Welcome to another episode of IFS Meditations and Insights,
A podcast exploring personal growth through the lens of internal family systems,
Or IFS.
I'm Tim Fortescue,
Your guide on this journey,
An IFS trained practitioner dedicated to nurturing spiritual wholeness and healing.
In this compassionate space,
We delve into self-discovery,
Uncovering inner wisdom.
When we embrace all parts of ourselves with love,
We can better receive divine love and extend it to others.
My hope is that what I discuss here will illuminate your path,
Bringing you inner peace and a deeper connection to the sacred.
Together we'll learn how IFS gently transforms our relationship with ourselves and the world.
So settle in,
Open up your heart and mind,
And let's dive into another episode.
Today I'm going to lead us in a meditation to help our parts give us some space so that we can gain a different perspective of them and that they can do the same for us.
And so let's begin the meditation.
Now as we begin,
You can close your eyes if you'd like to.
If that's weird or uncomfortable,
You can also just let your gaze rest softly in front of you.
Bring your attention to your breath,
Your in-breath and the out-breath.
Take a few breaths at your own pace.
And on your next out-breath,
I want you to imagine your parts in a circle,
Just giving you a little space.
And remember those parts can be thoughts,
Feelings,
Actions,
Impulses,
Beliefs,
Among many other things.
But if it's coming up,
It's likely a part.
And on your out-breath,
Just see if it could give you some space.
See if those parts could give you some space.
We're not trying to breathe them away.
They make us whole.
They're not bad.
They bring us gifts.
But if they can give us some space,
Just two or three feet,
We can see them more clearly.
They can look at us more clearly.
Then on your next in-breath,
Imagine breathing in some of that calmness,
Curiosity,
Compassion,
Connectedness,
Creativity,
And those other C quality type things,
Even if they don't begin with the letter C.
And as you're breathing on the out-breath,
There's spaciousness.
It's where relationship can happen.
And on the in-breath,
There's belovedness,
Those Cs,
Who we are at our core.
And in an interesting kind of way,
It tethers us to our parts,
But also gives us spaciousness.
See how that is as you continue to breathe in and out.
Breathing in that calmness,
Curiosity.
Breathing out,
Just a little spaciousness,
A relationship.
Let's check in again.
How is it for your parts to look at you,
You to look at them?
Then on the next out-breath,
Maybe there are some burdens,
Some heaviness that these parts carry that they may have thought was who they are or who they were even at their essence,
But it's not.
See if there's anything they want to let go of as you breathe out,
Knowing that we're not going to let them go because they belong.
We need them.
They're not alone.
Breathing in that care,
And breathing out for spaciousness,
And what are you and your parts want or need to let go?
Continue to notice as you take some breaths in and out at your own pace.
Thank your parts for showing up and being seen,
Witnessed.
Thank them for their courage for as much or as little as they revealed and made known.
Let them know this doesn't have to be the last time.
Spend more time with them if they'd like that,
If you'd like that.
The spaciousness just helps us see them and them to see us,
But they can come in closer if they need to and expand.
We're all in this together.
See if there's anything else.
When it feels right,
For now,
You can bring your attention back to the present moment.
You can open your eyes if they were closed and continue about life and being.
Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation.
Take care.
