A warm welcome to you.
I am delighted to share this time with you.
In today's meditation we shall explore the idea of making wise decisions by connecting with and listening to your mind,
Heart and gut.
The decisions we make in life both large and small have a powerful impact on our days,
Months,
Years and ultimately our lives.
As they say in Tibetan culture,
If you take care of the minutes the years will take care of themselves.
Big decisions like having a family,
Studying,
Taking a new job and small decisions how you respond to people,
What you eat,
How you spend your free time.
Each of these acts of choice present like forks in the road providing you with opportunities to choose the path that is your life.
So often in life we make decisions for the wrong reasons.
We try to please everyone.
We think something is the right thing to do.
We worry about hurting people's feelings or being judged.
Can you think back to a time in your life when you made a decision for the wrong reasons?
I wonder how this felt in your body and in your heart.
Perhaps you over committed on the weekend because you didn't want to say no or offend others and it left you feeling tired and overwhelmed,
Unable to enjoy any of the weekend activities wholeheartedly.
Perhaps you didn't communicate your needs in a personal or professional relationship and ended up feeling resentful or disconnected.
Sometimes it's clear to us when we make unwise decisions we can feel it in our bodies and in our hearts.
This is where expressions like I should have listened to my heart or I should have trusted my gut come from.
Wise decisions come from connecting with and listening to our three brain centers.
That is our mind,
Our heart and our gut.
Together these three centers contain billions of neurons.
They hold supreme intelligence.
They communicate with each other and are able to make individual and collective decisions.
Butterflies in your stomach,
A certain sinking feeling,
A heavy heart,
Heartache.
These are all examples of the gut and the heart sending signals to our brains.
Given we are so often caught up in our thoughts the challenge for us is to actually hear these messages from our hearts and our gut.
These messages speak to us not in words but in feelings,
Sensations,
Intuitions or just a sense of deep knowing.
Adding to this challenge is that even if we do hear their whispers we often find that our rational mind takes over.
Both ancient wisdom traditions and contemporary neuroscience support the idea that a healthy relationship between these three brain centers results in greater well-being and happiness.
During this meditation we will spend time connecting with each of these three parts of ourselves.
We will breathe life and connection into these places,
Attending to them with curiosity and openness.
In this way we can strengthen our relationship with them and be more able to hear their wisdom and follow their guidance as we move through our days.
So let us begin by taking a few moments now to find a comfortable position.
This may be seated or lying down,
Whatever feels right for you today.
Gently closing down your eyes if you like.
Giving yourself permission now to really settle in.
Remembering that it's okay to take this time for yourself.
Bringing your awareness now to your breath.
Noticing the feel of the air as it enters your nose and leaves your mouth.
Noticing the gentle rise and fall of your chest.
Noticing the soft expanse of your belly as the air flows in and out.
Allowing yourself to soften a little on each exhale as if your breath carries tension out of your body.
Surrendering to the rhythm of your breath.
Relaxing into the simplicity of this movement of being breathed.
Gently moving your attention now to your mind.
How does your mind feel?
Alert,
Busy,
Peaceful,
Sharp,
Fluid,
Foggy.
Just noticing now if you can breathe a sense of calm or spaciousness into your mind.
There is no need to try and stop your thoughts.
Just see if you can allow them to move in and out of your awareness a little more freely than usual.
Can you attend to your thoughts with curiosity and openness for a moment now?
Where are your thoughts taking you?
Perhaps back in time or off into the future?
Are you reminiscing,
Ruminating,
Worrying,
Planning or hoping?
How would you describe the tone of your thoughts?
Supportive,
Judgmental,
Optimistic,
Cautious.
Perhaps other words come to mind to describe your thoughts.
Are your thoughts old and familiar?
Voices you have heard before?
Or are they new thoughts?
How do they make you feel in your body?
How do they make you feel in your heart?
Taking a moment now to rest in the comfort of your breath.
Air flowing in,
Air flowing out.
It's simple movement.
We are not our thoughts.
We are the awareness that notices these thoughts.
There is no need to push our thoughts away.
When we attend to our thoughts with curiosity and openness they can ebb and flow like the tide.
A steady rhythm.
Moving your awareness now towards your gut.
Inviting you to breathe into this place of intelligence and wisdom.
If you could picture it in your mind I wonder what it would look like.
What words would you use to describe it?
Is it moving or is it still?
Does it feel moist or dry?
What color is it?
What texture?
Does it hold tension or is it relaxed?
Remembering there is no right or wrong.
We are just experimenting with connecting to this place inside us.
Can you allow your breath to soften this part of you?
Perhaps you can allow yourself a moment of gratitude for how your gut supports you night and day in the complex process of breaking down food,
Absorbing energy and nutrients.
Breathing in gratitude,
Breathing out gratitude.
Our gut sends us messages during our days.
It may tighten as a way of letting us know when we are feeling nervous or anxious.
It may tingle or flutter to signal our excitement or anticipation.
It may also reveal its deep intelligence when it hints to us that intuitively it knows something is not quite right.
I wonder how your gut communicates with you.
Opening up now to the possibility of hearing its whispers a little more in your day.
Moving our awareness now to our heart and the space around it.
The heart is intelligent.
It can sense,
Feel,
Learn and remember.
If it feels comfortable for you,
You may wish to rest your hand on or near your heart.
Inviting some gentle breaths into this space.
With each breath can you feel a softening?
Perhaps you can feel your heart beating.
Is it soft,
Strong,
Fast or slow?
Can you picture your heart in your mind?
What colour is it?
What texture?
Is it big or small?
Taking a moment now to notice any feelings or sensations that are present for you in your heart.
How does your heart feel today?
Strong,
Open,
Reserved,
Worried,
Shy.
Perhaps you don't feel much at all or no words come to mind.
Whatever your experience is,
This is okay.
Gently in your mind repeat these messages to your heart.
May I be aware of your presence.
May I receive your wisdom.
May I be guided by you.
Allow these words of connection to soak into you just as the earth soaks up summer rain.
Gently repeat again quietly in your mind.
May I be aware of your presence.
May I receive your wisdom.
May I be guided by you.
Feeling grateful now for the capacity of your heart for feeling love,
Joy,
Devotion and delight.
Feeling grateful also for its capacity to feel pain and sadness and for its ability to heal.
Offering your heart a few grateful breaths.
Do you ever hear the callings of your heart?
Opening up now to hearing its wisdom as you move through your days.
Spending a few final moments now allowing the connection we have felt with our mind,
Gut and heart to move freely through our body with the gentle aid of our breath.
Tapping into your own wisdom now.
How will you connect more with these three centers of wisdom and intelligence as you move through your days?
Remembering now we are not our thoughts.
We are the awareness that notices these thoughts.
When we move through life with this awareness and an ability to connect with and listen to our heart and our gut we will make wise decisions that support our beliefs and values and lead us to a path of great happiness and well-being.
Taking a nice deep breath in and out.
Enjoying some gentle movement of your fingers and toes.
Taking any other movement your body desires.
Gently you may open your eyes.
You may close your eyes.
