SGM August 2013 Weekly Message 4: “Meditation of the Month”
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“Your Peaceful Place”
Press the play button or click here (right click + save target as) to download the audio file
Welcome back to the August 2013 Edition of Spiritual Growth Monthly. I’m Kevin Schoeninger. It’s great to have you with us here at SGM.
Today, we’ll take off from Professor Brian Little’s suggestion in last Week’s Message about Restorative Niches. Your Restorative Niche is something you do or somewhere you go to come back to center after challenging efforts “out there in the world.” It’s important to do this on a daily basis to release the stress of the day and prevent stress from accumulating in your body.
With that in mind, this week’s Meditation of the Month is called “Your Peaceful Place.” The idea here is to have a place to go internally to take a break from pressures and tasks, connect to your Core, and relax deeply. Think of this as a sacred place. You’ll fill it with anything that helps you feel relaxed, comforted, and connected to your Core and your Source.
If you’d like to, you can come up with a sacred name for this place. Naming this place will anchor it in your consciousness and tie together the different associations that you’ll connect to it. So, if you will, take a moment to think about what you would like to call this inner sanctuary. Feel free to call it “My Peaceful Place,” if you’d like.
Now, what would you like to include in Your Peaceful Place? It could be a specific environment such as a chapel or include natural features such as a stream, a pond, an ocean, mountains, a forest, or a garden.
Would you like to have an altar? Are there any personally meaningful pictures, symbols, or artifacts that you would like here? Do you want any special people, animals, guides, or inspiring figures to be present with you in this place?
Do you want a special place to sit or lie down?
What do you want in this place that will make you feel relaxed, comforted, supported, connected, and inspired?
Don’t worry about thinking this all out completely, now. Just have an idea of a few important things that would make this “Your Peaceful Place.” During the meditation you can allow your intuition to fill in more details.
When you are ready, you can follow along with the guided audio in Part B of the recording above.
Enjoy!
Guided Meditation Script:
“Your Peaceful Place”
In this meditation, you’ll imagine and experience a sacred, peaceful place . . . a place you can go to by closing your eyes, relaxing, and focusing inside. Let’s begin with conscious deep breathing to relax.
So, if you will, find yourself a comfortable seated or lying position in a quiet, private environment. Lightly close your eyes. Take a couple slow, deep breaths, feeling the sensations of breathing inside your body. . .
In a moment, we’ll begin counting your breaths from seven down to one. Mentally count each breath as you inhale, and silently say the word “relax” as you exhale. Imagine that each breath takes you deeper and deeper into relaxation. Seven, relax. Six, relax. Five, relax. Four, relax. Three, relax. Two, relax. One, relax.
Now, in this deep state of relaxation, imagine a door in front of you. Open that door and step through the doorway into Your Peaceful Place. It could be a specific environment such as a chapel or a natural environment such as next to a stream, pond, ocean, mountain, forest, or garden.
Enter that space and sit or lie down in a special spot.
Look around and imagine anything that you’d like to include in Your Peaceful Place. What do you want in this place that will make you feel relaxed, comforted, supported, connected, and inspired?
Are there any personally meaningful pictures, symbols, or artifacts that you would like here?
You may prefer to be by yourself or you might have a special person, animal, guide, or inspiring figure present with you. If another is there, you can imagine them sitting or lying down next to you. Ask your Core or anyone who has joined you, “Is there any special message for me here, now?”
Something specific may arise or there may be a peaceful, silent communication.
Now, feel what it’s like to be in this place. Imagine and feel any meaningful sounds, smells, images, or sensations. Record the deep peace in this space in every cell of your body, so you can remember and return to that peaceful feeling whenever you’d like.
Now, take a sacred Peaceful Place reminder with you—anything that will serve as an anchor to help you return to Your Peaceful Place whenever you need to. It could be words, a symbol, or an artifact such as a precious gem.
Now, stand up and smile.
Walk back through the door you used to enter this place. Return to feeling your presence inside your body.
In a moment, we’ll take 7 deep breaths counting each inhale from 1 up to 7. With each exhale come back to feeling present, alert, and relaxed in your body. One. . .Two. . .Three. . .Four. . .Five. . .Six. . .Seven. . .
Slowly open your eyes and take in the space around you. Take Your Peaceful Place reminder with you wherever you go. Whenever you need to, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and remember Your Peaceful Place. Well done!