Welcome beautiful one to this guided reflective meditation,
Focusing on bringing pure awareness to this relative rollercoaster ride of existence,
So that the emotional highs and lows can be balanced out and fulfilled experience come what may.
Life truly appears as a dance of light and shadow and this reflective meditation offers you the opportunity to recognize it for what it really is,
A divine experience of which your true self is beyond.
A wise man once said,
Pain is inevitable,
Suffering is a choice,
Beyond the veil we may choose not to suffer,
To reconcile the everyday harm of functions and routines and physical help with the boundless vastness of the infinite.
Find a comfortable position and take a deep breath.
You are invited to tell yourself that this time in reflective meditation is only a small period of your day,
That any problems,
Agendas and worries are permitted to be forgotten during this time,
Only to be remembered after the meditation is finished.
Bring awareness to the sensations of your face and neck,
Of the air on your skin,
Of any tension held around the forehead,
Temples,
Eyes,
Jaw and tongue and relax,
Letting go of any tension.
Bring awareness to your shoulders,
Arms and hands,
Of the feeling of your clothes,
Feelings of warmth or coolness,
Let go of any tension.
Bring awareness to your chest and upper back,
Witness any sensations,
Feelings of warmth or coolness,
The rise and fall of your chest,
Notice any tension and let it go.
Bring awareness to your tummy and lower back,
Let go of any tension.
Bring awareness to your trunk,
Feel the firmness of your seat,
Notice any remaining upper body tension and let it go.
Bring awareness to your thighs,
Of your arms and hands resting,
Let go of any tension.
Bring awareness to your calves,
Let go of any tension.
Bring awareness to your feet,
Feel the firmness of where they rest,
Let go of any tension.
Snow on your breath,
Breathe in from the belly,
Fill in your chest and lungs to the count of 3,
Just as when pouring water into the glass it fills from the bottom upwards.
On your exhale to the count of 3,
Exhale from the top down,
Just as when emptying a glass of water it empties from the top down.
Be aware of the coolness of your in-breath and the warmth of your out-breath.
Continue with this peaceful practice.
Now extend the exhale only to 6 seconds,
Breathing in for 3 and out for 6.
Now at the end of each inhalation and exhalation hold the breath for a period that is comfortable for you.
Do not force anything and should you feel uncomfortable return to breathing in for 3 and out for 6 without the hold.
Should your mind wander simply say to yourself compassionately the word thinking and gently bring your attention back to the breath.
To help with this there will be periodic wind chimes sounding.
The music will now fade out,
Notice in the quiet space between the breaths that there you are your true self,
Unlimited,
Unchanging,
Whole,
Complete and eternal,
Pure awareness.
Return to your natural gentle breathing rhythm.
Nothing can touch your true self,
It is unaffected by anything in this relative experience.
Just as the sun is not affected by what it shines on,
Whether the sun shines on a muddy bog or on holy water it remains unchanged,
It does not become the muddy bog nor does it become holy water,
It simply shines.
Metaphorically your true self is like the sun,
Completely unaffected by its illumination of your mind,
Emotions,
Intellect,
Actions,
It simply is.
Thoughts arise,
You are not your thoughts,
Thoughts come and go,
You've experienced trillions of them in this lifetime,
Always changing and that which changes cannot be you,
Unchanging,
Absolute reality.
Emotions arise,
You are not your emotions,
Emotions arise and fall away,
Experiencing sometimes happiness,
Sometimes sadness,
Sometimes peace,
Sometimes anger,
Always changing and that which changes cannot be you,
Unchanging,
Absolute reality.
Until the gone,
Rest in the one awareness,
Notice thoughts,
Emotions,
Sensations,
Actions within your body as apart from your true self,
As merely witnessed.
This one awareness illuminates your entire existence,
Sentient and non-sentient,
This pure awareness is present in every living being's experience,
Whether it's recognized or not,
We are one,
There is no separation,
Everyone is the self.
Until the gone,
Reflect on how this knowledge of true self impacts on your relationship with your body,
Mind,
Identity and your relationships and interactions with others and the world around you.
Emotions arise,
Let them be,
But see them from the viewpoint of pure awareness,
Are they beneficial to this lifetime experience,
If not,
Put them into perspective and let them go,
Just as earlier you let go of tensions within the body.
Any criticism received of your behavior,
For sure the ego will want to rise up and fight,
I must be right,
Yet it is not you,
It is a thought,
Let go of grasping mind-body-identity thoughts,
They are not you,
Let not the ego trouble you for it cannot grasp your true self,
The one connection with all that is.
When inevitable pain arises,
Whether emotional or physical,
The acceptance that the pain is only experienced in the mind-body-identity and not by your true self can be liberating.
Pain is temporary,
It changes and that which changes cannot be you,
Unchanging,
Absolute reality,
That which is unchanging is absolute true,
Pure awareness and complete fulfillment,
That is you,
Nothing can add to you,
Nothing can be taken away from you,
You are perfect,
Whole and complete,
Eternally,
This lifetime does not define you,
Yet it brings you the opportunity to discover your true nature,
Until the goal,
Contemplate this divine gift of experience and self-discovery,
Whether you are caught up in the mundane or fully aware of awareness,
You can recognize there is an experience of pain or pleasure and you can let your experience be as it is,
With no need to manipulate it,
Push it away or desperately grasp at it,
All that exists is one pure awareness,
Awareness of mundane routines,
Of work,
Of habits,
Of health and the recognition that those around you are experiencing the same ups and downs of this relative existence brings love and compassion forth,
Until the goal,
Rest once again in pure awareness,
Drop in the sense of body and mind and simply be,
There is nothing in this life experience that can touch,
Harm,
Change or destroy your true self and in this knowledge you can find peace and harmony on this life journey,
As this meditation draws to a close,
I invite you to spend some time in gratitude for all that is,
Focus on your breath for a few cycles,
Let us move from moment to moment with inspiration,
Balance and the quiet assurance that every moment can lead us towards fulfillment,
In your own time gently open your eyes,
Please join with me in one om and three shanties,
Namaste
