This is a meditation that's intended to help you reflect on situations with greater clarity and objectivity.
Begin by getting settled in.
Tuning into the feeling of your feet against the floor,
To the points of contact your hands and maybe your arms make with whatever they're resting on.
Just tuning into the felt sense of the body at this moment.
Moving your awareness now to the breath.
Letting the breath happen very naturally without forcing anything.
Notice where you feel the breath most clearly in your body.
It may be at the entrance to the nostrils,
The chest,
The belly,
Or somewhere else.
Wherever you notice the sense of the breath most strongly,
Anchor your awareness there.
From your anchor point in the body,
Where you feel the breath most vividly,
Simply be aware of breathing in and breathing out.
See if you can notice the beginning of the next in-breath and follow it through to the out-breath.
As you pay attention to the breath,
You might notice that there's a moment between the in-breath and the out-breath,
Where the in-breath is transformed into the out-breath.
See if you can follow and appreciate the full cycle of the breath,
From the very beginning of the next in-breath through to the end of the out-breath.
When you notice that your mind has wandered off,
It's not a problem.
Simply note that your mind has wandered off and gently return your attention to the breath without judging or criticizing yourself.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Not trying to change anything or make anything happen,
Just staying with the breath,
Staying curious about the sensations of the breath at your home base of the breath in the body.
Now I'd like you to call to mind a situation you'd like to gain greater awareness and objectivity about.
Maybe it's an ongoing situation at work.
There is a specific incident you can recall.
Bring it to mind more fully for a few moments.
Staying with the breath and stepping more deeply and closely into the situation,
Consider your own perspective.
What are your thoughts,
Feelings,
And goals?
What emotions are present here?
What do you want to have happen?
What thoughts come up when you think about this?
Now I'd like you to step back from your own perspective and move into the other person or party's perspective as best as you can.
Just like you,
They experience setbacks,
Disappointments,
And want to be happy.
Consider what their thoughts and feelings might be in this situation.
What are their goals?
If they're having a negative impact on you or other people,
Do you think they're doing so intentionally?
If there's a difference of opinion over the best course of action,
Can you think of why they might see things the way that they do?
Try to step into their shoes as fully as you can to see things from their perspective.
If you've let go of your own awareness of the breath,
Return to it for a few moments,
Just noticing breathing in and breathing out.
Finally,
See if you can take a fly on the wall or eagle-eye view of the situation.
From this vantage point,
You aren't an active participant in the story.
You're viewing everything from a removed,
Objective position.
From this perspective,
What is happening in this situation?
Try to stick just to the facts,
Avoiding judgmental language.
What is each person feeling?
What is their point of view?
Do they each want the same things?
If there's a major conflict or difference of opinion,
What might an outside observer suggest they do next?
Now that you've considered a challenging situation from these different perspectives,
I'd like you to return to your breath and take a few more nice,
Deep breaths as we prepare to end this practice.
Move your awareness to the feeling of your feet making contact with the floor,
Your hands making contact with your lap,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and bring your full awareness back into the room where you are right now.
