The Path Meditation

Are you curious about the seemingly contradictory parts inside of you? For example, how part of you may want to take a risk and try something new, while another part urges you to pull back, and stay safe? Throughout our lives we develop adaptations, or “parts” that help us survive, and which can also keep us from aligning with our deepest values and vision. Join me for this guided path meditation as we take a deeper look at and listen to the parts inside.

Transcript

As we begin the meditation, I want to invite you to get comfortable. Sit in an upright way but not too stiff. Both feet on the floor if you're sitting. You can close your eyes if you want or if you prefer to leave them open. You can just let your eyes rest with a soft gentle gaze in front of you. I invite you to notice your breath, The in-breath, The out-breath, The in-breath again, The out-breath, And when your mind begins to wander, Know that that's natural and without judgment, Just gently draw your attention back to your breath. And as you focus inward, I invite you to, In your mind's eye, Put yourself at the base of a path. It could be one you've already been on or it could be a path that's totally new to you. And then meet with your parts at the base of this path and ask them if they'd be willing to wait there for you and let you go on this brief journey by yourself for just a little while. Notice how your parts react to that idea. You can try to see if those who are afraid could be comforted by those who aren't and let them all know that you won't be gone long and this would be good for them and for you, But they don't have to let you do it if they're not ready to. It just depends on the day. Some days they may be okay with this and some days they may not be up for it and that's natural. It's normal. There are no judgments. It is what it is and it's okay and if they're not up for it then don't push them. Don't do it. You can spend the time just getting to know them better and understand their fears of you going away. However, If they're up for it then go ahead and head out on the path. Maybe it's a path in the forest. Maybe it's a path on the beach. Maybe it's a path in the city. Start on that path that's in your mind's eye and that makes the most sense for you. Now I want to invite you to just notice what's happening as you continue on the path and then in particular if you're thinking anything at all because if you're thinking that means that there's still some parts with you. See if they too would be willing to separate and go back with the others. If not, What's their fear? You can also scan your body for anything that doesn't feel quite like you as yourself, Your beloved self, Who you are at your essence, Who you are at your core. And if you find anything that also is likely to be a part and you can ask it to return to the base. If the parts you find are willing to return to the base then you'll gradually notice yourself becoming more and more and just pure awareness without a lot of thought. And if the parts aren't willing to leave you that's fine. You can just spend the time getting to know their fears. Maybe asking them if they could just follow you along at a distance. If at any point you find yourself watching yourself taking this journey that means there's a part trying to do it for you. Who is it that's watching? You can ask that part to go to the base too so that as you're on the path you don't see yourself. You see your surroundings whether it be trees or ocean or cityscape. You see these surroundings in a direct first-person sort of way. If your parts are really trusting you to do this then by now you should be experiencing some of the qualities like clarity, The absence of thought, Spaciousness, Presence centeredness, A sense of well-being, Connectedness, Being in your body, Confidence and on and on along those lines. You may also sense a kind of vibrating energy running through your body. We call that self energy. If you feel that energy invite it to run throughout your body. If you notice any places where the energy can't flow it's likely there's a part blocking it for some reason. So you can see if that part will go back to the base too. If you're not feeling some of these things it means there are parts still with you and you can scan your body and your mind to see if you can find those parts and ask if they will go back to the base. At some point just pause and take in this experience. Notice what it's like to have this much self in your body. Notice the different ways you can feel it as well as how and where self energy manifests and reveals itself. It's important to remember these markers. That's how you can tell you're embodied. As you go through your day you can tell how much you're there or not. How much your parts are running things. I often check how open my heart is whether I'm in my head thinking a lot or if there's pressure in my shoulders and my forehead. If I catch any of these parts at work I just ask them to relax and in a sense go back to the base and watch while I handle whatever I'm facing. Just let those parts know just trust me. Some of them need to give me some advice before they go back and they may have something to tell me and that's okay. If by now you're feeling a lot of self-energy a lot of embodiment then you have the option of inviting any messages from God of the universe. Maybe nothing comes and that's okay but people will sometimes get some clear guidance at a point like this. Now I'm going to invite you to head back toward the base at whatever pace feels right. Maybe you'll take the same path maybe it'll be a different path and when you get back to your parts see how they react to your return and thank them for whatever risks they took to let you do this. That's what it's been like for them. Check to see if they'll be up for letting you try it again sometime. Remind them once again that you can help them, That your goal is to earn their trust and if any of them haven't trusted you for any reason you're open to knowing about that and making repairs. And if you're still holding any tingling, Self-energy, You can extend it to your parts. You'll find that it's very healing and that you can actually direct it to your parts and to other people. If you're able to do this last piece then just notice how your parts react to receiving the self-energy you have to offer them. And when all that feels complete thank your parts once again for whatever portion of this exercise they allowed and begin shifting your focus back outside. But also see if you can hold some of this self-state even as you begin to focus on your breath again, The in-breath, The out-breath. Notice your body in space, Your feet on the floor and even as you open your eyes and come back. Thanks for joining me in this exercise. Take care.