Hey,
Are you looking for a little help?
Do you need a little bit of comfort?
This meditation is inspired by Tarb Rock's concept of mindful prayer.
Mindful prayer awakening us from the imprisoning story of a suffering self.
Oh,
We so long to be released from our suffering,
Don't we?
This is a practice that you can try for calling out for help and receiving comfort.
John O'Donohue,
The priest and poet writes,
Prayer is the spoice of longing.
It reaches outwards and inwards to unearth our ancient belonging.
He says that the more fully we touch our pain and our longing,
The more fully we are released into boundless compassionate presence.
And so we're going to try a practice to connect us to our boundless compassionate presence.
So I hope that the word prayer isn't triggering for someone who has religious trauma,
Because I want you to open to this,
Just this call.
It's just a call,
Calling out for what you need.
When we ask for help,
What are we doing?
When we ask for help from that benevolent presence,
What are we doing?
We're praying.
So bear with me,
Because you can call on whatever benevolent presence speaks to you,
Whether it's a religious figurehead,
God,
Buddha,
Jesus,
Mohammed,
Vishnu,
Whatever it is,
The universe,
Mother Earth,
Your grandmother,
Your ancestors,
Whatever.
The idea is that we're going to go on a visual journey.
So here we go.
We're going to start with the body,
With instructing the nervous system to relax through belly breathing.
And then we're literally going to call out for help.
So be sure you have some privacy,
Or if there's people nearby,
Be sure they know that you're you're calling out in distress,
But not because you're being in any immediate danger of being harmed.
Because we are going to use our voices and call out for help.
And then finally,
We're going to offer ourselves,
We're going to use our own voice as the expression of the comfort we are longing for,
From that benevolent presence,
Letting our voice connect us to something bigger,
Something stronger,
Something nurturing and protecting.
You're ready to go on this little adventure with me after all that preamble.
Let's go ahead and close your eyes.
Get yourself really comfortable.
If you're sitting or lying down,
See if there's anything you can do to make yourself even that much more comfortable.
This is meant to be a very relaxed,
Soothing practice.
So start by placing your hand on your belly.
You're going to breathe into your belly as though you were filling a balloon,
Letting the belly swell up under your hand so you can really feel the breath moving the stomach outward.
So you're breathing in,
Long deep breath and exhale,
Like you're blowing out a candle,
Blowing out through your mouth.
Let's try counting the breaths as your belly rises and falls.
You can do it silently as we breathe in two and then out two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling longer than the inhale and breathing in and out two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling,
Bringing in,
Now bringing in the breath on the inhale,
Breathing in,
Filling the belly and I don't want you to strain,
But I want you to exhale now.
Go ahead and play with breathing at your own pace,
Just being sure that you're not stressing yourself out with the breathing,
But that you're really filling that belly and then pushing the air out of the belly,
But keep it slow and easy.
When we breathe in this way,
That full belly breathing,
We're letting our nervous system know that we're safe.
When we're not safe,
We breathe at the top of our lungs,
Short fast inhales at the top of the lungs.
When we breathe all the way down into the belly,
The body knows that we're okay,
That we're safe and we create a feeling of safety.
Staying with the breath for just a little bit.
If you notice any physical discomfort,
Feel free to flex your neck or your toes,
Shake it out,
Sink into a deeper,
More comfortable position and continuing to rest the hand on the belly,
Experiencing the full swelling and falling of the belly with the breath.
Now,
As you lay here breathing,
I want you to think of a situation that's really difficult,
A situation where you would really like some help.
Help me.
Where you really want to call out and say,
Please,
Somebody,
Will you please help me?
Please help me.
And now think of that benevolent breath,
And now think of that benevolent presence and ask,
Call to it,
Call,
Help me,
Help me,
Please help me,
Please help,
Help,
I need help.
Go ahead and say the words out loud.
Go ahead and call out,
Help,
Help,
Please help me,
Please help,
Help,
I need help.
You're calling out for support,
You're calling out for guidance,
You're calling out for strength,
Help,
Give me the strength,
Help,
Give me the wisdom,
Help,
Give me insight,
Help,
Give me support.
Feeling in the body what it feels like to use your voice to call out and ask for help.
Help.
Imagine you're on a mountaintop and you're calling out across the mountain range.
Help.
Help.
Help.
Help.
Help.
Help.
Help me.
Please help me.
You may have brought up a lot of emotion,
Maybe unfamiliar,
Maybe familiar.
And now we're going to use your voice to be the expression of that help arriving,
That expression of tenderness and care and nurturing.
So now move your hand from your belly to your heart.
Hold yourself now.
Hold yourself with tenderness.
You're the expression,
You and your voice are the expression of that benevolent being,
The benevolent being that you called on.
And with your hand on that benevolent being,
The benevolent being that you called on,
And with your hand on your heart,
Say in your most loving voice,
Be well,
My dear one.
I'm here.
Be well,
Dear one.
One of the magnificent things about being a human being is that our nervous system responds to a loving voice.
A gentle loving voice calms the nervous system.
And it's even true when it's your own voice.
It does not have to be the voice of another.
Your voice can express its own tenderness and offer you what you long for.
So repeat after me in your sweetest voice,
Be well,
Dear one.
I'm here.
I'm here.
Be safe,
My love.
I'm here.
Live in joy and peace,
Sweet friend.
And maybe it feels weird to call yourself pet names like that.
But this is something that your mind,
Your like your deepest mind responds to.
So try it out even if it feels a little goofy,
Or silly,
Or strange.
Be well,
My dear one.
Be safe,
My love.
Live in joy and peace,
My sweet friend.
I'm here.
Now just try it out.
Experiment for yourself.
What are the words you need to hear?
What encouragement?
What kindness?
What comforting words is your heart longing for?
What comforting words is your soul calling for?
Offer them to yourself right now.
I'm here.
I can do this.
My dear one,
I believe in you.
My sweet,
Brave,
Strong friend.
I believe in you.
Be well,
Dear one.
Be well.
Be safe,
My love.
Be well.
Be safe.
Live in joy and peace,
My sweet,
Sweet friend.
Be well.
Be safe.
Live in joy and peace.
Resting in the comfort of that benevolent presence.
Continue offering yourself aloud in your kindest voice,
This tenderness,
This kind of sweet tenderness.
Offering yourself love,
Calling with your voice.
You called out for help,
And now your voice is summoning the strength within you,
The strength outside of you.
Connecting you to something else,
Something bigger,
And to boundless presence.
You're not alone.
You are deeply,
Deeply connected to everything around you.
Let yourself feel the love,
Even if it's through the sound of your own voice.
Be well.
You
