And welcome to this meditation on surrendering.
In this meditation we will explore the concept of surrender and how it can help us live more peaceful,
More peacefully and mindfully.
Surrender to me means to let go,
To let go of control,
Of fear,
Of worry,
Of what may happen in the future and to simply allow myself to be and surrender.
So we will begin today by sitting in a comfortable position and taking a few deep breaths,
Inhaling and exhale.
I'd like to remind you that during this meditation I do not want you to alter your breath,
I simply want your breath to breathe your body as it normally would throughout your life.
Now I'd like you to bring your attention to the breath and by doing so allow yourself to let go of any thoughts or worries that you may have carried throughout your day.
Today we'll sit and we will open our hearts to the present moment and surrender to whatever is happening in our bodies and in our surroundings.
And as you breathe I'd like you to say to yourself in your mind,
I am here.
As you breathe out and say to yourself,
I am present.
As we continue to breathe in and out and with each breath I'd like you to become more aware of your breath in your body.
You may notice the sensations of the air as your breath enters and exits the nostrils.
You may notice the sensations of your feet on the ground,
Your hands may be resting on your thighs or your back against the chair.
Simply notice these sensations and observe.
And if you feel any areas of resistance or tension,
Simply approach this with love and send the breath to the areas that may need a little bit of extra love and care.
And as we breathe I'd like you to bring your attention to your thoughts.
Notice any thoughts that enter your mind and simply observe them.
Without judgment,
We're not here to face our thoughts this evening.
We simply want to thank them for entering our presence but allow them to float on by.
As we focus on the present moment you might find yourself getting caught up in a thought and if you do that's completely normal but I'd like to remind you to gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Your breath in your body is enriching your body with life as we sit.
As we sit today we're surrendering to the present moment so whatever has come before this moment and whatever may come afterwards is not relevant.
And if you do find yourself getting caught up in thoughts and judgments,
Simply take a deeper breath and blow those thoughts away.
I'd like to remind you that surrendering doesn't mean you have to like everything that is happening in the present moment.
It simply means that you are willing to accept it as it is.
With each breath allow yourself to let go of any resistance in this present moment.
You may find that as you surrender you begin to feel a sense of peace and calm.
You may also find that you are able to see things more clearly and make wise decisions.
So I shall leave you now to continue to breathe and surrender for the next few minutes.
As you continue to sit and observe your breath,
I'd like to share a quote with you from Pema Chodron who once said,
Surrender is not about giving up,
It's about opening up to what is.
And this really resonated with me because this quote allows us to free ourselves from worrying about the past or ruminating about the future.
Because we may not always know what the future holds but we can trust that by surrendering that everything is unfolding as it should for us.
And as you surrender today,
You're choosing an act of compassion for yourself.
You are taking the time to check in and observe what your mind,
Your body and your heart need in this moment.
And you may feel that through the breath,
You may notice it in your thoughts or you may notice it in the sensations of your body.
But by taking this time it allows us to acknowledge and observe how we choose to take our next step.
And as we come towards the end of our meditation today,
I'd like you to bring your awareness I'd like you to bring your awareness from the breath into the body by taking a longer inhale and an extended exhale.
Inhaling for six,
Exhale for eight.
And you may wish to place your left hand on your heart space,
Your right hand on your belly and feel the chest and the belly expand into the hands.
Feeling our body in this moment and noticing any changes in your thoughts,
Your sensations after this meditation.
And with that,
I'd like you to gently bring some warmth between the hands and the belly by rubbing the hand gently,
The same with the left hand on the chest.
And when you're ready to do so,
I'd like you to flutter your eyes open and thank yourself for the time you have chosen to take today to surrender,
To check in with yourself and notice any changes in your thoughts,
Your feelings or your body sensations.
You may also want to take some time to write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal but thank yourself for the time that you have chosen to take for yourself today.
Thank you for taking the time to meditate with me on surrendering.
I hope that you have enjoyed this meditation and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
