Hello and welcome to this meditation.
Meditation is a way for us to observe our thoughts.
It's also a way for us to see what's wise within us and what's not so that we can come to make better decisions in our lives and just experience things a little bit differently.
Now as with all meditations,
Posture makes a big difference.
So I encourage you whether you're seated or lying down to really find a nice and comfortable posture.
One that keeps you alert where you're stable and grounded.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly soften your gaze and eventually close your eyes.
As the body settles and relaxes in that posture,
Allow yourself to connect to your breathing.
There's a general inflow and outflow of air happening at the level of the nostrils.
This is where I want you to place your attention.
You are stable in the body,
You are stable in the mind,
And you're observing breathing as it's happening.
You're gently receiving the air and gently giving it back.
As breathing happens,
Maybe check if there's any tension in your body and see if you can relax those areas and softly,
As if without even trying,
Let breathing come back again into the foreground.
And there you have it.
.
.
.
.
If you're a normal functioning human being,
You've probably been lost in thought a few times already.
You're even probably lost in thought right now.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Just notice the process of thinking without getting caught up in the content.
Maybe see how the moment you step out of the content of a thought and begin to look at it objectively from the outside.
Oftentimes,
The thought either vanishes or just as it is.
If you're a normal functioning human being,
Oftentimes,
The thought either vanishes or just as often,
The thought loses its momentum and the grip it tends to have on you loosens and vanishes as well.
It's fascinating,
Isn't it?
Know this that too.
Know this that too.
.
Breathing is still happening,
Perhaps in the background,
And without even trying,
Let it return to the foreground,
Anchoring you even more to the present moment.
.
.
Again,
Thinking is not a problem at all.
It's a natural feature of the human mind.
But in our lives,
The stress we often feel comes from misdirected thinking.
For instance,
In treating,
We identify strongly with the outcome instead of the process of treating well.
That's a case of misdirected thinking.
It's really an attachment to the outcome,
And from that stems a whole host of other issues,
And we can't be consistent.
We can't get consistent results.
.
Our thoughts arise out of conditions that are deep and mysterious,
Causes and effects that are inscrutable.
Though this is very interesting to contemplate,
What's more important is how you deal with thoughts,
Especially those that tend to bring other unproductive habitual patterns of thought and behavior to the surface.
So in meditation,
We're actually learning to work with our thoughts so that as thoughts move freely in and out of existence,
We better allow the wholesome ones,
The wiser ones,
To guide our path while letting the others fall by the wayside.
.
As you see,
It's not a struggle to tame the mind.
Rather,
It's a means of better understanding how our thoughts and emotions work.
And this understanding helps us live better and make better decisions in our lives,
In and out of the markets.
.
.
.
.
Again,
If you're thinking,
Notice the process of thinking.
.
If it helps you,
You could even say to yourself,
Thinking,
To emphasize the seeing of thought instead of being lost in the content.
You're just getting out of the way and watching the whole,
The whole parade.
And when thinking becomes less dominant,
Gently,
Effortlessly,
Let breathing slide back to the foreground.
Notice how,
Even though you have an intention for breathing to stay in the foreground,
Sometimes fragments of thoughts,
Fast images or bits of language,
They move into the foreground.
Just notice that too.
And gently let breathing make its way back to the foreground.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And here's what I want you to do.
Take your expectations for the outcome and imagine yourself tossing them out.
And feel how freeing this is.
See yourself approaching the trading day with an open heart and an open mind.
And if you have to expect something today,
Expect the unexpected,
And be sure to trade by your plan and rules.
That's all that matters at the end of the day.
Win or loss,
Just imagine yourself in the middle of the day,
And you'll be able to find the right way to do it.
That's all that matters at the end of the day.
Win or loss,
Just imagine yourself sticking with your rules.
Imagine yourself going through the whole process with the stability of mind.
Identify with the process of trading well,
Instead of the outcome.
.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Remember,
One good trade at a time.
That's all it takes.
If you do that,
The outcome will take care of itself.
So,
Go out there and have a productive day no matter what that day brings.
Thank you for sitting with me.
I hope you found this meditation helpful.
Bye now.
