Loving Your Unique Life

A guided meditation creating insight into the uniquely beautiful being you are, and cultivating an appreciation for the life you lead. Suitable for beginners and experienced meditators alike. From the book The Gratitude Prescription. Number three in a series of guided meditations accompanying the book.

Transcript

Loving your unique life. Find a quiet spot, Make yourself comfortable and prepare to enjoy an inner journey. Take a few deep breaths to centre and ground your awareness in your body here and now. We are going to relive your life. In this meditation we are concerned with the broad outline of your experience. There is no need to dwell in the pain and trauma of an experience. Simply describe the facts as if you were an impartial reporter. Let's begin at your birth. Imagining as much as you can of the experience, Of the medical set up at the time, Of your mother, Your father. Imagine the city, The hospital, The general time in which you were born. What did you come home to? Who was your mother at the time? Who was your father? Did you have brothers and sisters? How might they have received you? How was it to be embodied, To have a body? To be hungry, To wet yourself, To vomit, To poo in your pants, To need help doing everything. Imagine your first birthday. What were you wearing? What did you look like? Who was there? What was the biggest event of the previous year? Repeat this process for your second birthday, The third, And so on, Thinking each time what did you look like? Who was there? What was the biggest event of the previous year? Using your imagination and curiosity, See what you can recall, What you can sense or intuit, And allow whatever you can perceive to be acceptable. Continue with this process right up until today, Having gone through year by year, Piecing together your life just as best as you can. On completing the journey, Reflect on your life. What hardships have you faced? What difficulties have you endured and passed through? What accomplishments might you celebrate? What best efforts can you acknowledge? Consider the unique aspects of you, Too. What makes you, You? How did you show up to life in ways that you can recognize to be somehow signature events or responses? Reflect on the many different ways you have behaved. Can you locate being kind and unkind, Smart and stupid, Reactive and responsive, Proud and ashamed, Courageous and fearful? Ponder as if you were learning about this life story as that of another. How would you feel towards this character? How much understanding and compassion would you bring to them? Can you appreciate their efforts? Feel grateful for the good they have done. Complete the meditation by now giving this compassion and appreciation to yourself. Take a few moments to cultivate the experience of feeling gently toward your own being.

Reviews

I had to pause at 2/3 to do the job of overviewing my life year by year (they are many!) and then come back... it would be nice if that is told ahead, but on the other hand I choose this piece for its short duration, so it was a good surprise to be able to at least overviewing in a few more minutes (I guess I could because I have mant years of reflection on this). Thanks.