Be Authentic (and What That Really Means)

Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture, which could be sitting down, lying down or standing. If it feels okay to do so, you can close your eyes. And we'll take one deep breath together to settle in. Breathing in through the nose. And slowly out through the mouth.

Inviting the jaw to soften. Let the shoulders be at ease. And the hands and the belly. In this moment, there is no place else you need to be, nothing else you need to do. Give yourself full permission to just be here and to be as you are.

The theme of this meditation will be authenticity, honoring the many dimensions of who we are in each moment and what we wish to express. So within the parameters of a meditation that will mean making space for the different parts of us to arise, to be seen and to be held in awareness. To first help stabilize our attention in the moment, let's just focus on the breath. Feeling the movement in the belly. And even as you focus here, you can start to attune to how you're feeling in this moment.

What the attitude of awareness is right now. Is it a bored? Is it enthused? Excited? Curious? Sad? And so even though your primary focus is the breath, there can be a larger field of awareness and holding of your experience. So let's expand the awareness into more of an open monitoring meditation where we're just resting in awareness itself, watching and observing whatever arises. And each time you notice a new experience within yourself, a new belief, a thought, emotion, attitude, every time there's a distinct experience, just say, I see you. You're welcome here.

I see you. You're welcome here. I see you. You're welcome here. Making space for the many dimensions that create who you are.

Let's take one more deep breath together. In through the nose. And out through the mouth. When you're ready, you can open your eyes. Well done.

As you go about your day to day, feel free to bring this same quality of awareness to your experiences. When something arises, you can simply say, I see you. You're welcome here. Thank you for your practice. And until we talk again, take care.