Journey of Change - A Meditation for Tranquility

Embrace a journey of self-discovery as we dive into the liberating concept of self-transformation. In "Journey of Change - A Meditation for Tranquility," we explore the inherent fluidity of our being and its profound potential for stress relief. You'll be guided through a peaceful meditation, prompting a deeper understanding of your dynamic self, which ebbs and flows much like a river. By the end, you will be empowered with insights that can help you navigate life's changes with ease and tranquility.

Transcript

This guided meditation has two parts.

It's about embracing change.

So it's a little discussion and a meditation on self-transformation and this will help to reduce stress.

So first of all we'll just settle into this moment and wiggle your body a little bit and become comfortable.

And I'll do a little talk on why this is important and why we suffer so much and then we'll settle deeper down into the experience of the meditation.

Let's dive a little deeper into this transformation understanding and this self transformation,

A concept with a potential to alleviate so much stress in our lives.

And consider the idea that we think of ourself as a self,

Merely a combination of physical and mental attributes.

Our physical form,

Our feelings,

Our perceptions and our stories,

Our thoughts and our consciousness.

If you really think about it none of these attributes either separately or collectively constitute a permanent unchanging self.

What is that self that lies below all those things?

And understanding this principle can be incredibly liberating.

Often stress arises when our fixed idea of who we are or who we should be is challenged or threatened.

We cling to this static self-image and struggle when life's inevitable changes clash with it.

And just by understanding and embracing the self-transformation,

The inherent fluidity of our being,

We can let go of the stressful clinging and the flow more freely with occurrence of life.

And consider this thought,

Thanks to change everything is possible.

Thanks to change everything is possible.

And when we truly understand self transformation and impermanence,

We free ourselves from the limitations of this fixed identity and we open ourselves to endless possibilities,

Endless experiences,

More joy and more depth.

Let's consider a metaphor.

Imagine yourself as a boat going down a river.

The river is constantly changing with different current and different corners,

Calm stretches and rapid flows.

And as the boat you don't cling to either bank or you fight against the current.

Instead you allow the river to carry you.

You trust in its flow.

This is much like our experience in the self-transformation.

When we let go of the clinging to the fixed self-identity,

We become more like the boat.

We're able to move freely with the flow of life,

Reducing the stress and struggle.

And then comes less resistant.

Become more like nature and we embrace life's changes.

So let's embark on a guided meditation to contemplate this self-transformation and find who we are really below all those things that come and go.

So settle in a little more and just become aware of your body relaxing.

If you haven't closed your eyes already just gently close your eyes or soften your gaze just a few feet in front of you.

Imagine yourself as a river with water continuously flowing.

Every aspect of you,

Your body,

Your feelings,

Your perceptions,

Your thoughts is like the water.

Constantly changing.

Never the same from one moment to the next.

Notice your breath flowing in and out just like the river.

There's no fixed breath,

Only the process of breathing.

Notice the sense of relief that comes from understanding that there is no fixed breath,

Only the process of breathing.

And now shift your attention to your body.

Feel its weight,

Its temperature,

The sensations with it.

And realize there's no fixed body,

Only a constant flux of sensations.

The body is always changing.

There's nothing that's permanent within the body,

Whether it's emotions or thoughts.

And notice the relief that comes from knowing there's no fixed body and just the constant flux of sensations.

There's like a lightness and an easiness to it.

And now we'll move your awareness to your feelings.

These could be feelings of happiness,

Sadness,

Excitement,

Boredom.

Each feeling arises,

Stays for a while and then passes away.

There's no fixed feeling,

Only a flow of emotions.

And notice the relief that comes from realizing there's no fixed feeling,

Just a flow of emotions.

That the next one will come along and you don't have to hold on to any.

And notice that they will go,

So you don't have to push any away.

They will subside and disappear.

And now finally bring your attention to your thoughts.

Notice how each thought comes and goes,

Just like the clouds in the sky.

There's no fixed thought,

Only a stream of mental events.

There's no fixed thought,

Only a stream of mental events.

Notice the relief that comes from understanding there's no fixed thought,

Just a stream of different thoughts coming and going.

And as you observe the flow of the breath,

Your sensations,

Your feelings and your thoughts,

Remember the image of the boat on the river.

Allow your experience to flow naturally without resistance.

There's nothing to fight in this moment,

There's nothing to resist in this moment.

And just hold this understanding for a few moments.

Observe the flow of the breath,

The coming and going of sensations,

The flux of the feelings,

The fact the thoughts come and go.

And as you end this meditation,

Take this wisdom with you and let it remind you of your true nature.

It's not a fixed self,

But a beautiful ever-changing flow.

And as you continue with your day,

Remember the boat on the river.

Embrace the fluidity of your own being and experience the stress relief that comes from this understanding.

Flowing with whatever comes and goes.

If you gently open your eyes or shake out your arms and just move yourself,

Move your awareness back into this room.

Yeah,

What a relief that we don't have to hold on to anything and we can be whoever we want to be and whatever we want to experience in this moment,

Based on whatever this moment gives us.

Thank you.

Have a wonderful day.

Reviews

I truly hope that I can bring this wonderful knowledge into my life as I now see my existence under a defined cloud. Thank You for your guidance.

Beautiful meditation practice, l love the idea of just go with the flow.

Beautiful meditation. I will be doing this one often. Thank you! 🙏🏻

Just what the doctor ordered! As I embark on next stage of physical, emotional and spiritual journey. Thank you!

May I flow with life‘s changes with ease. Thank you. 💜🙏

Thank you for this gentle, kind, relaxing meditation. I will definitely come back to it again 🙏

This is truly beautiful, so serene, I had a few tears because it was so beautiful. I will be coming back to this one a lot, Thank you🧡

Steven, first let me thank you for creating this beautiful practice. Second, this could not have come anymore ideal time to cross my path as I am seeking very much to embody a sense of fluidity as I move through life.
I am going to be downloading this and coming back to it often. In much gratitude.🙌🏻💞🙌🏻

I really enjoyed this way of thinking about daily life. I will be the boat on the river 🚢

Very unique and incredibly helpful. I see things slightly differently now. I’ll bookmark this for frequent use. Thank you so much, Steven. 🙏🏻💚

The metaphor of flowing with the river current was so illuminating for today. Thank you.

Thanks for your reply, Steven! As we say on Long Island, “Zactly!”
Have a great week!
Donna
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I appreciate your perceptions, and your expressing them, that we are all but little pockets of matter and energy, with a bit of consciousness thrown in, along for a ride we have very little knowledge or understanding of. There’s really no point getting overly self-important about it! Lucky to have a glimmer of a glimpse, probably good to just be amazed.
Thanks for your insights, Steven!
Donna

“When we embrace change, everything is possible” - what a fantastic thought! Thank you, Steven.

That was very relaxing! Loved the music and pacing. I’ll be returning to this. Thank you.

This is a wonderful and calming meditation with such peaceful music to accompany the words. Thank you!💕

Beautiful music to accompany this calming meditation. Thank you 🙏

Simple, clear, wise and calm - thank you! ☺️

This was beautiful , just what I needed.

My absolutely favorite meditation voice and person on Insight Timer!! All are amazing and insightful.

Thank you so much 🙏🏽💖