Surrender In The Storm
This practice is designed to help you discover the potential for practicing surrender in your life. May this meditation support you during your daily life adventure. Please remember these practices are designed to be a safe place for you to explore, experience & expand. You are your own expert ~ follow what feels good, to you. Jen
Transcript
Hello and welcome.
This is a meditation on surrender.
At times in life we can feel like we are caught in a storm of thoughts,
Emotions,
Events,
Changes,
And choices.
It can sometimes feel like this chaos has no purpose except to overwhelm and weaken us.
We can resist the storms,
Clinging to the things that make us feel safe or in control,
Refusing to look at the storms and distracting ourselves,
Or fighting it in our own various unique ways.
By resisting,
We can often find ourselves feeling strained and drained,
Exhausted,
Rigid,
And brittle,
Fearfully living one storm to the next.
This is not about judging ourselves for how we have reacted to storms in the past,
But instead moving toward possibilities of how to respond differently now,
As we slow down,
Observe the storm,
And remember our ability to surrender.
When you think about surrendering,
What comes up for you?
Often we associate surrendering with giving up or giving in.
Some see it as weakness or a failure.
What if we can welcome a new way of seeing surrender?
Just as a tree has strong roots,
It also has supple branches.
It moves with the wind and is fed by the rain.
It lets the storms shake the leaves off that are no longer needed.
It is possible to both weather and be the calm in the eye of the storm.
We can be like a tree,
Deeply rooted in self-trust,
While willing to face what life has in store.
As we enter into this meditation,
Remember that you are your own expert and in control of your experience.
If at any time you need to,
You can open your eyes,
Adjust your position,
Or simply return your focus to what feels most grounding to you.
I invite you now to find a comfortable position for your body.
Allow it to settle into the surface beneath you.
Make yourself as heavy as you can,
Rooted to the ground.
Take a few deep breaths here,
In whatever way feels good to you.
Imagine yourself in an open field.
Feel yourself heavy on the ground.
In the distance,
You can see storm clouds gathering,
And the wind begins to blow.
You can feel the wind picking up against your skin.
This storm represents whatever you may be experiencing.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Events,
Things that feel chaotic and like they might uproot you.
You notice a shelter in the distance.
This could be a strong house,
A cave,
Any place that feels secure to you.
You are welcome to go here at any time during this meditation.
Know that you would be completely protected from the storm inside this shelter.
You are welcome to go here now,
If that feels best for you during this meditation.
If instead you feel like you would like to try a new response to the storm,
Leaning into the discomfort,
The uncertainty it might bring,
The fear it might uncover,
And the feelings that might surface,
I invite you to take a deep breath and stay in the open field for now.
As the storm begins to pick up,
Focus on your breath.
Inhale deeply for four counts,
Feeling your belly expand.
Exhale for six counts,
Blowing out slow and controlled,
As if through a straw.
As the clouds sweep in,
Bringing darkness to your surroundings,
You might find yourself wanting to reach for a light or an escape of some kind.
Can you bring your attention to where you are on the ground?
Feeling the weight of your body on the earth,
Letting the earth's gravity wrap around you,
Letting your eyes readjust,
Paying close attention to your breath.
As the darkness descends,
Can you breathe in deeply and breathe out deeply?
Notice how the dark does not affect your weight on the earth.
See if you can feel yourself becoming more grounded with each breath.
As the rain begins to fall,
Imagine it landing on your mind and body.
You might notice you want to run and seek shelter or cover yourself in some way.
Instead,
Can you bring your attention to the raindrops and where they land?
Imagine each one bringing relief to those places.
Can you imagine it washing your mind and body clean of worry,
Of fear,
Of doubt?
Bringing cool,
Calm relief,
The way that rain brings the same to trees rooted in the ground.
Letting it fall as drops in sheets passing through you and over you.
As the rain falls,
Can you breathe in deeply and breathe out deeply?
Notice how the rain does not affect your weight on the earth.
Can you feel yourself becoming more grounded with each breath?
The wind begins to grow stronger,
Howling around you.
You might notice yourself begin to lean against it,
Fighting it,
Resisting it.
Can you instead relax into it,
Letting it bend you in the direction it's blowing?
Imagine yourself leaning like the branches of a flexible tree,
Surrendering slightly,
Not giving up,
But learning to bend just a little bit.
Notice as the wind carries away your limiting or fearful thoughts,
Beliefs and emotions,
Like leaves and weaker branches that don't belong here anymore.
Can you let them go?
As the wind blows,
Can you breathe in deeply and breathe out deeply?
Notice how the wind does not affect your weight on the earth.
Can you feel yourself becoming more grounded with each breath?
Lightning flashes across the sky and a boom of thunder cracks.
Maybe you find yourself contract,
Trying to protect yourself from the shock.
Can you welcome your mind and your body to release the contraction,
Release the need for protection?
See if you can invite them to relax here and now,
Perhaps even opening slightly to the beauty of the light and sound show surrounding you.
Letting each flash of lightning illuminate your new softness and willingness,
Like the supple branches of a tree.
Letting each crack of thunder be felt in the depth and strength of your new self-trust,
Like the intertwining roots of the same tree.
As the lightning flashes and the thunder booms,
Can you breathe in deeply and breathe out deeply?
Notice how the lightning and the thunder does not affect your weight on the earth.
Can you feel yourself becoming more grounded with each breath?
The storm is at its peak now.
Breathe deeply and notice how even in the midst of the storm,
Despite the storm,
You are strong,
Steady,
And supple on the ground.
Notice that you don't need to wait for the eye of the storm to come to you.
To bring you calm and relief.
Instead,
You are the eye of the storm.
You are your own calm and relief.
You can surrender to the storm,
Knowing you don't need to control it or resist it.
Because you know the storm's power may be fierce,
But it is time-limited.
Whereas your power is strong,
Steady,
And timeless.
You are the calm,
The peace,
The trust.
You are what you've been looking for.
As this realization sinks into your mind,
Into your body,
Into the ground beneath you,
The storm begins to subside.
The rumbling of thunder fades.
The rain softens.
The wind calms.
And the clouds part.
As the sun shines again,
A band of beautiful colors appears.
A natural spectacle only possible when we surrender.
When we let dark and light,
Sunshine and storms,
To meet.
As you take a few deep breaths,
Let the sunshine illuminate the renewal in your mind and your body.
Notice what you have allowed the storm to take away by being courageous enough to surrender.
How you've allowed it to dismantle structures in your way,
Removing what is no longer necessary.
Notice how by allowing the storm,
Surrendering to the seeming chaos,
You've allowed it to be a force of renewal,
Scattering seeds for new growth,
Creating flexibility,
Resilience,
Space,
And trust in yourself,
Helping to clear a path forward.
When you're ready,
Slowly bring your awareness back to your weight on the ground.
The feeling of the air on your skin.
The sounds in the room.
As you take the last few deep breaths in this practice,
Give yourself gratitude for taking the time today to realize the strength in surrender,
For cultivating trust in your own powerful capacity for peace in the midst of any storm,
Whether in your mind or your body,
Or in the world around you.
As you practice the art of surrender,
May you be reminded of the depths of your roots,
But also the strength of your supple branches.
May you come to deeply know that you have the capacity to be the I in every storm.
Thank you for trusting me to be your guide on the side for this practice today.
Take good care of yourself,
And bye for now.
