Hello and welcome to Move Into Mindfulness.
My name is Eve and today I will be guiding you through a meditation designed to help cultivate self-compassion and foster hope,
Comfort and reassurance during challenging times.
I am here to remind you that whatever you're going through,
You have the inner strength and resilience to get through this.
Even though it may not feel like it right now,
It is often during our most challenging times that we grow the most.
A quote by Christine Kane says,
Sometimes when you're in a dark place,
You think you've been buried,
But you've actually been planted.
This meditation invites you to entertain the possibility that the current challenges you are experiencing could be used as an opportunity to cultivate a stronger,
More loving relationship with yourself.
Whatever uncomfortable emotions you have been experiencing in response to your circumstances.
We will use them to practice self-acceptance and compassion.
When we learn to embrace our emotions with love in this way,
It can help to create space for them to flow and transform.
When you are ready,
Let's begin by finding a comfortable seated or lying down position.
You may wish to close your eyes or keep them gently open.
Whatever feels best for you.
Let's begin by taking three deep breaths together.
Inhale through your nose to arrive in the here and now.
And exhale out through your mouth to let go of the day so far.
Inhale to arrive.
And exhale to let go.
Inhale to arrive.
And exhale to let it all go.
Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm and simply observe.
We're not trying to change anything here.
Just notice what it's like for you to be alive and breathing today.
Take a moment of gratitude to acknowledge that despite all you've been through in your life,
You're still here.
Despite any difficulties and challenges you faced in the past.
You have gotten through them,
So you have the potential to get through whatever you're going through right now.
Now we're going to start by practicing being lovingly present with our emotions.
It is important to note that before we do this,
If at any moment throughout this session you start to feel too overwhelmed,
Please listen and honor what's right for you and your body.
This may mean letting go of my directions and simply returning to your breath.
Using it as an anchor to help ground you.
Or perhaps even pausing the meditation and returning to it another time if you wish.
Whatever led you here today,
Begin to tune in with how you're feeling in this moment.
Notice any emotions that are present for you and see if you can begin to label them.
For example,
You may feel anger.
Anxiety.
Sadness or disappointment.
Perhaps you may feel multiple emotions.
See if you can identify what you are feeling right now.
Remember,
Whatever you're experiencing,
All of your feelings are valid.
Now choose the emotion that feels the strongest for you.
And begin to sense where this emotion presents itself in your body.
Maybe you feel it as a tightness in your chest.
Or perhaps a pressure in your head.
There may even be several areas where you feel this emotion.
Where do you feel this emotion most strongly?
Bring all of your attention to how it feels in your body.
As you hold this emotion with loving awareness,
See if you can invite in a sense of surrender,
Relaxing any tension or stress.
If you find your mind beginning to drift into thoughts or stories about the emotion.
Gently bring back your awareness to the raw physical sensations in your body.
Often it is challenging to sit still and move towards our emotions.
It can feel scary and seem counterintuitive.
But sometimes the only way to heal it is to feel it.
Stay present with yourself here as you continue to hold your emotions with loving awareness.
If at any point things begin to feel too overwhelming.
Like I mentioned earlier,
You're welcome to return to your breath as an anchor.
Or anything else that you find helpful.
You may find that by allowing your emotions this space to be.
They start to shift and transform.
Or perhaps they still feel the same.
The goal is not to try and make the sensations disappear.
It is simply to practice being present with the difficult feelings,
With love and compassion.
Rather than judgment and self-criticism.
I will now give you space to keep practicing this for a few more moments.
Now begin to let go of this exercise by returning your attention to focusing on your breath.
Let go of any expectations you may have placed on yourself to feel better.
And instead,
Let's invite in self love by focusing on sending deep breaths all the way down into your heart space.
As you inhale,
Focus on breathing in care and compassion for yourself.
And as you exhale,
Focus on letting go of anything that is not serving you.
Now as you begin to connect back to your natural breath rhythm.
I invite you to entertain the possibility that although things may still feel very challenging and uncomfortable in your life right now,
Perhaps even like you're falling apart at times.
Sometimes things have to fall apart so something new can fall together.
And sometimes a breakdown can lead to a breakthrough.
This is true for caterpillars undergoing metamorphosis.
Just as a caterpillar has to break down in order to evolve into a butterfly.
What if your inner struggles could be used to serve you and help you to evolve?
What if,
Despite how difficult life might feel for you right now,
There may be lessons and learning to be gained?
What if your challenging experiences could be harnessed as an opportunity for self-growth?
A chance to look inwards and consciously cultivate more self-love and compassion.
A chance to expand your awareness of the human experience,
In turn generating more empathy,
Not only for yourself,
But also for others.
So just like a caterpillar,
Even though it may not feel like it right now.
Whatever you're going through,
There's potential to grow through.
The fact that you searched for this meditation today and had the courage to show up for yourself is already proof of that.
Remember,
This too shall pass.
If one thing is for certain in life,
Change is inevitable.
Whatever you're going through,
Things won't always be this way.
Thank you so much for listening.
May love guide you as you move throughout the rest of your day.
