Hi,
I'm Stephen Webb.
Welcome to a meditation for the moment we hear something on the news and we start to feel worthless,
Angry or helpless.
And in this meditation we'll breathe in the suffering and breathe out the compassion.
Is using a form of Tung Len meditation.
And in doing that we just nudge the needle a little bit.
Towards a more compassionate world.
So allow yourself to become comfortable.
In whatever position you choose.
And while you're doing that,
I just want to frame something.
When we talk about the news,
We're talking about what we see on social media.
What we see on the television.
What we hear from our friends.
It all feels a little overwhelming at times.
And especially when we have a big heart and we care a lot.
We want to help.
We want to do something about it.
As we continue to settle in,
You don't need to do anything with your breath.
I always believe the body knows how to breathe.
It's only when we get involved it kind of messes up.
We just bring our awareness to the breathing in and the breathing out.
And the same with the relaxing,
The body knows how to relax.
We just invite and allow the body to do it.
So we can do that now we can start with the top of our head our face and our jaw.
Shoulders and arms.
And our belly and our legs all the way down to our feet.
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out relaxed.
The universe has this moment for you.
You don't need to do anything with it.
And just think of a moment recently where something you saw or heard and it just landed within you.
Just notice that,
No need to picture it again.
Where did it sit heavy?
Was it in your shoulders?
Was it in your jaw?
Maybe it's in your stomach.
This is to recognise that it affected us.
And it affected you because you care.
And because if you could do something,
You would.
And if you didn't care,
You wouldn't be affected,
You wouldn't be bothered by it.
And here's a breath that might help you settle.
And it might help those affected.
As you breathe in,
Say inside,
This is hard.
And as you breathe out,
Say inside,
May they be safe.
Breathing in,
This is hard.
Even now,
May they be safe.
Don't need to change your breath,
Do it as your breath is doing it.
And everybody who read or seen the same headline today.
Somewhere breathing with us right now.
Breathing in,
This is hard.
Moving out,
May they be safe.
And we'll do a little of that out breath for you too.
The one listening.
The one who's carrying this.
When you breathe out,
Say,
May I be safe.
May I be safe.
And now we widen it a little.
Right now or somewhere.
Someone is making a neighbor a nice cup of tea.
A nurse is starting a night shift.
Someone is walking a dog in the pouring rain and laughing about it.
A child is laughing,
Perhaps uncontrollably,
The way children do.
And an adult is doing something silly to make it happen.
And right now there are communities all over the world coming together.
Sometimes we forget this when the news is consumed by.
A certain bias.
Phrase it another way,
The fire gets the pictures.
The people carrying the water don't.
And they're out there too,
Millions of them.
So we can breathe in,
The fire is real.
So is the water.
Fire at will.
So is the water.
And the real thing you can do is this one small thing within reach today.
Not everything,
Just one small thing.
A message,
A donation,
A kindness.
Whoever's in the room with you,
Just.
.
.
A little moment of silence to recognize the pain and suffering.
And recognising all the good.
Recognize that so is the water.
And if nothing comes that's fine too.
Not every headline needs an action from you.
Sometimes just knowing is enough.
And sometimes not even knowing is enough.
Sometimes the suffering just needs to be felt and then put down.
So as we're closing this meditation,
Same side slowly.
I can care.
And still rest.
I can care and still rest.
And we're going to end with three wishes for whoever needs them today.
And we just feel them throughout our whole body.
As they land in the most beautiful,
Comfortable way.
May they be safe.
May I care without drowning.
May I put it down when I've done what I can.
May they be safe.
May I care without drowning.
May I put it down when I've done what I can.
The world will still be there when you open your eyes.
It was there before.
And now we just practice first,
News second.
If you can manage it.
Even just a breath or two before the day starts.
Just before you turn on the headlines,
Just to breathe.
And recognize it's not yours to carry.
So I'm going to guide you back now.
So five,
Just become aware of the room.
Or become aware of your breath.
Three,
Just gently open your eyes.
To shake out your arms and your fingers and your toes.
And one look around and just feel the all the problems of the world are not yours to carry.
And that's okay.
Sometimes you don't even need to know.
Thank you for sitting with me today.
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