Hello there,
I'm Lucero.
Do you ever feel like you don't belong?
Like you're on the outside when everyone else is in?
Like you just don't fit?
You know what?
Everybody feels that way sometimes.
When we feel that way,
We feel alone,
Like nothing and no one are supporting us.
And that's one of the very worst feelings because all of us need connection and support.
It's normal to feel that way sometimes,
But when you do,
This practice will help you remember how much support you really have and how connected you are to everything.
To start,
Lie or sit down so you can relax your body and your mind.
Go ahead and get comfortable wherever you are.
Close your eyes.
Now take a deep breath in and let it out slowly.
As you breathe out,
Relax your whole body from head to toe.
Take another breath in.
If you need to move around or shake out your body to get more comfortable,
Do that now.
Try to get comfortable enough so that you can be mostly still for the next few minutes.
What's going on for you right now?
Notice your body and how it's feeling.
Do you feel energetic or tired,
Relaxed or jumpy?
What about your mind?
Are you thinking a lot?
Worrying or making plans?
Now notice your emotions.
We call our emotions feelings for a reason.
How do your emotions actually feel?
Just notice.
Don't judge.
Let everything that's going on inside you be okay for now.
Take a few deep breaths and relax.
It's all okay.
You're okay exactly as you are right now.
When you're feeling like you don't belong,
A good place to start is by remembering all the little things that support you every day.
Some of those things may even be invisible,
Like the air you breathe.
Let's focus there for a few moments.
Take a big deep breath and slowly let it out.
You're breathing all the time,
But you probably don't think about it very much.
The oxygen your body needs is just there for you all the time.
Where does it come from?
Billions and billions of living plants from plankton in the ocean to the trees in your neighborhood are creating oxygen for you right now.
Isn't that extraordinary?
You are connected to all those living things and they are all supporting you every single day.
What else are you connected to?
Think about what you ate for breakfast this morning.
Can you remember?
Where did your breakfast come from?
Almost certainly it started out on a farm somewhere.
Somebody planted the grain that was made into your cereal or picked the berries in your smoothie.
Somebody put them on the shelves at the grocery store.
Did you make your own breakfast or did somebody make it for you?
You are connected to them too.
What other connections can you think of?
When you start looking for connections,
You begin to see them everywhere.
You see that the whole world is connected.
The sun and the earth and the rain and bugs and birds and animals and people.
The air you breathe and the food you eat.
There are a million ways you are supported by all of those things every single day.
In fact,
Is there anything you are not connected to?
When you think of how connected we all are,
You will remember everything is connected.
So everything belongs.
You are connected so you belong.
You are a part of all that is.
Your connections are strong and your connections make you strong.
Can you picture all of those connections?
For the next minute,
Just imagine yourself in the middle of a big circle.
See yourself surrounded by all of the people and things you depend on and all of the people and things who depend on you.
As you breathe in,
Feel your connections making you stronger.
As you breathe out,
Feel gratitude for the people and things that support you.
With each breath,
Feel the circle around you expand to include more and more of the world and all that exists.
You matter.
You are necessary.
You belong.
Now,
Take a deep,
Slow breath in.
Just notice how are you feeling now.
Take a few more deep breaths and relax knowing that you are a part of all that is and all that is is a part of you.
Remember,
Even when you feel alone,
You belong.
Now take one big deep breath in and let it out.
Start to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Let your body begin to move around and stretch in any way it wants to.
Take your time.
Keep breathing.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me.
I look forward to our next journey together.
Goodbye.
