Let's find a comfortable place to sit or even lay down.
Somewhere where your body can rest and soften.
Soften the grip in your hands.
Let them gently rest on your knees or in your lap.
Release your shoulders down from your ears,
Your jaw.
Your teeth and allow your eyes to close if that feels comfortable.
Gently bring your awareness to your breath.
There is nothing you need to do with it.
Nothing you need to change or control Simply notice the breath moving in and out.
Allowing yourself to arrive here just as you are.
We spend so much of our lives trying to keep up.
Trying to do enough and be enough.
Get things right.
And sometimes when things don't go as we hoped.
When life feels uncertain or difficult.
We can become our own harshest critics.
We remind ourselves of what we haven't done,
Where we've fallen short,
Or how we think we should be different.
Perhaps you have been carrying something heavy lately.
Something that occupies your thoughts,
Takes up space in your heart.
Or makes it difficult to find a moment of peace.
Perhaps you have been asking a lot of yourself lately.
Whatever you may be carrying today.
Give yourself the permission to set it down for these few moments.
You don't have to solve anything right now or figure everything out.
And you don't have to feel any particular way.
In India,
Diwali,
The festival of lights,
Is celebrated every year as the monsoon rains clear,
Always landing on the darkest night of the new moon.
Is the festival of lights where we light dias to illuminate our homes,
Bringing a little warmth and brightness into the spaces around us.
And perhaps,
This light can also remind us something within ourselves.
A lie that doesn't disappear when we have a difficult day,
Or doesn't become smaller when we make mistakes,
When we feel lost,
Or when life doesn't unfold the way we imagined.
Because beneath everything that is happening around you Beneath all the worries,
The expectations,
The things you were wishing were different,
You are still you.
The same person who has made it through all the difficult days before.
The same person.
Who has moments of kindness?
Who cares?
Who feels?
Who hopes?
You are still here.
You still have a place in this world.
Not because of everything you accomplished or you have everything figured out.
Simply because you are.
There is a beautiful quote that says Light does not need to ask darkness for permission to shine.
And perhaps the darkness in your life right now is uncertainty,
Or sadness,
Disappointment.
Or maybe you're just tired of trying to hold everything together.
Whatever it may be.
You don't have to pretend these things aren't there.
You don't have to push them away,
Find a silver lining or force yourself to feel better before you're ready.
The difficult things can be real and that's okay.
But remember.
.
.
The light is there too.
Not erase what you're going through or tell you that you shouldn't feel the way you do.
But to remind you that what you're experiencing right now is only one part of your story.
It doesn't define all that you are.
And also remember.
.
.
Everything in this world is impermanent.
Everything always changes.
And as a good thing.
Now bring your awareness to the center of your chest.
If you'd like.
You could even bring your hands right on the heart center.
Imagine a small gentle light.
With every breath in.
Imagine this light is growing a little bit bigger.
A little bit warmer.
And with every breath out.
Allow your shoulders to soften and your body to release a little of the tension.
You might be holding.
Maybe you can think of this little light as a reminder.
A reminder to pause when everything feels like too much.
Reminder to take a deep breath when your thoughts won't slow down,
To give yourself a little space when you feel overwhelmed.
Or when you find yourself being too hard on yourself.
You don't have to fix everything in this moment.
And you don't have to find all the answers today.
Just keep coming back to your light.
Keep coming back to your breath.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest beneath your hands.
Allow yourself to settle here.
Even if only for a few moments,
A few breaths.
Feeling the chest rise with the inhale.
And fall as you exhale.
Now come back here.
Gently wiggle your toes and your fingers.
Start noticing the sounds around you.
Feel the surface beneath you.
As we come towards the end of this meditation.
Remember that the world around you may not always feel calm.
Life might not always unfold the way you hoped.
But perhaps in moments like these,
You can remember to pause,
To breathe.
And give yourself the same gentleness and same kindness you would offer someone you love.
And whenever you need it.
Let this little light.
In the center of your chest.
Remind you.
That you can always take a moment to return to yourself.
