Welcome.
Please find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
If it feels safe to do so,
Please close your eyes.
Take a long,
Slow inhale through your nose,
Filling your lungs,
And exhale fully through your mouth with a soft sigh.
And again,
Deeply inhaling.
And fully exhaling.
Releasing the tension of holding everything together.
Let your breath return to its natural easy rhythm.
Allow your shoulders to come down.
Let your jaw unclench.
In your mind's eye,
Picture the person you used to be.
Perhaps it's a version of you from your 20s or 30s.
Maybe as a younger parent or an ambitious go-getter.
Or a version of you defined by a specific role,
Career or relationship.
As you hold this vision,
Look at this younger version of yourself with immense gratitude.
For the mistakes they made.
The lessons they learned.
For doing the best they could with what they knew.
You can offer them these words.
Thank you for everything you did for me and everything you gave to me.
Thank you for building the foundation I stand on today.
You did your job perfectly,
And I can take it from here.
Often,
Midlife discomfort comes from trying to force a younger version of ourselves into our current reality.
It's like trying to wear clothes that no longer fit.
I'd like to invite you to gently roll your hands into tight fists.
Squeeze them.
Feel the tension in your forearms.
The effort it takes to hold on so tightly.
This is what it feels like to cling to an old identity.
An old timeline or a past version of your body and mind.
Now,
Take a deep breath in.
As you exhale,
Slowly open your fingers.
Let your palms rest open,
Facing the sky.
Notice the immediate relief in your muscles.
Notice the space you just created.
With your hands open,
Imagine letting go of the need to be who you were.
Let that identity dissolve into the background.
Not with sadness,
But with peace.
Allow yourself to linger in this open space for a moment.
You may feel a bit empty or uncertain right now.
That's okay.
Creating space for who you're still becoming can feel a little strange at first.
Especially if up until now,
That space has been filled with past memories and emotions.
Or maybe you feel a sense of relief.
As though a weight has been lifted.
Whatever you're feeling right now is valid.
You're right where you're meant to be.
Repeat these affirmations silently or aloud.
My worth is not tied to my youth,
My past productivity or old roles.
I am not losing myself.
I am returning to myself.
I honor the woman I was.
I forgive the woman I had to be.
I welcome the woman I am becoming.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest.
This breath is brand new.
It belongs entirely to the person you are right now.
With each breath,
Feel yourself becoming more spacious.
More present.
Feel the possibility that surrounds you.
The potential that lives in this newly created space.
You get to decide how to fill the future.
You get to decide who you'll still become.
When you're ready,
Let your breath deepen.
Allow your awareness to return to the room around you.
Gently wiggling your fingers and toes.
In your own time,
Softly open your eyes.
Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation.
If there's anything you'd like to share with me about your own experience or insights,
Then I would love to hear from you.
Please do leave a comment and let me know.
I'm sending love from my heart to yours.
