One of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves,
One of the best ways that we can achieve our truest ambitions,
Our dearest desires,
Is to prioritize the protection and the creation of our peace.
Too often we allow our feelings,
Our joy,
Our contentment,
And our peace to hinge on the actions of others.
We say that we will have and achieve peace when they speak differently,
When they behave differently,
When they see things from our perspective,
Do what we ask.
The list can be endless.
Maintaining and protecting our peace requires acceptance of what is.
Acceptance takes strength,
Awareness,
And courage.
It takes compassion.
Because the truth is,
No matter how hard we try,
We cannot control another.
In denying and resisting this truth,
We create immense friction within our own mind and body,
Prohibiting us from seeing clearly what is within our control,
Which are the thoughts that we think and the actions that we take to create the best possible outcome,
Given what is.
So we're left with a choice.
We can further generate inner frustration,
Leaving us unable to see and think clearly.
Or we can protect our peace and prioritize our peace so that we can embrace the opportunities for connection,
For creatively engaging and enhancing the relationships and circumstances at hand.
The steps in this meditation will help you protect your peace.
In this meditation,
I'll invite you to consider a future moment that might otherwise stir or undermine that peace.
Together we'll walk through the five tools to support and rewire your actions in that moment,
From pausing,
To embracing what it is that you cannot change,
To acknowledging what it is that you actually want and what old habits or thoughts or beliefs can get in the way,
To the intentional choice of a new action,
And finally engaging wholeheartedly.
As we walk through this together,
It trains your brain to choose and to respond differently,
To prioritize,
To protect,
To cultivate your peace.
So go ahead and close your eyes and together let's take a deep breath in and then let it go.
Again,
Deep breath in and let it go.
One more just like that.
Allow yourself to settle and to drop into this moment.
This time as you breathe more deeply,
Breathe as though you were breathing into and all the way from your bones,
Allowing this breath to nourish you.
Each inhale feeding and nourishing you.
Each exhale letting go stuck,
Stagnant,
Tensionous energy in your body and in your mind.
And as you breathe,
Settle into this pause and notice how you feel in this moment.
No judgment,
Just awareness,
Information.
That first step in fostering and prioritizing our inner peace is acknowledging exactly where we are and holding space for that.
Resistance can only engender more friction within,
More stress on our physical and our mental systems.
So give yourself permission to allow whatever is here,
Whatever is here.
If there's any tension or discomfort,
Notice what happens as you open to it.
As if you were opening your arms to it,
Embracing it as you would a child or someone you hold dear in need.
If there's a sense of ease,
Lightness,
Softness,
Or even joy,
Breathing and expanding into that.
Exhaling that sense of ease to permeate your body,
Giving yourself full permission to be exactly as you are present to this moment.
Exhaling what this moment to pause has allowed and enabled.
And as we look to a moment ahead,
A moment that could stir up discomfort or frustration in the body or in the mind.
What else can you embrace?
What can you accept?
Aware that we cannot change others in oftentimes circumstances.
So what can you accept?
Thus creating a new space in your mind,
A new ease.
Notice any resistance,
Any stories or justifications that surface and take a breath.
And as you exhale out,
Let that breath wash over,
Melt and dissolve them.
As you let those stories,
Those justifications,
As you let them go,
Choosing a new response or perhaps a non-response and thereby creating a new pathway in the mind,
Giving yourself and prioritizing the gift of peace.
Now ask yourself,
Given what is,
What is the best possible outcome?
What do I really want from the situation or the relationship?
What do I want for myself?
Allowing the answers to arise,
To surface.
And now given what you've accepted and given what it is that you want,
Now ask yourself what old habits,
Feelings or habitual debilitating beliefs can get in the way?
Allowing those answers to arise.
As you bring awareness to these familiar ways.
And now ask yourself,
What can I choose instead?
An action,
Thought or belief best aligns and enables what I truly desire.
What fosters and enables my peace?
Allowing an action,
A thought or belief that best aligns with and enables what you actually want.
Recognizing also that sometimes choosing not to engage is one of the most powerful ways to prioritize your peace.
Being aware that there are choices that you can make leading up to the moment that support your ability to pivot with ease.
Perhaps related to sleep,
To exercise or meditation.
What enables the best mindset possible?
Breathe in this information.
Feel and see yourself engaging differently.
Engaging wholeheartedly.
See yourself taking a new action which prioritizes your peace.
See yourself feeling peaceful.
Aware that as you do,
It liberates you to lean into life,
Your life and the abundance of opportunities which surround you.
Two more deep breaths.
Aware that at any moment you can pause,
You can embrace,
You can acknowledge what you want and what gets in the way.
You can choose a new action or perhaps non-action and then engage anew in a wholehearted manner.
Know that you can return to this meditation again and again and each time that you move through this meditation and this process,
It will support you in the moments which lie ahead.
It will support you in fostering and prioritizing your peace.
Wishing you a wonderful rest of your day filled with many peaceful moments ahead.
Thank you for sharing your meditation,
Your practice and your time with me.
