My name is Sadie and I'm a yogi in recovery.
The function of the brain is to plan,
Predict,
And protect.
This is the nature of being a human being.
Experiencing mental chatter is normal,
But it seems that for those of us prone to addiction,
We cling to that mental chatter and get lost in the whirlwind of thought.
For me,
That whirlwind of thought is exactly why I started using substances to quiet it down,
To find some kind of refuge or peace in my day.
So when I got clean and sober and didn't have that buffer,
I found myself right back at the beginning,
Caught up in thought,
Worrying,
Anxious,
Remorseful.
We don't have to cling to our thoughts and we don't have to continue to live in the struggle.
We can let go and let God.
Just for today,
We can sit still and just be.
This is a mindfulness meditation that uses the principles,
The third step,
Paired with the breath.
So find a comfortable seat,
Close your eyes,
And turn your attention towards your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
If your mind gets distracted by thought,
Gently usher it back to the sensation of your breath as many times as you need to keep coming back to the breath.
Begin to turn your attention now towards the quality of your state of mind.
And if your thoughts were a body of water,
What would the surface look like?
Gently turn back towards your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
Inhale deep and full,
Breathing all the way down into the lower part of your rib cage,
Your belly,
And exhale slowly.
Mentally say to yourself,
As I breathe in,
I notice I'm breathing in.
As I breathe out,
I notice I'm breathing out.
Say in on the in breath and out on the out breath.
Inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Page 86 of the fourth edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says,
We relax and take it easy.
We do not struggle.
Mentally say to yourself,
Relax on the in breath and ease on the out breath.
If your attention slips back into thought,
Remember that's okay.
Keep coming back to the breath.
Relax on the in breath and ease on the out breath.
If your attention slips back into thought,
Remember that's okay.
Keep coming back to the breath.
Relax on the in breath and ease on the out breath.
Step 3 says that we made a decision to treat our body with a certain amount of alcohol.
Step 3 says that we made a decision to turn our will and our life over.
That we must be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
We had to let go and let God.
Let go on the in breath.
Let God on the out breath.
Let God on the out breath.
Let God on the out breath.
Let God on the out breath.
Let God on the out breath.
Over time we come to understand that the God of our understanding is loving and caring.
Love on the in breath.
Care on the out breath.
Care on the out breath.
Care on the out breath.
Care on the out breath.
Begin to let go of the words and just breathe.
Continue to breathe deeply and fully.
And notice if there is any one word that naturally flows back into your awareness.
You can use this word as you move throughout the rest of your day to calm and ground you.
Begin to turn your attention back to the quality of your state of mind.
And if your thoughts were a body of water,
What would they look like here now?
There's no right or wrong.
They may have changed.
They may have not.
But just notice.
And as you feel ready,
You can begin to open your eyes.
Namaste.
