Hello,
And welcome.
This is Erika Garcia-Abragel,
And today we'll be doing a meditation based on the theme of Ikigai.
And Ikigai is the Japanese concept that means a reason for being.
It represents the intersection of four key elements that we all have in our lives,
Which is what you love,
What you are good at,
What the world needs,
And what you can get paid for.
And finding your Ikigai involves identifying a purpose that brings joy and fulfillment while contributing to society and sustaining your livelihood.
And in essence,
It's about discovering a balance between your passion,
Mission,
Vocation,
And profession.
And with finding this balance,
You can lead a beautiful and meaningful life.
So in this meditation,
I'll be guiding you with prompts and questions that you can reflect on as you're sitting in your silence.
I invite you all to begin by finding a seated position,
A comfortable one where you can sit nice and tall and feel supported.
If you have glasses,
Please take them off.
You're going to be gently closing your eyes when you're ready.
And begin with an Ujjayi breath.
You'll start with a deep inhale,
Four to six count,
Deep exhale,
Four to six count,
Allowing for your lungs to completely fill,
Hold for a moment,
Then exhale.
And do it a few times as a controlled breath until you've released all of the tension that you may be holding.
Some of you may be wanting to do open mouth ahs,
Some shoulder shrugs before we begin.
And then when you're ready,
You'll settle into your natural breath.
And as you settle into your natural breath,
Allow the mind to arrive and the mind to become still.
You could place your hands on your thighs or in your laps.
Picture a serene landscape in your mind's vision behind your closed eyelids,
Perhaps a tranquil forest or a calm beach,
Wherever it is that you're going to really feel peace,
Space,
And inspiration.
Because in this essence of feeling space,
I want you to explore the essence of feeling expansive beyond your casing of your skin.
Because I want you to really begin to expand so that you can open your vision to not only your being,
But your purpose,
What it is that drives you.
Sitting smoothly,
Riding the wave of the breath,
Repeat and ask yourself,
What do I love?
What do I love?
And reflect on the activities or experiences,
Whatever moments that make your heart feel joy,
That makes your heart sing,
What brings life to you,
What makes you feel alive?
What do I love?
Know that whatever is coming up right now,
Those are your passions.
What is emerging?
And then the next reflective question I want you to contemplate on is,
What am I good at?
What am I good at?
And consider your skills and talents.
Think of what are you often complimented on?
What do others appreciate in you?
And what comes to you naturally?
What am I good at?
Acknowledge them.
These are your gifts.
So let them shine as you're bringing them to your awareness.
What am I good at?
Then on the next breath,
I want you to repeat in your mind's voice,
What does the world need?
What does the world need?
And as you breathe,
I want you to soften in your heart space,
Open your heart to the needs of those that are around you.
What are the issues that stir at your heart and your compassion?
Where do you feel a calling to make a difference?
It could be something as direct as in your day-to-day experience or something bigger than your day-to-day.
Allow for these insights to resonate within you.
What does the world need?
And how can I make a difference,
Right?
The next reflective question is,
What can I be paid for?
What can I be paid for?
And visualize all of the possibilities.
What's already surfacing is already what you love and what you're good at.
You're starting to see where you can apply this into the world that you're living in.
So think about your professional aspirations.
What skills and services,
What passions,
Right,
Can be translated into skills and services that you can provide,
That in return can provide you with some financial stability?
How can you align your work with your passions?
Or how can your passions align with your work?
What can I be paid for?
Now,
In your mind,
I want you to think of swirling four circles,
Swirling around and coming and meeting,
Right?
Envision this beautiful conversion.
Each circle represents,
One is your passions,
One are your talents,
One is what the world needs,
One is the potential for income.
And what does this picture look like?
What does the space look like?
How does it feel?
And can you sit in the direct middle part of these four circles as they're intersecting?
Can you sit in that little middle spot?
And as you're breathing,
Can you allow and feel and sense the inspiration beginning to build up and rise and fall with each breath?
Nurture each one of these circles.
Nurture your passions,
Allow them to be seen.
Nurture your talents,
Recognize them.
What does the world need?
Maybe expand your vision.
Where is there a potential for income?
Maybe looking at a different way of working and creating income.
Pause here for a few more breaths,
Allowing for these reflections to deepen.
Beautiful.
Now we're going to move into a few more questions that will help us embrace our Dharma,
Our purpose in life.
So as you're sitting there,
I want you to reflect and ask yourself,
Now that these awarenesses have come up,
How can I serve the world with these unique gifts?
And picture yourself stepping into your purpose,
Using these talents to serve others,
To uplift others.
How does this service transform your life as well as the life of all of those that you touch?
How can I serve the world with my unique gifts?
And see yourself doing this thing.
What are you wearing?
What do you look like?
Where are you?
What is around you?
What are the smells?
What are the sounds?
Bring this vision to life.
The next question I want you to ask yourself is,
What fears or doubts are holding me back?
What fears or doubts are holding me back?
And as you're sitting there,
Breathe.
Acknowledge the limiting beliefs that arrive.
Allow yourself to acknowledge the fears.
And completely with each exhale,
Gently release the fears.
Gently release those beliefs.
Imagine them dissipating like little clouds in the sky.
Continue to exhale every negative emotion or thought that comes up.
Exhale and remove it.
Are there any thoughts that are discouraging you from pursuing your path?
Exhale and remove it.
What fears or doubts are holding me back?
And with each inhale now,
Replace all that you've taken out with the positive affirmations,
With the positive reinforcement,
The positive thoughts,
The opposite of everything you took out.
The last question we'll reflect on today is,
What steps can I take today towards my ikigai?
What small steps can I take today that will lead me towards my ikigai?
And as you sit there and breathe,
Just identify one action,
Just one,
That you can take in the coming days.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
It might be as simple as exploring a new hobby or an old one.
Or reaching out to one person in your network.
Just commit to one step.
And commit to doing that one step fully with integrity and an open heart.
With no doubts and true confidence.
And see what doors it may open.
Continue to take a few more breaths,
Feeling the sense of clarity and purpose,
Filling you with each inhale.
Visualizing your life starting to take the shifts and unfolding to move you in alignment with your purpose,
Your ikigai.
Continuing to breathe.
And then bring your left hand onto your heart,
Right one on top.
As we prepare to conclude this meditation,
I want to bring you back to your breath awareness and your body awareness.
Feel the chest rise with the inhales.
Feel it collapse with the exhales and the face and the heart and the whole body softened.
Remove the wrinkle in the forehead.
Remove that doubt with all those exhales.
That's that subconscious body saying no.
And now wiggle your fingers.
You can tap your chest,
Wiggle your toes.
You can bring your hands down to your knees.
Maybe do a few shoulder rolls before we end.
Now bring your hands back to your heart center.
And when you're ready,
You'll open your eyes.
You'll bow down.
Seal this meditation with your own little prayer.
Or you could just simply say,
Even though I'm concluding this meditation,
I ask that my ikigai continue to reveal itself to me.
I am open to walking the path that has my name on it.
We're going to seal with a big inhale and exhale.
Inhale.
I hope you enjoy this meditation and I hope you carry this sense of purpose with you throughout the rest of the day.
This was Erica Garcia-Abragel and thank you for doing this meditation journey with me.
Enjoy your day.
