Welcome to this guided meditation on acceptance.
Come into a comfortable position,
Feet flat on the floor,
Hands either in your lap or at your sides,
And invite your eyelids to slowly blink closed.
You can settle into your body by connecting with your breath,
Slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your nose or mouth,
Letting it all go.
Begin to notice your breath flowing through your body as you're seated here,
Noticing where you feel your breath the most,
Whether it's at the nostrils,
The chest or the belly.
Just breathe naturally but slowly.
Notice how your body and mind begin to soften and relax.
Bring to mind something in your life that you cannot change.
It could be something that happened recently or in the past.
It could be an illness,
A life change,
Or overall limitation.
Simply pick something that you wish was different.
Continue breathing slowly,
Holding this situation or circumstance which you cannot change in your mind,
Seeing all of the different parts of it.
And as you observe,
Notice if there's any fear connected to the situation,
Noticing if there's any anger or frustration.
Notice if there's sadness.
Simply holding this situation or circumstance in your mind and observing all of the emotions around it,
Observing with kindness and curiosity without judgment or condemnation.
First,
We'll focus for a few moments on any fears surrounding what you cannot change.
Include any fearful thoughts or emotions that come up when you imagine this situation.
Continuing to breathe slowly but naturally.
Now imagine holding your fears in your hands.
And as you breathe in,
Say to yourself in your mind,
I release these fears.
And on the exhale,
Silently say,
I surrender and accept what I cannot change.
Next,
Bring to mind any and all of the anger and frustration inside of you surrounding what you cannot change.
Include thoughts and feelings.
Feel what this feels like in your body,
Noticing any physical sensations,
Areas of tension or gripping while you focus on this anger or frustration.
Again,
Continue breathing slowly and naturally.
Now imagine holding your anger and frustration in your hands.
And as you breathe in,
Say silently to yourself,
I release this anger and frustration.
And as you exhale,
Slowly and fully,
Say to yourself,
I let go.
I accept and surrender to that which I cannot change.
Good.
Next,
We'll spend a few moments focusing on any sadness that's there for you.
Again,
Noticing what thoughts and physical sensations you experience while holding the sadness in your mind.
Now imagine holding your sadness in your hands.
And on the next inhale,
Say silently to yourself,
I feel sad,
But I am okay.
And as you exhale,
Silently say to yourself,
Letting go and accepting gives me strength.
Bring your awareness back to your breath now,
Focusing on the sensations of breath in the body.
Noticing the tiny pause between the in-breath and the out-breath,
And again between the out-breath and the in-breath.
Acceptance gives us power over our emotions.
You can surrender knowing that acceptance does not make you weak.
It makes you strong because you're letting go of attachments to things that you can't change.
Surrender knowing that whatever is,
Is meant to be.
Surrender and be at peace.
Take a moment here to relax and allow yourself to feel the feelings of peace in your heart center.
And if it helps,
You can put your hand over the center of your chest right now as you sense the sensations of peace.
Now bring your awareness back into the room,
Back into your body.
Notice the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me in this practice.
May you be able to accept and surrender to whatever this day holds for you.
