In this Healing Space
a Guided Meditation
for Jean:
Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in...hold it for a moment...and now - slowly release it. Allow your breathing to settle into a natural, steady rhythm. You're unconcerned and your breathing is unforced. Breathe in...hold it for a moment...and now - slowly release it.
Feel the connection between your body and the surface supporting you - grounding yourself in this very moment.
I'm sitting in the therapist's office. This space is cozy and inviting. Rich carpets and thick upholstery. It has a sweet personality. It's after office hours and quiet, here. The lights are dim and no clock ticks. I can sense the faint echo of palo santo. Overhead, an opaline skylight.
I'm on the couch looking across a small, glass table at a comfortable chair. On the circular glass table a seashell holding breath mints. I'm reminded to breathe.
I'm in the place where problems and worries and fears and anxieties and traumas and wounds are talked about. Or are avoided. Are confronted, are challenged, are understood. I am in the place of avoiding. I am in the place of healing, in the place of honesty. I am in the place of argument and acknowledgment. I am in the place of difficulty, in the place of relief. But right now, the office is closed and I'm sitting on the couch.
This office is closed. No stories, no advice - just stillness. A warm and welcoming stillness. This quiet space, of course, represents my heart and my mind. I feel the trust and tranquility, here. I let it fill me with a profound peace and the sacred possibility of healing.
The chairs that have supported many are now empty. There's no dialogue, no advice, just a calm space. Often there are tears here, resistances rubbed lovingly away. There are hugs and homework. There are notes taken and secrets shared.
This room tonight is quiet, serene, bathed in a soft light. A particularly warm light. The walls have listened to countless stories, they've seen the ebb and flow of emotions. There are tissue boxes on every table - but none are needed tonight. Tonight, the office is empty. No voices, no advice - just stillness. This space is silent, empty and I am comfortably alone, here.
I know that this empty but purposeful office is my mind...is my heart. I feel the calmness within me. I am open to healing, to clarity, to release, to realization, tonight - here in this sanctuary.
I'm feeling the gentle embrace of the couch, it's easy and familiar support. Looking around the room, I notice the textures, the colors, the myriad small details that make it feel safe and welcoming. There is an antique mirror and a collection of blankets. There's a sculpture of a birch tree - strung with small white lights. A candle, a Thank You note, poetry on the wall, a statue of something holy. I'm letting myself feel the tranquility of this place - a sanctuary created for healing, reflection, & peace. For understanding. For honesty. For truth.
I know that this office represents the space within me: my own heart, my own mind. It is a place where thoughts can flow freely, where every...single...emotion is always readily welcomed. And all without judgment. There is no need to fix or to solve anything. I am here now - simply to be.
I'm taking a moment to observe what arises within myself. I'm aware of my headspace. I'm aware of my heartspace. My easy breathing is creating a comforting rhythm. I notice the sensations in this body, the thoughts that come and go, the feelings that may surface. I acknowledge each one without clinging to it, without pushing it away. I let them each easily pass, like daydreams on a Summer's day.
Now, I bring this mind's focus to this breath. I feel into the gentle rhythm of each inhalation and exhalation. With each breath, I imagine myself filling this space with calm and healing energy. An offering to whoever may speak here next. To whoever may listen here next. Each exhale releases my tension, as I let go of anything that no longer serves me. Each inhalation a simple offering to all who offer of themselves (so vulnerably!) in this place
As I breathe, I repeat these affirmations silently. These blessings:
* "May this remain a space for Trust."
* "May this remain a space for Healing."
* "May this remain a space for Transformation ."
* "May this remain a space for Insight."
I spend a few moments here, simply breathing and being and blessing. I'm consciously inviting the peace of this space to envelop me. To wash over. To fill me. To cleanse me. I am breathing and being and blessing as I offer my heart and intention to this space.
Feeling ready, now: I begin to deepen the breath. I gently wiggle my fingers and toes, I roll my neck. I'm bringing awareness back to the physical body. Slowly, I open my eyes.
I bow. I smile. I sigh.
Thank you.
Om...Shanti. Om.
