Welcome to this meditation.
In this meditation we'll be focusing on confidence.
In Buddhism we talk about the seeds that we have in our store consciousness.
And that by watering those seeds we can grow and strengthen them.
Confidence is one such seed.
So as you arrive in this meditation,
My invitation to you is to take your time to settle yourself well.
Noticing in as much or as little detail any movements or adjustments that you need to make.
So that it feels just right or right enough for what you need in this moment.
One breath at a time,
Caring for what you need now.
Taking that time to adjust or shuffle,
Notice,
Paying attention to your needs.
It's actually an act of confidence.
That having the confidence to care for your needs.
And that in itself can help us find the posture that we want to be in.
And have that sensation or experience feedback from our body.
That lets us know that within the context of what is going on for you now.
You can feel confident that this is what you need.
To stay with your breath for a bit.
To take that moment to then look a bit deeper into any thoughts that you may be having.
Or emotions.
Because during this meditation your mind may wander.
And your feelings,
That is your emotions and physical sensations,
May up and flow.
And that's okay.
It's a bit like the weather.
It changes and shifts.
There's cloud and rain,
Sunshine,
Wind,
Clear skies.
Whatever the weather is doing,
There is the you who is experiencing what you're experiencing.
And when we cultivate and nurture and water the seeds of our confidence,
We are able to stay with those experiences with more confidence.
My invitation to you is to get curious and it may take a little courage to have a look at how confident you are feeling in this moment.
How do you know that?
What are the thoughts,
Emotions or physical sensations that let you know how confident you are feeling?
Or the lack of confidence that you are experiencing?
You may realize that actually you're feeling more or less confident than you were earlier on today or a few days ago.
Or that you're feeling more confident now.
Well,
That's more or less.
The information here is that confidence isn't static.
Confidence moves and shapes with what is going on for us.
Even on its most basic level,
Our confidence can be affected by whether we've had enough sleep or whether we've had enough food.
There's also another dimension to our confidence,
Which is that we can feel confident in some situations and not others.
Or with some people,
But not everyone.
Drawing on your curiosity and courage,
Notice the areas where you have more confidence and the areas where you feel like you have less.
Notice the qualities that you associate with confidence.
It could be trust,
It could be sturdiness,
It could be gravitas.
Whatever the qualities are that you associate with confidence,
Just notice what they are.
We all have some confidence.
And so recognizing where that is can help us get a sense of what does it feel like for you when you feel more confident.
This means you've actually got a reference for what it feels like.
And it also gives you the clues as to how to nurture and water the seeds of that feeling of confidence.
And most of us share an aspiration to feel more confident.
And so my invitation for you today is to hold that sense of the confidence that you already have and the aspiration to strengthen that,
That we can hold both experiences at the same time.
Yeah.
Often when we are feeling more confident,
We are able to have more clarity and we're able to feel more connected.
Not only to ourselves,
But also to others.
So those can be other aspects of confidence for you to nurture.
What helps you feel connected?
What helps you feel that you have clarity?
Yeah.
You may realize that your posture has changed during this meditation.
That you are now sitting more confidently.
That there's a stronger sense of sturdiness within your physical body.
Yeah.
In this moment,
You are confident enough.
And as you hold that sense of confidence enough,
Hold the aspiration of strengthening that confidence even further.
Until more and more of your day,
You are coming from a place of confidence.
Feeling what that feels like.
Holding that aspiration as you lean into the confidence you already have.
That seed of confidence that is strengthening and growing as you nurture and water it.
Yeah.
And as we come to the end of this meditation,
Give yourself a moment to absorb and observe the thoughts,
Emotions and physical sensations that you have experienced.
And how you're feeling now.
Remember,
Feelings are information.
And that it's more helpful to be curious than critical.
