Hi,
I'm Caroline and in today's practice I will guide you through a meditation centered on identifying a problem,
Allowing the emotions and physical feelings to rise up and then dissolve.
So in today's practice we will tune into our body,
Check in with our feelings and also work with our breath to create a sense of calm and peace.
This is a great practice to do if you're feeling stuck on a problem,
If you feel like your emotions sometimes overwhelm you when you're struggling,
Or even if you're having chronic stress in your muscles when facing a problem.
I'll guide you gently through allowing these feelings to come up and then using your breath to send them away.
You can adopt any position that feels comfortable for this meditation.
So an option is sitting up in a chair or on the floor using anything that you'd like to support your back,
The wall or the back of a chair or some pillows.
You can stand up tall or you can even lie down if that's more comfortable for you right now.
Give yourself the opportunity to relax and relax.
Give yourself a moment to just become comfortable wherever you are.
Allow your eyes to close if you feel comfortable doing so.
Just start to notice how you're feeling.
Sense how your body is feeling.
Take a moment to scan your entire body.
Pay attention to your breath and resist the urge to control your breath.
Don't need to allow your inhales or your exhales to be controlled,
But rather breathe in when you feel the need.
Breathe out when you feel ready.
And allow the space between your in and out breaths to be as long or as short as you like.
With this calm pace of breath,
Direct your inner attention to every last corner of your body.
Just taking note of how your entire body feels.
Send your attention to the parts of your body that might feel tight or cramped.
Imagine sending your breath to these spots,
Allowing them to relax.
Notice parts of your body that feel relaxed and appreciate them.
Begin to think of a problem,
Any problem that you're having that you would like to let go of.
As you think of it,
Allow any emotions associated with this problem to come up and sense how it makes your body feel.
And as you think of it,
Allow any emotions associated with this problem to come up and sense how it makes your body feel.
Do you feel pressure anywhere or a tugging sensation?
Is your heart pounding or is your breath catching?
Allow yourself to feel these sensations taking note of them,
Maybe even welcome them.
As you experience these feelings,
Start to intensify the feeling of this problem you're having by imagining yourself ramping up any protection strategies that you have.
Maybe you tend towards perfectionism.
If so,
Imagine trying to do everything even better and more perfectly.
On the other hand,
If you're waiting for the next step,
On the other hand,
If your way of dealing with a problem is to retreat or repress,
Try to imagine yourself withdrawing entirely,
No longer capable of doing anything.
If your way of solving problems is through aggression and attack,
Then imagine yourself becoming even more angry.
Sense what happens in your body as you intensify these feelings associated with your self-protection strategies.
Does the tension in your chest increase?
Does the tugging in your belly worsen?
Do you even start to sweat?
Breathe deeply into these feelings.
And then begin to allow the mental images of your problem to disappear.
Banish them entirely.
Pay attention only to your physical feelings.
Breathe into the parts of your body that are housing these feelings until they too begin to disappear.
Notice how this feels.
So be attentive to your body.
Continue to allow any residual feelings associated with your problem to disappear.
If needed,
Send breath to any areas that are resisting,
Allowing a sense of peace and relaxation to come over you.
Take another few moments to scan through your body from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.
And notice how you really feel.
So our problems in everyday life always manifest in our body.
Being attentive to how we feel physically can help us realize what we might be thinking or how we feel emotionally.
Allow yourself these feelings.
Take a moment to breathe into the problem.
And then rather than resisting the feelings,
Allow them to dissolve with your breath on a bodily level.
Give your body the opportunity to catch up with your mind and create a true sense of peace.
Continue to breathe in and out through your nose.
So remain here in this comfortable position as long as you like.
And the next time you're facing a problem,
Just give yourself a moment to take a few deep breaths and explore how you feel,
Not only emotionally or mentally but also physically.
So whenever you feel ready,
Gently open your eyes and have a great rest of your day.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
May you always see your inner courage,
Speak your strengths,
And hold joy in your heart.
Namaste.
