And as we settle in for our meditation today,
Let's start by reminding ourselves that this time is valuable,
Sacred,
And that you deserve it.
Thank the mind for all of the work that it does every day,
Working to remind you and to juggle tasks and the to-do lists.
And just let the mind know that right now it can relax,
That this meditation is for the mind,
Is for you,
That you can slow down now.
You can be still and the world can wait.
And then as we're ready to really help leave behind the world and any stress that we carried to meditation with us today,
We're going to take three cleansing breaths.
First,
Letting all the air out of the lungs.
Take a slow,
Deep inhale,
And then allow yourself to audibly exhale out the mouth.
And at least two more times,
Inhale slowly and deeply,
And audibly exhale the breath out.
Use the force of these exhales to purge stress and tightness and worry.
Feel the shoulders and the body soften on the exhale as you take maybe one more.
And then just return to that natural rhythm,
Feeling the breath move low into the belly,
And feel it rise back out through the nose.
Feel the path of the air moving in and out of the body.
And no judgment,
No trying to change it.
Simply notice the path and the movement and the impact of the breath.
Feel the coolness of the breath on the inhale and the warmth of the exhale.
A few more breaths here to clear the mind's eye.
And then we're going to allow the mind's eye to begin visualizing a fire,
A campfire.
It's moderately sized and well-contained,
But it's strong and warm and maybe even hot.
A fire that's well underway.
Try to visualize this fire as clearly as you can.
See the flames,
The various colors,
The flickering,
And feel yourself sitting close to the fire,
That you are safe.
But you can feel the heat.
You can smell the smoke.
You can hear the crackling of the fire as it consumes the wood.
You feel calm and comfortable and warm.
And again,
Knowing you are currently safe.
Consider the power of fire while visualizing this fire in front of you.
Also feel the fire that lives within you.
Are we harnessing our fire?
Is it within our control?
Is our fire alive?
Does it need feeding or tending?
When controlled and properly maintained,
Fire can both burn away debris and stoke our inner passions.
And as you watch the fire and see yourself sitting near it,
Fill with its warmth.
With each breath,
Draw more warmth in.
More heat.
You cannot avoid,
Nor do you want to avoid,
Filling up with this heat.
Soak it in from the soles of your feet,
Up the legs,
Into the hips and back,
Filling the torso,
Down the arms.
Feel the flush on your face.
And imagine this fire,
The flames,
Consuming all of the debris you are carrying,
That you are ready to eliminate,
That you are ready to feed to this fire.
Feel this fiery warmth within you and begin directing it to areas that need that controlled burn,
Where there is debris weighing you down,
Cluttering and scattering your mind,
Your life.
And instead of just consuming the wood,
The fire is now growing by consuming this old debris,
Clearing the way for new growth.
Feel the debris within you being consumed.
Feel the debris leaving the body with your exhales and breathe into this process.
It isn't always comfortable.
The heat can be intense and the purge can be difficult.
The discipline is to stay despite the discomfort.
And self-discipline requires this contained purge and take a few more breaths to finish your purging and then feel the space,
The openness,
The room it has made to allow the fire inside,
To control the use of the fire and feel the warmth of the fire changing.
Feel the heat of the fire changing instead of the fire consuming.
Feel the breeze that's fanning your inner fire.
Instead of breathing in the heat and purging,
We're breathing in to stoke that inner fire.
And this inner heat is a comforting warmth,
An exciting warmth.
It motivates you.
It excites you.
It brings you to life.
And in the space created by that controlled burn,
By the debris being consumed,
There is now room for passion to grow and for the fans of passion to expand.
And each inhale continues to fan that passion,
To build that inner heat.
Enjoy this warmth that comes from within.
Feel yourself full of this warmth,
This inner fire.
See the fire,
Your fire.
Appreciate its beauty,
Its power,
Its abilities.
Appreciate the ways it can serve you when you control its flame and direct its heat.
And this fire is you.
It represents you,
You.
Represents your self-discipline and is your responsibility to use.
In what ways do you need to contain or control your fire?
In what ways do you need to rebuild or feed or fan your fire?
In what ways do you need to use your fire?
And in what ways do you need to share the warmth of your fire?
Continue to enjoy your fire,
Observing your fire,
Feeling the warmth of your fire.
Take this time to clear out any more debris you need to feed to the fire or to breathe in more and more deeply to grow that inner fire.
And as we prepare to leave our fire,
Come back to that breath,
Back to those cleansing breaths to maybe purge or release some heat.
Inhale deeply,
Audibly exhale out the mouth,
Purging that unnecessary debris,
Breathing in two more times,
Fanning that flame,
Audibly exhaling out the mouth,
Also feeling yourself coming back into the body.
But even as we return,
Know and feel the fire still within you,
Contained,
Safe,
Yet strong.
Slowly,
Gently return back to this space and this time,
Maybe some small movements.
First,
Fingers,
Toes,
And only when you're ready,
Feeling warm and disciplined and motivated,
You can reopen the eyes.
Thank you very much for sharing in a meditation practice with me today.
Namaste.
