Be Curious, Not Judgmental

Be Curious, Not Judgemental - We are very quick to judge. It is human nature. To accept the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the painful, is hard. Through our meditation practice, we can do this, we can get better at opening ourselves up to every moment. We can accept the moment, without judgment or reactivity. I mention Ted Lasso, again, where Season 1, Episode 8 is all about Be curious, Not Judgmental. Hope you enjoy this meditation.
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Transcript

Hello everyone, Welcome. Thank you for joining me today. So, Again, It's been a little while since I've uploaded a meditation. Hoping that this one will be a good one. So the title, I'm sort of looking at, Be Curious, Not Judgemental. A saying by Walt Whitman. So I'm going to take you back to Ted Lasso. A show on Apple TV that I think gives you lessons about leadership, Self-esteem, Competitiveness, Being a good team member and about friendship. And one of the episodes in season 1, Episode 8, Is all about being curious and not judgemental. So Ted is curious about everything. He holds zero judgement. Even when trying to win over the British press, A sports team that hates him, A boss who wants him to fail, None of them can truly wear him down, Wear down his good nature. He will not think less of anyone and constantly believes that everyone has good in them, With absolutely no exceptions. And all this from one TV show about football. If you're English, Soccer, If you're American. But seriously, It's hard to think of an area of life or interaction that wouldn't be improved by. A. Thinking the best of people as our default. And B. Being curious, Not judgemental. Just imagine how things would change the way we think of each other, Think about ourselves. We do have a power to be curious and not be judgemental. We don't have everything figured out. None of us do. If you are curious, You ask questions. And we have the ability to withhold judgement and invite in that curiosity. And when we lead from a place of curiosity, Not judgement, Remarkable things can happen. Curiosity represents hope. We can forgive our failures if we choose not to carry their weight and seek some reconciliation. We need to be curious and oppose those judgemental thoughts. When we focus on the past, That's our ego. And when we focus on the future, That's our pride. Humility comes only in the present. Staying curious requires value to be placed on the present consistently. And those words that I just said are the words of the Greek freak professional basketball player from Milwaukee. So we have to focus on the present. We need to stay out of our own way and oppose judgement. So let's begin. And just begin to notice your breath. Staying with each inhale, Each exhale. Breathing in, Breathing out. Feeling the parts of your body touching the mat. How does your physical body feel? Allow your awareness to sink all the way into your lower belly. Notice the rhythm of your own breaths. Feeling the rising, The falling at each inhale, Exhale. Notice the weight of your body on the floor. The temperature of the air against your skin. And simply listen to the sounds in the room. Listening. Listening. Allowing the sound to just come to you. Whether the sound is near, Far, Or they're soft, Loud. Just allow them in without judging them as pleasant or unpleasant. Bring your awareness to your heart. Check in with the state of your emotional body. What are you feeling right now? The emotions do not need to be big, Dramatic. You're just feeling and noticing. What is coming up right now? The key is to notice what is arising without judging yourself or whatever is there. You are just observing. Breathing in, Breathing out. Now bring your awareness to your third eye. The space between the eyebrows. Connect to the thoughts arising in your head. Do not stop any thoughts. Just notice and let them float away. Your thoughts might be planning something. They might be remembering or imagining. Again, Do not judge. Notice and let them float away. Breathing in, Breathing out. Let go of the automatic judgements. You do not need to do something about every life experience. You just have to be. We don't have to be falsely happy about anything. We can be just okay. We don't have to be falsely awesome. We just have to be. Over time, We can easily accept challenges and navigate whatever we find. We can do that through letting go of the automatic judgements that may spring up. As you settle, Focusing on your breathing, Our mind will be busy but we notice our thoughts and let them go. As you stay in silence, You may feel uncomfortable, But come back to your breath. Inhaling, Exhaling. Something may come to mind that may be a challenge for you. It may make you emotional. Let it go. Holding no judgement, Let it go. As we move to self-compassion, Let each breath that you take in be an awareness of any challenge. And with each breath out, Wish yourself the same happiness and wellness that you'd wish for your best friend. Say to yourself, I find strength and happiness in the face of adversity today. I find strength and happiness in the face of adversity today. As you stay in stillness, Allow judgements to fall away. Let it be. You just have to be. Breathing in, Breathing out. As you stay in stillness, Allow judgements to fall away. Be curious, Not judgemental. Be curious, Be you. Take a breath in. Slowly exhale. Inhale. Breath out. Find gentle movement in your body. Bring awareness to your sounds that surround you, Your physical environment. Wishing you a blissful day of curiosity. Namaste. Thank you.