Much of our identity becomes tied to the labels we wear.
Mom,
Daughter,
Wife,
Sister,
Best friend,
And countless others.
We become so attached to these labels that we stifle our own growth.
We feel as though doing something that is outside of a label we wear is not allowed,
Unacceptable,
Or scary.
But sometimes that's exactly what we need to do.
Drop the labels.
In this meditation,
We're going to do just that.
Start by finding a comfortable seat and closing your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
Feel your neck relax and your shoulders drop.
Take another deep breath and feel the middle third of your body relax and soften.
Take one more deep breath in through your nose and out through your nose and turn your attention inward.
Imagine that you were standing in a room.
Picture this room in any way you like.
It might be your dream kitchen,
Your comfortable bedroom,
Or a library.
Whatever this room looks like for you,
You see a table or a desk.
On the surface is a stack of small pieces of paper beside a beautiful,
Elegant pen.
These are the only things on this surface.
In front of it is a comfortable chair.
You pull the chair out and sit down.
It's cushioned beneath you and behind you,
Cradling you in a luxurious softness.
It's as if the chair is saying,
Sit down and get comfortable.
There's nowhere else to go and nothing else to do.
You settle in and you pick up the pen.
It's heavy,
Yet still light enough to move it with ease when you begin to write.
You take one of the pieces of paper and place it in front of you.
You remove the cap from the pen and touch the tip of the pen to the page.
Write down the first label that comes to mind to describe you.
Mom,
Wife,
Daughter,
Sister,
Friend.
Set the piece of paper aside.
Take another piece from the stack of blank pages.
Write down the next label that comes to mind.
Keep taking pieces of paper and writing down labels that describe you.
Dig deeper than mom,
Wife,
Daughter,
Sister,
Friend,
Or cousin.
Dig into labels like lover,
Rule breaker,
Risk taker,
Goody goody,
Scaredy cat,
Bitch,
Peacemaker,
Remember labels that you were given long ago and still carry with you to this day by loved ones,
Bullies,
Teachers,
Or people who didn't even know you but compartmentalized you with a label that made you tolerable to them.
Write down every label you can think of,
Whether you consider it positive or negative.
When you've written down all the labels you can think of,
You cap the pen and set it down.
You look at the stack of paper that you've created.
All these labels that over time you have allowed to define you and dictate what you can or will do.
You pick up the stack in your hands.
These tiny slips of paper feel so light in your fingers,
Yet the weight they carry holds you down.
Take another deep breath now.
You rise from the chair and carry the scraps of paper across the room.
There's a door and you reach out to open it.
It opens outward letting in a burst of warm air that washes over you.
It soothes you as you step outside.
You step onto a balcony.
This balcony is large,
Filled with pots of beautiful flowers.
There's a gorgeous table surrounded by chairs.
It's a balcony that invites you to sit down and relax.
But first you go to the railing.
It's a black iron railing and it comes up to your waist.
High enough that you feel safe standing there,
Yet low enough that you can do what you need to do.
You hold your hands out,
The paper's filling them.
You take a deep breath and launch the papers into the air.
Toss them all.
Throw off all the labels you've worn for so long,
Including the ones you forgot about.
Let them all go.
Watch the white slips of paper with words written in your own hand flutter toward the ground,
Swirling on updrafts of air before winging their way back toward the ground.
Before they can reach the ground,
A gust of wind comes along and pushes them all away.
They disappear from sight and with them,
Your labels are gone.
Now that the labels are gone,
You feel lighter,
Freer,
More open.
You move to the table now and take a seat.
In front of you is another pen,
This time placed beside a beautiful bound book.
The cover is your favorite color,
Soft and smooth beneath your fingers.
You open the cover and find the pages of the book are empty.
They're a delicious cream color,
Eagerly awaiting your hand.
You pick up the pen,
You take off the cap,
Place the tip to the page and prepare to write.
Who are you?
Without labels placed on you by others,
Who are you?
Who do you want to be?
What are you?
What will you do with no labels?
What do you want to do?
What do you want to stop doing?
What will you embrace about yourself?
What will you let go of?
Without labels,
What freedoms would you give yourself?
Write it all down on the pages of this beautiful blank book.
When you've written it all down,
Close the book and put the pen down.
Pick the book up and hold it to your heart,
Your arms crossed over it in a loving embrace.
Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
Imagine the words you've engraved on these pages are being infused into your heart,
Written into your heart space,
Woven into your heart,
Becoming a part of you.
When you open your eyes,
The book is gone,
Yet you can feel the words you wrote in it inside of you.
You feel refreshed,
Reconnected to yourself,
Revitalized.
You smile as you sit among the flowers and bask in the warmth of the sun.
When you feel ready,
Come back to the present moment.
Begin moving your fingers and toes and stretch a little.
When you feel ready,
Come back to the present moment.
Begin moving your fingers and toes and stretch a little.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
You
