
Even if you just do it for a few seconds during your day to bring some awareness to your breath,
And to the balance that already and always exists inside of you.
We just forget that it's there and we need to remind ourselves because life often throws us off and makes us forget.
Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to meditate with me.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate spending this time with you.
