Hi there,
Welcome.
My name is Susan Guttridge.
I'm a counselor in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
And I'm really glad you're here.
Today,
I'll be sharing with you a practice for cultivating a deeper sense of being enough.
Which I believe is needed for returning to wholeness.
Sometimes when we hear the words,
I am enough.
It can feel as though we're supposed to believe it,
But don't quite.
And so the words just don't resonate.
The words might feel distant,
Uncomfortable,
Or even untrue.
This can be because without realizing it,
We may have learned to relate to ourselves through striving.
Through the sense that we need to improve,
Achieve,
Or become more in order to be okay.
This is where perfectionism can take hold,
Not always as doing everything perfectly,
But as the feeling that who we are right now isn't quite enough.
So,
Let me begin by saying.
.
.
This meditation is not about convincing yourself of anything.
It's about exploring a different way of relating to yourself.
My intention is to support a sense of nervous system safety.
To gently soften the grip of striving.
And to reconnect with the truth that exists beneath those patterns.
That you are enough.
As you are.
You may or may not feel that that's a truth right away,
And that's okay.
I invite you to just listen.
With an open heart and a curious mind.
Holding space for whatever arises.
You are allowed to be enough.
And growing and learning and evolving at the same time.
So while you hang out here,
Just notice what comes up for you.
And meet it with curiosity.
Okay.
Get comfortable.
I hope you have a quiet cozy spot to listen.
And just start by noticing the sensation of air at your nostrils as you breathe in.
And out.
No,
It is.
The sensation of your sit bones on the surface that you're on.
Or if your feet are touching the ground.
Notice the sensation of your feet.
Flat on the floor.
Let your shoulders relax.
Down.
And just notice any bits of comfort there in your body.
As you settle into the place that you're in.
If you'd like to close your eyes,
You can.
Or just let your gaze soften down.
Doing whatever feels right for you.
And again,
With your awareness at your breath.
Just noticing the rise and fall of your chest.
As your air flows in.
And out.
Just at a pace that feels right for you.
With each breath,
Just allowing yourself to arrive.
Here.
With each exhale out,
Allowing the weight of striving to soften.
There's no need to perform anything here.
Nothing to perfect.
And with your breaths going in and out.
Noticing the life that is there within you.
The simple aliveness of this moment.
Thought,
Beneath judgment,
Beneath stories.
There is a wholeness within you that has always been there.
It is not something you need to earn.
And even though it can feel hard to access in times of struggle,
It does not disappear.
Deep breath in.
Exhale out.
Even now.
As you are.
Something within you is whole.
If it feels okay.
I invite you to.
.
.
Bring to mind somebody you care for.
Someone you genuinely wish could feel that they are enough.
Picture them in your mind's eye.
From your heart.
From this place of care.
Wish these words to them either aloud or silently in your mind.
You are enough.
As you hold them in your awareness.
See if you can imagine what it might feel for them to truly believe that they are enough.
How might they move through the world?
If they knew deep down that they were enough.
How would they carry themselves?
In their posture.
In their breath in the way they walk on the earth.
Perhaps there's a little more ease.
A little less holding.
Nothing to prove.
Nowhere to rush to.
No rush to become something or someone else.
Just noticing that.
Allowing it to become more and more vivid in your mind's eye.
And notice what it feels like in your body.
To witness them in this way.
Feeling enough.
And from this place of care,
Of warm If it feels possible.
Allow that same intention to begin to turn inward.
As if that kindness can include you too.
So offering the words to yourself.
I am enough.
If that feels too far away right now,
You could soften it.
I am learning to believe I am enough.
Or even simply I am here.
And that is enough for now.
Taking those words in.
I am an animal.
I am here and that is enough for now.
Here.
Now.
In this breath.
Enough.
Each breath.
Is enough.
Each heartbeat.
Is enough.
Each small act of showing up.
Is he now?
You can be enough.
And still becoming.
You are inherently enough.
You are allowed to take up space.
Just as you are.
If as you offer yourself these words,
You notice a resistance.
Arising.
Maybe thoughts like,
This isn't true.
Or I should be more.
See if you can simply notice.
Not arguing.
Not pushing away.
Not getting pulled into a story.
These patterns of perfectionism,
Self-criticism,
Of fear,
Maybe they were just ones there to protect you.
These parts of you perhaps learned that Striving kept you safe.
Kept you accepted.
Kept you valued.
Could you offer these parts,
These old stories?
I would have thanked.
You might say,
Thank you for trying to protect me.
You don't have to work so hard right now.
Let them soften.
Even just a little.
Your worth does not depend on their vigilance.
These parts of you.
I just want to protect you.
They don't need to disappear.
They don't need to be fit.
They can just soften.
And rest.
Even just for this moment.
And you can return to this practice.
Of being here.
Just in this moment.
Of being enough.
In just this one moment.
Inhaling in.
And.
.
.
On the exhale.
Allowing just a little more space.
Around these old patterns.
Even with these parts present.
Even with their pull to strive or improve.
There is something within you that is already enough.
See if you can sense into that.
Even just faint sleep.
Taking a big breath in.
And exhaling out when it feels right for you.
Softening the need to be more.
Sensing into what is here.
In you now.
You.
Perhaps the air filling your lungs.
The surface beneath you.
The floor beneath your feet.
Steady rhythm of your heart.
Beating.
Nothing about this moment.
Is asking you to be more.
Connection is already here.
Belonging is already here.
You are not lacking.
You are enough.
As you grow.
As you learn.
You are enough.
Can you notice?
That there is a way you are already enough.
Even just faintly.
As we begin to arrive at the close of our practice.
Today.
As you start to move into the rest of your day.
I have a suggestion.
That might help you to make this practice Feel a little bit stronger.
A suggestion that can help you take this practice.
A step further.
First,
If there were some words that resonated for you today about your enoughness.
Perhaps it was,
I am enough.
Perhaps it was,
I am here and that is enough for now.
Perhaps it was,
I am learning to be enough.
Whatever those words were for you.
Could you write them down?
And in the days that follow,
Refer to them.
Breathe them over.
Trace them with your finger.
Or use a pen or a pencil to trace those words.
With an open heart.
With a curious mind.
As you trace them every day.
Making space.
For this new truth to take root.
This truth has always been there.
That you are enough.
While you are growing while you are learning.
While you are still becoming.
You are enough.
Just.
.
.
Letting that truth settle into your body.
Carry it with you.
Softly.
As a quiet possibility.
In the moment ahead.
Thank you for being here.
Be well today.
