Hey there everybody,
This is Kristen from Teaching Balance and I am here with you with this week's mindfulness meditation practice.
And we are currently still in the month of July and the theme for July is joy and lightness.
So we're going to continue with this theme going forward.
We of course have talked about allowing joy and the fact that also that lightness can give us strength and nurture us and nourish us.
But for today,
The thing that's really coming up for me is I feel like I am,
Like so many other people,
Really just hearing a lot of difficult and let's just be honest,
Like bad news when it comes to things happening to people in my life.
And some of them are immediate kind of circle types of things and then there's also various circles that radiate out from there when it comes to hearing about people passing,
Hearing about people suffering,
Having a hard time,
Accidents,
All of those sorts of things.
And I'm not bringing this up to be a teller,
I assure you.
I'm bringing it up because this is life,
You know what I mean?
And when we talk about this idea of joy,
I think that in many ways,
The value of joy and our willingness to embrace it and to seek it out and to cultivate it is that much more sharpened when we experience some kind of loss,
No matter where that might be on the spectrum of severity.
And so that's really kind of where my head is at today.
I feel like I've been hearing some things about,
Like I said,
Bad news and feeling a sense of loss and it's hard.
And there's also something to be said for with loss comes the invitation to have a greater sense of gratitude for our own experiences,
For the little things.
You've heard me say lots of times the importance of savoring the little things and those moments and really trying to cultivate awe and wonder at just the little things in life because there's so much value to that.
And so that really is what the spirit of my invitation to you for this week,
Whether you are fortunate enough to not be hearing any news that is challenging regarding you and your loved ones,
Which is great.
And if that's the case,
I'm very happy for you.
Or if like so many of us,
You are hearing about things that are happening that are upsetting and challenging and,
You know,
Saddening and being willing to,
In spite of those things,
Or perhaps even to go so far as to say as a response to them,
To feel all the feelings,
To feel your sadness,
Your loss,
Your grief,
Your fear,
And to still be willing to invite in joy and lightness in whatever way that you can.
And of course that looks different for everybody,
But that's my invitation for you this week.
So let's go ahead and do our 10 minute meditation.
I'm going to set us up on the timer.
So go ahead and find your seat sitting in a way that is upright,
But not rigid or tight.
And if you're laying down,
Just doing so in a way that,
At least for our purposes,
Assuming you don't want to fall asleep,
That will help you to avoid falling asleep for these 10 minutes.
But if you do,
That's okay.
If you haven't already,
Closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
Let's go ahead and take a few of those deep,
Luxurious belly breaths.
Whatever way feels right to you,
Could be with your nose or mouth or a combination.
Just trust that your body can lead you to whatever breathing is best for you right now.
And if you're feeling a little constricted and deeper breathing is difficult for you right now,
Don't worry about it.
Just do the best you can in this moment.
You don't have to go down that rabbit hole of telling yourself the story of why or is it a problem or the judgment around that.
And as we further settle in,
Remembering you can always go back to those deeper breaths if you care to.
Just feel like what it feels like to be in our body,
Noticing the contact with the surface underneath us,
Perhaps feeling a quality of groundedness if that appeals to you.
If your feet are on the floor,
On a cushion,
Really feeling where it feels connected,
Where you feel supported,
And also where the bulk of your weight is being supported for me.
It's just where I'm sitting.
Just noticing what it feels like.
As you know,
We often go through our days as this floating thought bubble hovering above our heads,
Planning and worrying and remembering.
But for these 10 minutes,
The invitation is to embody your actual physical form.
Be in your skin as best as you can.
And of course,
We all know that inevitably your mind is going to wander over and over and over back into those thoughts,
Ideas,
Lists.
And know that's not a problem.
You just want to allow yourself to observe that your mind has wandered and then just very gently bring it back with kindness.
You know that you can either rest your attention on the body in its entirety or perhaps one part like your hands or your feet.
You can rest your awareness on any sensations associated with the breath.
Particularly that moment at the top of the inhale that pause just before the exhale.
And that moment at the bottom of the exhale that pause just before the new inhale.
And if you care to,
You can even play with those moments,
Elongating them slightly.
That helps you to stay engaged and present.
Again,
Trust yourself,
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to do it right.
This is an exercise in surrendering to imperfection,
Humility,
Because we always find ourselves wandering and coming back again and again.
And the acceptance of that is actually a big part of the practice too.
And then of course,
Don't forget,
You can also rest your attention on sounds.
Sounds outside,
Inside,
Or maybe even in you.
I find I have a perpetual ringing once I notice it,
But typically I'm not aware of it so I can rest my attention on that.
Ok.
Noticing where the mind is now.
None of this wandered.
Once again just bringing it back.
No big deal.
Letting go of any expectations or judgments about how it's going or how it is in comparison to some other time.
Instead just being deeply and profoundly present to how it is without evaluating and assessing and comparing.
Just allowing yourself to be present to the simplicity of this mindful moment.
Let's just sit once again in silence until our final bell,
About a minute or so.
No.
All right,
That's 10 minutes.
So sincerest warm wishes to you in this week ahead.
And as I mentioned earlier,
Just allowing yourself to feel all of your emotions,
Acknowledge them,
They are all valid.
And when challenges arise,
To whatever degree they might be,
Just allowing those to serve in some ways as teachers to you,
To allow them to be a reminder that we really benefit from just appreciating the simple things.
Because of course,
You know,
Everything is precious and our time is finite and I wasn't planning on ending on such a sober note,
But there it is.
So thank you as always for taking this time for yourself.
Thank you so much for allowing me to accompany you on this journey.
And I will see you next week.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
