Let's begin by finding a comfortable place to relax and unwind.
If you need to sit and find a comfortable seat to sit on,
And making sure you're comfortable first,
Do so now.
If you need to lay down,
Enter falling asleep,
Or just getting more comfortable,
Go ahead now.
Now begin by taking in some refreshing deep breaths,
Breathing in and breathing out naturally.
When we begin the meditation process,
We sometimes focus on our breathing a little too much,
Where it feels manufactured or not natural.
Just let go of that and know that breathing is natural and automatic for all of us.
Just let it find its correct rhythm.
Good.
Now let your senses begin to feel out the room or space you're in.
Just begin to hear all the sounds in the room and feel the temperature of the room.
Is it hot?
Is it cold?
If you need to still get comfortable,
Now is the time.
Make any adjustments that you need.
Just understand that none of these sounds or temperatures in the room will deter you from your session today.
In fact,
Those sounds will only work to take you deeper into your practice.
So begin to notice your thoughts and feelings.
What do they feel like?
Are your thoughts rapid or are they slow?
Either way,
Just notice them.
Just notice your physical feelings and your emotional ones.
Understand that they don't control you and they do not rule you.
You are the master and they are the slave.
Just notice them and when you do,
Return your focus to the breath.
The simple breath of air coming in and out of the nose.
Notice the cool sensation around the nostrils when you breathe in and the warm sensation around the nostrils when you breathe out.
Good.
Just allow yourself for a few more deep breaths.
Breathing in calm and exhaling.
Exhaling all the tension and all the stress in the body.
Breathing in calm and exhaling any stress or any tension in the body.
Good.
Now,
In your imagination or your mind's eye,
I'd like you to find in your physical body a place that we call our center core.
Now that's a place where we feel that we can pull all of our energy into.
It's different for everyone.
For some it's in the chest.
For others it's in their belly.
Wherever that is for you,
Please pull all of your energy into that place now.
Good.
Now once again in your imagination,
I'd like you to drift out of your body and go and touch the wall in front of you.
And then drift back into your body,
Into that center core,
Deep into that center core now.
Each time we do this and you come back into your center core,
You can go deeper and deeper in.
So come out of your body again and go and touch the wall behind you.
And come back into your body now.
Deeper into that center core,
Deep down,
Deep in.
Good.
Now if you will,
Come out of your body and move to the wall on your right and then come back into your body.
That deep center core becoming a place that feels good to be in now.
Sinking deep into that center core.
Now please drift out of your body and go to the wall on the left and then come back in deeper this time than you've been before.
Deep in,
Deep down to where it's beginning to feel familiar and secure.
This time come out of your body and check the chair beneath you,
The floor supporting you,
And come back into your body,
Deep into that deep center core now.
Good.
And now see if you can float up out of your body and go all the way to the ceiling,
Way up and float around up there on your stomach or your back.
Just feel the weightlessness and gently and slowly drift down like a bubble or a butterfly or a leaf floating gently and slowly down back into that wonderful warm deep center core of your physical body.
Deep down now,
Snuggle deep into that center core where you can rest.
Good.
Now gather up any little bits of energy you may have left anywhere in the room and anywhere else you may have been today,
Whether it was on the phone,
In your car,
In traffic,
Wherever that may be,
And bring them all back into your center core.
That is where they belong.
It's your energy.
It belongs in your center core.
Good.
Now rest just for a moment,
Just following the breath.
Good.
Now,
In your imagination,
Imagine yourself in a lovely warm Caribbean Villa,
Ready to go down from your room and out to the beach.
There are 12 steps leading down and these steps are made of white polished marble and there's a handrail running alongside to make you feel safe and secure.
Inside the steps is a partitioned off slope with exotic plants of various shapes,
Sizes and colors.
It is such a warm day and you can feel the heat on your body as you prepare to go down.
As you step down onto the first step,
You notice how refreshingly cool the marble staircase is beneath your bare feet.
And you go down and down and down to the second and third step,
Admiring the luscious plants with their bright red,
Purple and yellow flowers.
Going down deeper,
Down to the fourth and fifth step,
Down to the sixth,
Feeling ever so calm,
Relaxed and happy,
And the deeper down you go,
The more comfortably relaxed you become.
Deeper down to the seventh and eighth steps and you pause for a second or two.
Notice the smell and the taste of the fresh sea air and the most gentle of breezes as it wafts on your skin and in your hair.
Continue down to the ninth step,
Down to the tenth,
Feeling more and more calm and relaxed and comfortable,
Happy and safe,
Calm and relaxed now.
And as you reach the second to the last step,
The eleventh one,
You can hear the waves from the sea as they gently lap onto the shore and you breathe in a lovely,
Calm,
Relaxing feeling.
And now you step down to the ground,
Down to the bottom of the steps,
And just a very few steps away is the beach.
And as you stand here,
Feeling the warmth of the sun on your body and listening to the ebb and flow of the waves and admiring the wonderful view,
You take into yourself a calm,
Relaxing feeling,
A feeling of peace and tranquility.
You'll remain in this place just for a few moments as you allow these tranquil feelings to permeate your body,
Your mind and your soul.
And when you next hear my voice,
You'll be ready to absorb these beautiful suggestions that I'm about to give to you.
Pain can overwhelm us,
Not only physically,
But mentally.
When pain gets out of hand,
It can become part of our identity or even consume our entire sense of self,
Having entire days revolving around the pain.
Your very life becomes dedicated to pain,
Yet pain is something everyone wants to get rid of.
So why does this happen?
And how can you get your life back when pain has become so unbearable?
In order to fully understand the true meaning behind pain,
We must change our perspective on it and be open to new approaches.
You came here in an effort to get through your days because this burden of pain has consumed you.
Today,
You will learn a new way of thinking that could very well turn your life completely around.
The wonderful thing about what you're about to discover is that you don't have to do anything at all.
No more need to seek outside help because it's all within you.
So let's begin by taking three nice,
Big,
Deep breaths,
Paying attention to your belly and lungs.
So one,
Fully in,
Breathe fully in and exhale,
Letting your body relax.
And two,
Breathe deeply now and let any worrisome thoughts just fade away.
And three,
Filling your body with as much oxygen as you can and let the air escape from your body,
Relaxing you even further.
Good.
Allow your mind to drift and wander to the thought of a small ornate hand built fountain.
This is the fountain of relaxation.
It's built in a way that the water level is waist high and easy for you to access.
Maybe there's a sculpture that the water comes out of splashing down into the basin,
Or perhaps the water just shoots up and out of the water in a beautiful way.
However you see this fountain,
Try to picture it vividly now in as much detail as you can.
You notice the water is crystal clear,
But it also seems to glow with golden light.
Touch your hand to the side of the fountain and feel the way it's built and how sturdy it is.
Now dip your fingers into the golden water and you feel a profound relaxation.
You dip your entire hand in this healing water.
The pleasure that this water brings you is wonderful.
So gather some in your right hand and splash it into your left forearm.
Gather some more and cover your upper arm and shoulder with the water.
The moisture on your skin is glistening in the sunlight,
Similar to how diamonds reflect light.
Now do the same with your left hand,
Cupping the water and soaking your right arm with it and your right shoulder.
This water is not only extremely soothing,
But its appearance is stunning.
Pop both hands together and gather some of this glowing substance in your hands.
Gathering as much as you can,
Watching it slip through your fingers a little and spilling over the edges of your hands.
And this time bring the water to your mouth for a drink.
The water touches your lips in a sublime way.
This water is heavenly.
It nourishes you and relaxes you.
So take another handful and drink some more.
Gather one more handful to splash on your face.
The water seems to wash away all of your worries,
All the worries you've ever carried in your facial expressions over the years.
Notice how you feel.
That's really nice,
Isn't it?
So just relax somewhere near this fountain,
Feeling completely free and clear and open-minded.
And listen to this beautiful information that changes your view about pain forever.
Pain acts as an alert.
It's similar to an alarm.
When an alarm goes off,
You understand what it was asking you to do and you turn it off.
Imagine an alarm that wakes you up from sleeping.
Once you're awake,
You turn off the alerting sound and the alarm has done its duty.
Pain alerts you that something needs attention.
If you have a traumatic injury,
The pain tells you the wound needs to be mended.
But what's happening with chronic pain that continues for years and consumes your mind,
Is that the source of the pain?
And the alarm is constantly sounding out.
Our minds are very intelligent as well as our bodies.
When there's something important in our mind that we don't acknowledge,
Push away and do not tend to,
The only option our mind executes is to alert the body through pain.
So instead of thinking that there's something wrong in your body,
Ask instead,
What needs to be addressed in the mind?
Perhaps you're working a job that brings you down,
But you don't like to admit it.
Maybe you are in an unhappy relationship that you continue to sit stagnantly in.
Or you could even be in a very happy relationship,
But you've allowed too many burdens and responsibilities on yourself in an attempt to please everyone else but you.
Unresolved issues upsets in your life,
They manifest as body pains until you do something about them.
They are alerts that you have gone beyond your instinctual boundaries and are not speaking your truth.
So instead of asking what's wrong with your body when you experience pain,
Ask what in your mind is screaming for your attention,
But you continue to disregard and push away.
From now on,
Your entire thinking about pain has changed.
When pain presents itself,
Go directly to your mind and ask,
What emotion am I suppressing?
And what thoughts am I pushing away?
This is being true with yourself as you always should.
Once you know the true source of your pain by evaluating your life experience in an honest way,
Pain will disappear without question.
You will only rise again as a helpful alert that truth and honesty must be expressed to yourself and those who are important in your life.
Whenever you come to a physical activity that you fear will cause you pain,
Instead of avoiding it,
Go into it and past your fear.
Play the basketball you were told to quit because of pain.
Sit however you like,
For however long,
Even go on that long drive in the car that once brought you pain.
Lift things you think you shouldn't,
Going right past the fear.
It is extremely important that you fully trust that your body is stronger than you've been made to believe.
Good.
Goodnight,
And namaste.
