Welcome,
Dear one.
I am so grateful you are here for a meditation practice on befriending fear.
The poet Reina Maria Rilke says,
Perhaps everything that frightens us is,
In its deepest essence,
Something helpless that wants our love.
In this practice,
We will turn towards what wants our love,
Towards the fear that can visit us in various forms through anxiety,
Worry,
Ruminating thoughts,
And doubt.
For when we open a seat at the table for our fear,
We can listen to the message that lives within the one who is afraid,
Understanding its true nature and purpose.
So I invite you to come into a comfortable position.
Close down your eyes.
Settle into the softness of your breath and your body.
Rest into this precious moment here together.
And notice where your body contacts the furniture or floor beneath you.
Breathe deeply into this connection,
Into the embodied experience of being held and supported.
Let any tension from the back of your body unspool with every breath.
How can you invite in a little more softness while staying rooted and connected to the ground beneath you?
Breathe deeply into both your strength and your softness.
Allow both to have a place within you and then let go on an open mouth exhale.
Repeat this two more times,
Breathing in deeply and then letting go on an open mouth exhale.
Now let your breath be natural,
Bringing your loving awareness to your inhales and exhales.
Feel how your chest and belly rise and fall with each breath.
If thoughts are present,
Notice them with gentle acknowledgement and then bring your awareness back,
Back to your body,
Back to your breath.
And invite your eyes,
Your jaw,
Your mouth,
Your entire face to relax.
Invite your shoulders and neck to soften.
Feel into your heart space.
Sense the flowing in and through your heart.
As you rest into your heart,
See if you can connect with your wise self.
This is your most authentic,
Loving,
Intuitive self.
The one who is calm,
Confident,
And connected to yourself and to life.
Feel this wise one within your body.
Where do they reside?
How do they feel?
Maybe they have a shape or a color?
Let your wise self inhabit your body.
Now imagine a beautiful wooden table in a peaceful setting like a meadow or a cozy house.
Visualize and invite your wise self to sit at the head of this table.
Take the posture of your wise self within your own body.
Feel yourself present,
Embodied,
And open to welcoming whoever visits your table.
Now gently,
Lovingly,
Open a seat at the table for your fear.
See the fear as a part coming to join your wise self at the table.
Meet this part with curiosity.
What does the fear look and feel like?
Perhaps you see the fear as a younger part of you,
As a small child or a teenager in need of love.
Notice how does this part express itself?
What do they want to say?
Become aware too of where you feel this part in your own body.
Maybe in your shoulders,
A tightness in your chest,
An aching in your throat.
Breathe into your body and make space for whatever is arising within you.
Remember there is no right or wrong here.
Trust in your own unique process.
And as you sit beside your fear,
I invite you to pause and to listen fully and deeply to a poem of my own.
Imagining these words landing into the fearful part of you,
Into the part that is calling for your love.
For once I will not ask you to leave.
I will not silence your wearied words,
Nor chant invocations in your ears.
I will not put you on a bus,
Nor plop you on a plane headed anywhere far from here.
I will not bury you in clods of earth,
Nor sage you in smoke,
Nor scatter you in a field.
I will not hurl you into fire,
Nor alchemize you to ash.
I will not pray on my knees begging again and again and again for your prompt deportation.
Rather,
I will offer a seat,
Velvet,
Soft,
And emerald at a long mahogany table.
And I will sit beside you,
Quiet and curious as the unhurried heart.
Listening,
Just listening.
Taking a deep breath now into your own heart,
Then releasing on an open mouth exhale.
See if you can rest as the unhurried heart,
Embodying the essence of curiosity and quiet care.
Come back to your table and ask your fear,
What do you need?
What do you want?
And just listen.
If emotions come,
Let them come.
If sensations arise,
Let them arise.
As you stay present with what is here,
Breathe into a felt sense of safety within your own body.
Feel your feet on the ground,
Your heart open,
Your belly soft.
Offer yourself some soothing touch,
Perhaps a hand on your heart,
One on your belly.
You may even say these words to your fear.
I am here.
I am here.
I am here.
We are safe.
We can trust.
Visualize your table again.
See this part one last time.
Offer your sincere gratitude for this space together.
And you may commit to coming back to this table and opening a seat at the table for your fear whenever you feel them calling for your love.
As you begin to let go of the visualization,
Notice how your body feels now.
Take a few deeper breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Invite in some movement by rolling your neck and shoulders.
You're rocking your body gently side to side.
Feel the connection between your feet and the ground beneath you.
Remember you are held.
You are safe.
Now begin to connect with the room and space you are in.
And then when you feel ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Looking around your space,
Being here in this moment.
Dear one,
I invite you to return to this practice whenever you need to,
Embodying your wise,
Unhurried heart as you offer a seat at the table for your fear.
Thank you for taking the time to practice with me today.
So much love to you.
Thank you for being.
