Welcome!
My name is Trista Davis.
Thank you so much for joining me for meditation.
Today I want to explore the themes of winter solstice.
And so because this is a great time of turning inward and taking care of oneself,
I invite you to take a minute to get really comfortable.
Really allow yourself to sink into wherever you've landed.
Move and shift and allow the body to settle.
And once you've allowed the body to settle,
I invite you to begin to settle the heart and the mind by turning inward to the breath.
Inhaling fully,
Exhaling completely.
At any time during this meditation,
If you find yourself distracted or drawn away,
I invite you to just bring yourself back to your beautiful breath or the sound of my voice.
As we enter into winter,
We may feel a great heaviness,
And for good reason.
It is a time to really turn inward and take the very best care of oneself so that we may be ready to take action when the springtime arrives.
We all know too well that you cannot pour from an empty cup,
And what the winter affords us is time and space and heaviness to pour into our own cup.
So long as we allow that heaviness to be something to tap into rather than pushed through or brushed aside.
This is a time,
A season to allow to give yourself permission to tap into the heaviness.
This will provide you restoration and allow you to restore your heart,
Mind,
Body,
And soul.
I ask you now to consider what are some things that you like about this season.
For some,
This may be difficult,
As winter is not everybody's favorite,
But I invite you to just look for at least one thing that you're grateful for around this season.
Can you sink deeper into that gratitude?
Can you begin to examine these things a little more closely?
For me,
One thing that I love about winter is really being able to tap into and enjoy warm beverages.
To me,
There is nothing better than snuggling up on the couch with a warm tea or delicious hot elixir.
Winter allows me the time to really enjoy and sink into this ritual by adding a dash of mindfulness to every cup.
Sitting and tasting and enjoying every drop rather than being distracted and drinking it on the go or in front of the computer,
I really take the time to sit and be with every single moment of that beverage.
My next indulgence.
.
.
Warm fluffy socks.
There's really no better feeling than my toes being toasty and warm when the outside is so chilly.
So how do I create ritual and true restoration around fluffy socks?
Well,
What I do is I put on those warm fluffy socks and then I take some time to do some restorative yoga or breath work practices or sometimes I just cuddle in bed with my dog.
No TV,
No cellphone,
Just time.
Time to be mindful and with the things that are important and are nourishing my soul.
So what is it that you can tap into so that you can really enjoy and sink into this season and what it has to offer?
Breathe here now and contemplate and notice all that winter has to offer you.
How can you create your own beautiful and special rituals for the season?
Another theme of winter solstice is embracing the joy and hope that is the light.
It is the time of year that we celebrate the return of the Sun.
The ancients worried a lot this time of year because as the nights became longer they feared that there may one day never be sunlight again.
Winter solstice is the longest night of the year but then the beauty is every night after that becomes shorter and shorter until summer solstice when the night is the shortest and the day is the longest.
So I ask you now has there ever been a time in your life where you feared the light may never return?
Maybe it was a time of great grief,
Overwhelm or sorrow.
Now what did it feel like to come out the other side into the light?
It is important to remember and notice how it feels to come out the other side but also to honor the shadows and the dark parts of our lives.
Everything in life is simply put in front of us to be experienced and it is our calling as human beings having this spiritual experience to honor all of life the dark and the light.
Brene Brown said the dark does not destroy the light it defines it.
It is the fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.
What does this quote mean to you?
The dark does not destroy the light it defines it.
It is the fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.
What situations,
People,
Darkness cast your joy into the shadows?
What steals your joy from day to day living?
And what might you do to prevent this from happening?
What does this all mean to you?
What do you fear about the future that steals your joy in the present?
What is it?
Really take a moment here to notice.
For me,
Joy is found in acceptance.
Acceptance that things are the way they are,
Period.
Now,
Acceptance does not mean that what is happening is fair or just or right.
Acceptance does not mean resignation.
It does not mean that you won't do anything to change your situation and it certainly doesn't mean giving up.
Acceptance does not mean that you wanted it to happen.
It simply means that it is happening.
Through acceptance of what is happening in the darkness or the light,
You are able to feel it and begin to heal more deeply than you ever thought possible.
This is where many of life's gifts live.
In the acceptance of the reality of what is happening right now and really allowing yourself to feel it all.
Now allow yourself to breathe a little deeper and take stock of what is happening right now.
What can you feel in your body,
In your breath,
And can you just feel it?
Don't wish it to be different or wish it away.
Can you just feel it and breathe with it until it's time to move on?
Breathe here and allow the breath to help you to feel it and heal it in the beautiful way that it does.
Inhaling to a count of four,
Five,
Or six.
Exhaling to that same count.
Breathing here.
Being here.
Nowhere to run.
Nowhere to be.
Nothing to distract you.
Nothing to numb it out.
Simply allowing whatever comes to come.
Observe it.
Feel it.
Let it go or let it be.
And know that you can do this at any time in your life.
Allowing the breath to help you feel it all.
Inhaling fully.
Exhaling completely.
Staying here with the breath.
Inhaling fully.
Exhaling completely.
And now taking a moment to give yourself a pat on the back.
That was really hard work and I'm so proud of you for doing it.
And now I invite you to take it one step further and let it go.
And now I invite you to take it one step further and offer yourself some compassion.
Compassion for your story,
Your life,
All that you have been through and felt and moved through.
Compassion for your humanness.
Compassion for all that is this thing that we call life.
All of us humans experience suffering,
Pain,
Regret,
Grief,
Sadness,
Anger,
And all of it is normal.
Did you know that we all suffer?
But because we experience these things,
This suffering,
We also get to experience great joy,
Love,
Grace,
Appreciation,
Belly laughs,
Beauty,
Peace.
That is the trade-off.
We get to experience all these beautiful things and all the love that is available to us if we allow it and take the time to really feel it.
I now invite you to offer yourself the same kindness,
Compassion,
And understanding that you would offer your very best friend if they were in your situation.
If they had gone through the things you'd gone through.
If they had your story.
Take a few moments here and tell yourself what you would tell your very best friend.
You are doing a really great job of navigating this thing we call life.
And you are worthy of all the love that exists.
It is all available to you.
So again,
Find some compassion.
Send yourself some love.
Tell yourself what you would tell your very best friend.
And now here's my message for you.
Dear human,
I love you.
And I am so sorry that you suffer.
But please,
Please sink all the way into all the love that is available for you.
You deserve that.
You are worthy of that and so much more.
Now bring your hand to your heart.
And repeat after me if it feels authentic for you to do so.
I am loved and I am love.
I am grace and also deserve grace.
I am joyful and I am joy.
I am compassionate and deserve compassion.
I am human,
I am spirit,
I am everything in between.
I am divine.
I am.
I am.
I am.
And that is enough.
I love you.
Take a moment and feel all of that.
Begin to meet back with your breath.
Feel its rhythm and its pace.
Feel it and notice it so that you can remember wholeheartedly that your breath is always there for you.
Stay here as long as you like.
I look forward to meeting with you again soon.
Sending you so much love.
