Hello and welcome.
This guided meditation is meant to help you intentionally pause and connect with yourself before your next interaction with others.
I will start by offering some context and an invitation before we start the meditation.
It may be helpful to have something to write on and to write with nearby to capture any thoughts that come up during this session.
And feel free to pause this meditation at any time and come back after you've captured your reflections.
As you take this time to intentionally pause,
Check in,
And connect with yourself,
Consider a perspective shared from a mentor of mine,
John Berghoff.
He says the purpose of every meeting should be first,
To advance our relationships,
And secondarily,
To advance the task at hand.
This perspective invites us to be intentional with our interactions and seek opportunities for connection,
Shared humanity,
And greater collaboration to further our objectives.
I invite you to keep this perspective of furthering our relationships through our interactions in mind as we move through this practice.
Let's begin.
Go ahead and settle in.
Maybe straighten your spine a little or give your body a little wiggle.
Adjust yourself in a way that allows you to be just a little bit more comfortable,
Yet also present and aware.
Perhaps you want to release your thoughts and invite your attention to this present moment.
And if it's comfortable for you and you're not already there,
You can soften your gaze or close your eyes.
And on your next inhale,
Take a nice,
Long,
Deep breath in.
And let out an equally long exhale.
Again,
Draw in a full,
Deep and intentional breath.
And exhale fully.
Let's do that one more time.
Draw another nice,
Deep breath in.
And exhale completely.
Take just a moment here to notice what becomes possible with just a few deep and intentional breaths.
And as you move through the rest of this practice,
Settle into a rhythm of breathing that feels slightly deeper and more intentional than normal.
On your next inhale,
Take a moment to notice and bring attention to how your body is feeling.
Notice the sensations that are present all throughout your body.
There's no need to add judgment or weight to anything you find.
Just simply notice what is there.
Scan through your body,
Offering each part of you a moment of your attention.
If you find anywhere that feels tense,
Maybe your shoulders,
Neck,
Brow,
Or jaw,
See if you can invite that tension to release,
At least just a little.
Continue this exploration through your whole body,
Remembering those areas that may not get that much attention,
Or even those areas you may want to avoid.
Just check in to see what's going on there,
Inviting any tension you find to release.
If at any time you start to feel any tension increase,
Or you get distracted,
Remember that you have your breath to return to at any time.
Continue noticing the sensations present in your body,
Again without adding any judgment or weight,
Just simply noticing what is there and inviting what you want to be present,
Remembering to be gentle with yourself.
Next,
Shift your awareness to your mind and thoughts.
Again,
Simply notice what is going on in your mental space,
And whatever you find there is perfectly okay.
You may invite your thoughts to settle here,
Creating space for openness,
Curiosity,
And clarity to emerge.
It might also be helpful to invite a word of kindness,
Compassion,
Or gentle encouragement to your mental space.
Whatever feels good for you,
Invite that to be present in your mind.
And if you feel like your attention is wandering,
Reaching,
Or ruminating,
Gently invite your attention back to slow,
Deep,
Calming breaths.
Continue exploring your mind and your thoughts,
Just seeing what you find and inviting what you need.
Now I want you to bring your attention to your upcoming meeting or interaction.
On your next inhale,
Consider an intention you want to bring to this space.
Perhaps your intention is focused around how you might further your relationships by setting the intention of deep listening,
To stay grounded when challenges arise,
Or inviting your intentional presence throughout the interaction.
Feel into it,
And choose the intention that resonates most with you right now.
If it feels comfortable and it is accessible for you,
You may want to hold this intention in your heart space for your next few breaths.
Now take a moment to visualize yourself embodying this intention throughout the interaction.
Consider what that might look like,
Sound like,
And feel like to embody this intention and bring it to life.
As we begin to bring this practice to a close,
Let your intention continue to be with you.
On your next inhale,
Take a nice,
Deep,
Nourishing breath in,
And let out an equally long exhale.
Gently reawaken your body,
Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes,
Giving yourself a nice stretch,
And maybe you feel a yawn coming on,
Allowing for a little more release.
As you reawaken your body,
Invite your attention to be present in this moment and throughout your upcoming interaction.
Check in one more time with how your body feels,
Offering release or relief to any tension you find.
Notice one more time how your mind feels,
Letting go of what may not serve you or others.
One more nice,
Nourishing breath in,
And an easy breath out,
Remembering that calming breath is available to you all throughout your upcoming meeting.
Perhaps you approach your meeting with awareness of furthering both human connection as well as generating ideal outcomes,
Knowing that your mindful presence will contribute to more meaningful and effective interactions.
You might want to take a moment now to write down your intention or any thoughts that came up during this meditation,
And maybe express a little gratitude to yourself for taking this time to mindfully prepare.
May your meeting be productive in both furthering your relationships as well as the task at hand.
Thank you,
And take great care.
