Episode 98: B3 Break: Change Begins With Us

We must stop for a while and realize that change begins with us. In this time of so much unrest and pain, many of us turn outward in anger and frustration. It is a natural tendency for us to react to the horror we see around us and the growing stress we are experiencing in our daily lives. It can leave us feeling helpless and sad, so what is left is more noise and opinions on what others can do. We often think that when we look at problems of racism, prejudice, school shootings, the environment, and so on, the issues seem so overwhelming that we don’t know where to begin. With that, we tend to bring that negative energy into our being, resulting in resentment. Let’s regain a clear perspective and be at peace with ourselves.

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B3 Break: Change Begins With Us

For a B3 Break, we are going to do something that’s a little bit different. Everything in the world is at a climax. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what impact each of us can make. It came back to how we begin with us. I wrote a whole post to go along with this meditation that we are going to do. It’s about how we can actionably take steps in each of our own lives to understand our own biases and how we impact the world around us in order to make a change. I hope that you read and internalize that post and share what actions you could take.

What I would like to spend time on is a Loving-Kindness Meditation. When we step back and understand how we are feeling, we can better provide the peace and energy that we want with the people around us in a loving and kind way so that action and change can occur. What I would like you to do is take a moment to pause and go internal. We are going to do this meditation together. You want to put both feet on the ground, sit on the Earth, sit up against the wall, or whatever is comfortable for you.

Change Begins With Us: When we step back and really understand how we are feeling, we can better provide peace and the energy that we want with the people around us in a loving and kind way. 

I would like you to take a moment, close your eyes and settle into the space that you are in. Allow your facial muscles to start softening your body to relax. Imagine everything soft in your body at peace. In order to get there, we need to slow down our breath by counting our breath. We can inhale one and exhale two. Continue those breaths until we get to a slower breath and make sure that our body is peaceful. We start sending our breath into areas of our body to release that tension.

What I would like you to do with each inhale is allow your body to fill with unconditional love. Imagine a loving green light entering through your feet, traveling through your legs, and slowly moving from your body through to your stomach, chest, and arms. Allow your body to fill with a bright light. Imagine that light becomes so strong. It completely fills your heart, fingers, the crown of your head, and it’s vibrating through your entire being.

Change Begins With Us: In order to love others, we have to first love ourselves completely.

I would like you to silently repeat these words in your head as you inhale, “May I be safe, healthy, and at peace. May I live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace, and joy to yourself. In order to love others, we have to first love ourselves completely. I would like you to picture someone that you respect, a mentor, teacher or inspirational figure. It’s someone that has positively influenced your life. Hold this person in your heart as you repeat these words silently in your mind, “May you be safe, healthy, and at peace. May you live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace and joy to this person.

I would like you to visualize someone that you love deeply, a parent, sibling, friend, or spouse. Hold this person in your heart as you silently repeat these words in your mind, “May you be safe, healthy, and at peace. May you live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace, and joy to your loved ones until you feel ready to move on. I would like you to visualize an acquaintance or someone that you only know casually. Continue to hold this person in your heart as you silently repeat the following affirmations with each inhale, “May you be safe, healthy, and at peace. May you live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace, and joy to this acquaintance until you feel ready to move on.

Change Begins With Us: Feel your love, breathe, life and energy to all that is until you can feel completely safe, supported, and at peace.

Visualize someone that makes you upset or angry. I would like you to stay connected to that love in your body. Imagine that you were filled with so much love that you even have enough love to share with this person. Continue to hold this person in your heart as you silently repeat the following affirmations with every inhale, “May you be safe, healthy, and at peace. May you live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace, and joy to this person until you feel ready to move on.

Expand your awareness to the entire world. Visualize the Earth with all of its amazing animals, plants, and geographic features. Feel the love bursting through your body as you silently repeat the following affirmations with every inhale, “May you be safe, healthy, and at peace. May you live with ease and be happy.” Continue to send happiness, peace, and joy throughout the world until you feel ready to move on. Allow this love that fills your being to pour into the world, reaching out as far as you can imagine.

Imagine your love as a warm light connecting to the Earth and all life forms on this planet. Feel your love, breathe life, and energy to all that is until you can feel completely safe, supported, and at peace. Capture this emotion and energy so that you can take this energy back into your day. Decide on one positive action that you can take in your own life to help make your impact on the world, and when you are ready, slowly come back into awareness.

Important Links:

• Change Begins With Us - Article