Welcome to this practice on acceptance.
We spend so much energy fighting against what is,
Resisting our experience of life,
Wishing things were different.
And so this practice is about something radical that is welcoming exactly what is here right now.
Not necessarily because you like it,
Not because you want it to stay,
But because it's already here.
Resistance takes energy,
Acceptance creates space.
And so let's begin this practice of acceptance.
Invite you to find a comfortable position,
Taking a few moments to settle in,
Closing your eyes if you'd like.
Settling into your breath,
Just noticing your breath,
Not changing it,
Just noticing.
Taking a few breaths together,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Breathing in and out.
Breathing in and out now.
And right now in this moment,
You have a particular experience happening.
Maybe you feel calm,
Maybe you feel anxious,
Maybe you feel tired,
Maybe you feel nothing in particular.
Whatever it is,
It's already here,
So it's already your reality in this moment.
Take a few breaths and simply acknowledge what's here.
If there are thoughts,
Just notice thoughts are here.
If there are emotions,
Notice there's emotions here.
If there's sensations in your body,
Again notice sensations are here.
And you're not trying to change any of it,
You're just seeing it clearly.
This is what is right now.
Many of us have been taught that we should always feel good,
Always feel positive and be productive,
But life doesn't work that way.
Some moments are pleasant,
Some moments are unpleasant,
Some are neutral,
But all moments are a part of being alive.
So now we're going to practice something simple but powerful.
With each inhale,
We're going to silently say the word welcome.
With each exhale,
We're going to silently say,
This is it.
Welcome,
This is it.
So we're welcoming our experience,
Whatever it is,
We're acknowledging this is it,
This is what's happening right now.
So let's try it together,
Breathing in,
Welcome,
Breathing out,
This is it.
Again,
In,
Welcome,
Out,
This is it.
Just continuing this at your own pace,
Welcome,
This is it.
Welcome,
This is it.
If you feel peaceful,
You're welcoming peace.
If you feel agitated,
You're welcoming agitation,
You're not trying to feel a certain way.
You're just opening to what's already here,
Welcoming that this is it.
And you might notice resistance arising.
Part of you might be saying,
I don't want to welcome this,
This feels bad,
I don't want it to go this way,
I want this to go away.
And that's okay,
This resistance is also part of your experience,
So welcome the resistance.
Can you welcome even the part of you that doesn't want to welcome?
And this isn't about forcing yourself to like anything or everything,
It's about acknowledging reality as it is.
When you fight against what's already happened,
You suffer.
When you open to what's already here,
Even if it's difficult,
You create space.
Space to breathe,
Space to move,
Space to respond.
So just continuing breathing,
Welcome,
This is it.
And just notice something,
What happens when you stop fighting your experience?
Does the experience actually get worse?
Or do you simply have more energy,
More space?
It's important to understand that acceptance is not the same as resignation.
Acceptance says,
This is what's happening right now,
I see it clearly.
And that clarity actually gives you more power to respond,
Not less.
If you're sad,
Accepting that you're sad doesn't mean you have to stay sad forever.
It just means you're not adding to the suffering of resistance,
To the sadness.
So if you're in a difficult situation,
Accepting the reality of it doesn't mean you can't take action.
Instead,
It means you're seeing clearly what you're working with.
So acceptance is the foundation for wise action.
So continuing with the breath,
Welcome,
This is it.
And now let's expand this practice.
So think about something in your life that you have been resisting.
Maybe it's a situation,
A person,
Feeling,
Circumstance.
And just bring it to mind gently.
And breathe with it.
Breathing in,
Welcome.
Breathing out,
This is it.
You're not saying you like this thing,
You're not saying you want this thing,
You're just acknowledging it's here.
It's part of your current reality.
Welcome.
This is it.
And feel what it's like to stop pushing against it.
To stop the constant inner argument about how things should be different.
And just for these few breaths,
Put down the burden of resistance.
Welcome.
This is it.
Take a deep breath in.
Let it out.
Life will continue to bring you all kinds of experiences.
Pleasant ones,
Unpleasant ones,
Challenging ones.
You can't control what comes,
But you can practice welcoming it.
Meeting it,
Working with it.
And this doesn't make you weak,
It makes you flexible,
Resilient,
Free.
When you stop arguing with reality,
You have all your energy available for living.
Take one more breath.
Welcome.
This is it.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
I encourage you to carry this practice with you throughout your day.
Throughout your life.
Whatever comes,
Welcome.
This is it.
Thank you for practicing.
