MA 28 Being Your Best Self

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This track acknowledges through meditation and affirmations that each one of us is special and extraordinary with so much to do and experience in life.

Transcript

So when you're ready to begin,

Find a comfortable position for yourself.

You might want to sit cross-legged or you may want to sit with your back straight on a chair.

In any case,

Close your eyes very gently.

Breathe deeply to yourself and allow your body to become quite still and begin to relax.

Become aware of any tension you're holding anywhere in your body.

Notice and release that tension.

Relax any tension in your entire scalp.

Allow any tension to float away.

Feel the lightness and relaxation coming down over your entire scalp.

Similarly,

Allow your forehead to relax completely.

Relax your eyes and the tiny muscles around your eyes.

Relax the entire area of your head,

Whether it be your cheeks,

Your jaw,

Or the whole of your face.

Make sure you're not inadvertently pulling a face.

Then focus on your neck and any tension you're holding there.

Allow all the muscles of your neck to become completely relaxed.

Feel the tension melting away.

Now allow this relaxation to continue down to your body,

Through your shoulders,

Relaxing them and melting away anything that keeps you from total relaxation.

Allow this to happen naturally.

This scanning of the body for relaxation will become second nature as you become more familiar with the practice.

Continue to allow the relaxation to flow down your chest,

To your stomach,

And your hips,

Relaxing everything in its path.

Now become aware of all the muscles of your back.

Allow the muscles to become totally relaxed and limp,

Freeing all stress and emotions held there.

Feel how comfortable your entire body becomes.

Turning our attention to relax our state of mind,

Notice how the relaxation soothes and comforts you.

Notice any uncertainties or worries that you're holding in any part of your body.

Allow them to come up into your consciousness and one by one release these thoughts and feelings.

Feel how effortless it is to release them without any regret.

Let all the thoughts go as you sink deeper and deeper into this loving warm abyss of relaxation,

Freeing yourself from the burden of the difficulties,

Allowing you to experience true freedom.

You begin to feel light,

Peaceful,

And calm,

Clearing your mind little by little,

Relaxing your body,

And with practice it becomes very easy to achieve a state of total relaxation.

In this state you will be completely peaceful and focus only on the moment of now.

The state also allows profound rest in a short period of time.

So allow yourself to sink deeper and deeper into profound rest and relaxation,

Beginning to let go deeper and deeper,

More and more relaxed,

Down into serene relaxation,

Letting go of all concerns,

Focusing only on feeling free,

Deeper and deeper,

To the deepest level of relaxation you can possibly achieve today.

And with this perfectly relaxed state which you've now achieved,

It will be much easier for you to embark this time and every time you meditate from now on.

So now we turn our attention inward in our usual way,

As if inside our body is just an empty space with no organs or tissues,

Muscles or bones,

Like a hollow space inside us.

And in our mind we conjure up a feeling of the positive energy in our life or feeling of empty space within us,

Filled with happiness and joy.

And we imagine a bright clear object like a shining sun,

A star,

Maybe a diamond or a full moon,

Or a feeling as if such an object is present inside us,

Floating slowly downwards until it comes to rest somewhere around about the very center of our body.

If anything distracts our attention away,

We bring our awareness back to this central point each time.

If the picture or feeling disappears,

We can conjure up a new one.

If thoughts return,

We do our best to ignore them.

And the whole time we feel whole and pure,

As if we truly have a deep inner knowing that acknowledges that each and every one of us is special and extraordinary,

Wonderful and unique individuals with so much to do and experience in life.

And we take the positivity within ourselves in order to magnify and multiply how positive we feel about ourselves and to acknowledge how much we have to offer the world.

If we are able to live up to our full potential and love ourselves completely,

We can be the person we truly are in life,

Almost as if we wanted to start afresh and make our life into something wonderful,

With a new feeling of peace and happiness,

Putting our past behind us,

As if we're ready for something new and exciting,

As we find that each day brings wonderful opportunities and happiness,

As we start to put ourselves in touch with our own potential and beauty,

As we live our lives authentically,

As we are comfortable with ourselves,

As we realize we don't have to try to be someone who we're not,

Because in any case we are special,

We become open to new opportunities and life's blessings,

As we realize that happiness comes from within and not from outside things.

And we realize that although other people may offer a lot to us,

But none of them can ever force us to feel or be or think anything we don't choose for ourselves.

And with this newfound sense of independence,

We honor our body and our own emotions,

We find it easier to express our feelings day by day,

Feeling stronger and more confident in ourselves,

Living our own truth,

Feeling good about ourselves,

And as we start to love ourselves,

We realize that we are in this new sense of independence,

And as we start to love ourselves and honor ourselves more and more,

We find ourselves more in tune with our own ambitions and personal boundaries,

With it becoming easier each day to uphold these boundaries.

If we have things in our past that we're not so proud of,

We can put these things behind us.

We let go of our past as we turn toward a new day of excitement,

Opportunities and happiness waiting for us.

We don't let our past hold us prisoner,

But we switch up to a future of happiness,

Joy and abundance,

Generated by this positive energy of wholesome thoughts,

Speech and action inside us,

Something known as merit,

That in turn is generated by all the choices for the best things in our lives.

So now for a few moments in silence,

We keep our mind focused gently at the center of ourselves with the inner object of our choice,

Something we can see or something we can feel,

Each to our own practice now for a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to the appropriate time.

And to be our best selves,

We allow the following affirmations to resonate at the deepest core of our being.

In terms of self-esteem,

May my confidence grow stronger each day so that I can become capable,

Powerful and strong.

May I know I am loved and be comfortable with who I am.

May I realize that happiness comes from within and be truly happy.

May I be in harmony with myself and choose to focus on good thoughts that move me towards success.

May I honor myself,

My feelings,

My body and my emotions,

And be respectful of my own personal needs and boundaries.

May each new day bring me excitement at new and wonderful opportunities.

May I realize I am worthy and deserving of all good things.

May I realize I am essentially a beautiful and a powerful individual.

In terms of fellow travelers on this spiritual path,

Allow the following affirmations to resonate in your heart.

May I be encircled by love,

Peace and wisdom,

Surrounded by loving,

Caring friends and family.

May I attract good,

Wonderful things into my life.

May I add value to others in my life and thereby bring joy and fulfillment.

May I feel gratitude for all things,

People and experiences in my life,

And may this gratitude be steadfast.

In terms of overcoming mistakes and controlling any negativity,

Entertain the following affirmations in your mind.

May I forgive myself for any previous mistakes and be able to learn from them.

May I be released from any negative thoughts that interfere with my moving forward into a brighter future.

May I be in control of my life and my own experiences,

Always attentive to my thoughts and choosing them wisely so that I can be in control of how I react to what life throws at me.

May I realize happiness is a choice and choose wisely.

May I be released from lethargy that comes in the form of negative thinking and lazy habits.

And finally,

In terms of my spiritual quest,

Reflect on the following transcendental affirmations.

May I be able to find time each day for quiet contemplation to restore and renew me.

May I be inspired to spend time each day connected to this wise inner part of me and to the stillness within,

Allowing me to remain perfectly aligned with what is truly important to me in life.

And having reflected on these positive affirmations,

We allow our heart and mind to be filled with compassion,

Which reaches out to the whole of ourselves,

Reaches out beyond ourselves,

To our families,

To our homes,

To our colleagues,

To the whole of our neighborhood and municipality,

Reaching out in ever-widening circles around us,

To all sentient beings that we can see or that we are unable to see.

We extend compassion and loving-kindness to them all without exception,

Although the merit is within our own minds.

But if we practice it regularly,

Habitually,

It becomes a part of who we are.

It becomes a part of our character.

It becomes a part of our personality.

It even spills over and brushes off onto the people around us,

Just like our loving-kindness until the whole of our world will become a better place as a result.

But if no single person in the world ever thinks of anything but their own selfish desires,

Then the future of the world will be hard to improve.

But if each of us cultivates the best in our lives,

Chooses the best of intentions,

Words,

And actions,

Before long the world will be turned around into a place that's more welcoming,

Abundant with opportunities,

Even for those around us who have less knowledge about merit energy than ourselves.

So we focus on our meditation in this way,

Making our own wishes for ourselves or others for the last few moments of our practice together in silence.

Reviews

I LOVE this practice! Short but powerful intentions and affirmations! I feel better, stronger, more peaceful. Thank you so much for your teachings! ☮️💖🙏🖖🕉🪷