Meditation
We’ve all experienced it. You talk to a provider or a friend about something that’s going on with you. They respond “have you tried meditation?” Ugh. Meditation isn’t going to fix this problem!
You may have tried to sit quietly, but when you do there’s a barrage of thoughts. Yuck. What you may not know: that’s actually normal. Don’t give up!
The simplest meditation is this:
Take a deep breath through your nose (unless it’s stuffy) & say to yourself when you’re breathing in “I’m breathing in.”
Let it out of your mouth saying to yourself “I’m breathing out”.
That’s it! You might say “whaaaat?!” Yep, it’s that simple.
If you want to try it again, great. If you want to move on with your day, great.
This is a “mindful” moment.
Listening to a guided meditation may be interesting. I recommend the InsightTimer app. There you can find a 5-part meditation I use with my students and clients.
Notice you have a body. It’s touching down in places, and it’s touching air in the rest. This is because of gravity. I am innately grounded. I’m being pulled to the liquid hot magma of the Earth.
What do I want to do with my body. Can I take a moment to promote ease in my body? I notice I’m tense in my neck and crossing my legs. Can I let go just for a minute? Okay! How is this posture a metaphor? Well, if I’m looking down, sometimes that’s contemplative or humble. Am I resting my hands on my legs? If the palms are facing up, I am open. If my palms are facing down, I’m providing a feedback loop of energy back into myself, it is caring.
Let’s go down a dark staircase with a lantern. Imagine you are going deeper into yourself. Try to find what you think, feel, know, don’t know, and what you want to bring to this moment. This is sometimes called setting an intention.
Let’s look around your body for a place that feels neutral. Maybe behind your ears. Maybe in between your toes. For people with chronic pain it’s important to notice that your entire body, every millimeter, is not hurting.
Let’s take 3 breaths. You can either do the in-out above, or you can try this. Breathe in a color and a texture: red sparkles. Breathe out another color and texture: purple ripples.
Wiggle your toes, open your eyes and look around the room. If you want an extra layer you can say in your inside voice “I am safe, I am in charge, I am an adult now”.
If your body is a scary place, just do the thinking ones.
If you don’t know what to pick, just bag it. No worries. You’re not doing it wrong.
