Embracing Softness: The Art Of Slowing Down Meditation

Life can be filled with chaos — rarely are we encouraged to slow down and embrace rest. In a world full of pushing, it is a rebellious act of nature to be soft and to embrace the art of slowing down. If you find yourself getting caught up in overdoing and struggling to make time for rest, this 15-minute meditation will help you soften into yourself through gentle breath work, guided visualizations, and mindful body scanning. Learn to make holy rest a sacred ritual in your daily life. When you feel tension, soften. When you want to push, allow. And finally, when you want to do, just be. You are worthy.

Music: Meditation Music Library by Music of Wisdom

Transcript

With palms clenched and jaws tight, We've been taught to move through life in the energy of a push. That the breath need be shallow and short, Our shoulders raised and concave. The body is locked into a posture of bracing. Bracing to protect the delicate temple that lives within. To soften against the blow of a world that's stuck in the doing. The ability to do is a privilege and a gift. We wouldn't be able to bring beautiful creations to life or to feel the rush of endorphins at the expense of each stride while moving our physical vessels through a job. Without the doing, Dirty dishes would stand tall in an endless stack. Trash would pile up and gather flies. And weeds would drain soil of precious nutrients, Preventing flowers from blooming to their most luscious essence. Society loves doing. Placing value at the highest level on those who can do more than the other. Money, Energy, And power are handed to those who can produce the most sales, Products, And services. Praises, Raises, And worthiness are hinged on levels of productivity. Slowly but surely, The vast sea of sacred souls who carry the divine fell into the trap of believing that we are simply a means to an end. In all of the doing, We have forgotten how to be. How much can we produce? What can we sacrifice now at the expense of an unguaranteed future? How can we dim our natural gifts to take up a job that values how much we can produce, Not the beauty of our art and innate creativity? These are the stories we tell ourselves, Inherited from our ancestors, Teachers, Brothers, And sisters, To keep us from uncovering the knowingness that we are the divine disguised as a body. What would your life look like, Dear one, If you didn't have to push? What would it feel like to not always be in a rush? What if you knew that inside of you exists a love that never wavers? That an endless sea of creative inspiration swirls within you, And that you didn't have to do anything to unleash it? How would your days unfold if your worthiness wasn't hinged on how many checks you can tick off of your to-do list? What if you already knew and understood that you are worthy of all that you desire, And that you didn't have to do anything to earn love, Success, Happiness, Peace, And joy, As if your inherent divinity is some kind of exchange to be offered? What if, In order to access that boundless love, Innate creativity, An ocean of peace and joy that's already within you, All you had to do was open up your palms, Deepen your breath, And receive. Take a moment now to soften into your body. Feel your body pressing against the earth. With every inhale, Send your breath deep into the space beneath your belly button, And feel your ribcage open up and expand. With each inhale, Feel as if the earth is rising with your chest. When you exhale, Feel yourself melt more deeply into the earth, Softening as you return home to yourself. Feel the earth gather you in her sacred arms as you turn your awareness inward. Nature never rushes. She flows through her cycles and seasons with grace and ease, Trusting that the rain will fall when it's supposed to, That the sun will rise at dawn, And that the moon will grow dark and then full each month. If nature moves through her cycles and seasons, Then why, Dear one, As a vessel carved with the minerals of the soil and filled with the water of nature's purest springs, Would your life look any differently? Why would you have to push through your subtle cycles and seasons, Drinking caffeine when tired or sitting in an ice-cold office when your body craves the sun, When all life wants to offer you is the sweet gift of deep rest and peace, As much as it gives you energy and vitality? Take a moment to bring your awareness to your body, Your physical vessel. Open up your palms widely in a posture of perceiving, And allow your body to exhale a big sigh of relief as you soften inward and allow yourself to just be. Scan your physical vessel. Where have you been holding onto tension in your muscles, Tissues, Fascia, And bones? What spaces feel tight and taut, In need of blood flow and breath? Scan your mind. Where have you been forcing, Resisting change, And pushing? Which loops of distorted thoughts have you been entrapped in? Scan your emotions. How have you been avoiding the urge to feel, Choosing to dissociate and close when all your body craves is surrender? Now, Bring the energy of softening to your awareness. At your next inhale, Send the softness of a gentle sea breeze to your physical vessel, Right to those tight, Tense places. Tell your body, It is safe to let go. This is no longer mine to carry. My body is my home. Allow the spaces within your physical vessel to soften, To let go. Bring the energy of softening to your mind. Tell your mind, I am embracing the flow of life. I need not push. I have a right to rest. Allow the thoughts in your mind to settle. As a stillness washes over you, Bring the energy of softness and tenderness to your emotions. Tell your emotions, I hear you. I see you. I am worthy of receiving all that I desire. My worthiness is sourced from within. Rest is productive. I give and receive in a perfect balance. Allow your emotions to settle as you welcome any feelings, Maybe sadness, Maybe anger. Just allow yourself to feel. Let the emotions come up and out as you soften into the love of your heart space. Bring your awareness to your heart. Tell your heart, I allow the safe and gentle yet fierce and fiery burn of my unwavering love to fill all of the cells in my body, The thoughts in my mind, And the feelings of my emotions. I love myself unconditionally. My foundation of self-love is strong. I am safe and free to be me. Take a big deep breath in and sigh a big exhale. Let the power of these words alchemize the past and rewire your experiences of the future. With every inhale, Breathe in all that you desire, All that you are worthy of. With every exhale, Let go of all that no longer serves. In a world of pushing, It is a rebellious act of nature to be soft and to embrace the art of slowing down. Let these qualities fuel your daily life as you make holy rest a sacred ritual. When you're tired, Rest. When you feel tension, Soften. When you want to push, Allow. And finally, When you want to do, Just be. You are worthy.