Could you imagine yourself peeling back layers, revealing a truer, more authentic you beneath? This is not just a handy metaphor, it’s the reality of what meditation does.
While we have accumulated these layers in an attempt to make ourselves more presentable, more acceptable to the world, this inauthentic self we’ve been constructing becomes our cage, dimming our light, preventing us from sharing our true gifts with the world.
This experience is all too familiar for many of us. So let’s peel back those layers, shed the armor, and rediscover the real you!
“It is indeed a radical act of love just to sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
“The thing about meditation is: You become more and more you.” – David Lynch
“Meditation provides a way of learning how to let go. As we sit, the self we’ve been trying to construct and make into a nice, neat little package continues to unravel.” – John Welwood
Let me recap these few quotes: “A radical act of love”… “becoming more and more you”… “the image of our “self” that we’ve been showing the world starting to unravel”…
There is a “becoming” that is available to us – and meditation is a tremendously helpful tool in this process.
Meditation means, “to become familiar with,” which then opens up the question, “what is it that I become familiar with while I meditate?”
While I sit and observe, I am becoming familiar with thoughts and feelings that arise within me.
The more I observe, the more it becomes clear that while these thoughts and feelings come, they also go.
With time, I become familiar with the origin of thoughts and feelings, seeing clearly the events and old messaging that created these old thought patterns within me.
The easier it becomes for me to observe these old thoughts and feelings, the easier it is to know that thoughts and feelings are not me – who I am, is the one who is watching.
By meditating you are showing up for yourself, you are becoming more and more you, as the old layers of armour that you thought you had to hold up for protection, slowly unravel.
Today we explore these layers of “protection” that no longer serve us by taking a look at the masks that we may have picked up on our journey. You might find that you have outgrown some of the old ways in which you used to hide yourself.
Mantras to help you leave the masks behind:
- I am worthy of stillness and self-compassion.
- I am a calm observer of the ever-changing inner world.
- With each breath, I become more familiar with my true self.
- With each meditation, I shed a layer and step closer to my most authentic self.
Meditation is, in essence, an act of self-love. By carving out that quiet space, you are choosing yourself. You are allowing the layers of armor you held for protection to gently fall away, revealing the authentic you beneath. Be patient with yourself, and celebrate every moment of quiet self-discovery.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: The masks we wear.
(image credit: https://armstreet.com/ )