Modern Meditation: Discover Your Potential, Power & Purpose

2. Getting Started : Welcome to our journey together and we're really on for a special one because this is not your mama's meditation. This is going to be a whole different type of practice that's not here just to help you relax and reduce stress and be zen and sit and chill. This is a practice that's here to help you become more of who it is that you really are. A practice that's going to help us take action and move forward in our lives to become more productive, more purposeful, and to make the changes that we want in our lives and in the world. I know this story really well because I grew up as a kid, literally in a home with gunshot holes on the outside of my house with a lot of domestic violence and trauma. Look, we all have our stuff that we grew up with and whatever it was, your own version of your conditioning, we all learn to adapt. My adaptation was one that I think a lot of us will relate to. It was becoming what I call a chronic over achiever. Thinking if I do enough, accomplish enough, succeed enough, then I will finally be enough. This ring a bell, anybody? What happens when we get stuck with this chronic over achievement is we get entangled. Our self-worth becomes completely entangled with our validation and our achievements. We don't know who we are or what we're worth outside of what we produce or what we do. I did all the doing. I graduated the top of my class in high school, got a full ride academic scholarship to go to UCLA. I get to LA, I come out of the closet, I'm making money. I start a marketing company when I was in college, started making six figures. By the time I was 23, driving a BMW, living two blocks from the beach in Venice Beach. I don't say this to you to brag. I say this to you because I got to this point, and I looked in the mirror and I said, I have accomplished every thing I've ever set out to do. I've done everything that everyone in my family expected me to do, and I'm still miserable. How is it that I've done everything on the outside and I'm still not happy. That set me on this spiraling journey first downward and inward, but ultimately to find my truth and to find my power and to learn that real happiness in our lives is not just about constantly being busy in what we do, but it's about who we are being inside of that doing. That's where the change happens, that's where the impact happens, and that is what we're going to do together in this program. We're going to go on an incredible journey together, starting with helping you get clear on what it is that you actually even want for your life. Not what people expected of you, not what your family expects of you, not what's more realistic, not what's safe, what do you actually want? Then we're going to dive into self-sabotage because you can get clear on what you want as much as you can, but if you were sitting here pretending like you're thinking positive and meditating and doing all this personal growth and taking courses, but still engaging in self-sabotaging behavior. It's like driving with your foot on the gas and fully on the brake at the same time. So we're going to break through the things that might be stopping you without you even knowing it. Then we're going to dive into breaking through fear and activating your creativity and taking action so that you can see real change in your life, and all this stuff that you're doing will finally have the impact that you wanted to have. That's just the first half of the course. The second half of the course is one of my favorites. This is where I'm going to teach you how to create your own personal meditation ritual that you can do well after this program is over. The reason this is one of my favorite parts is because it wasn't until I was able to create my own meditation practice and I had the blessing of being trained by one of the world's most renowned teachers and leaders apprenticing with him and now teaching to people in over 40 countries around the globe about meditation. I'm here to tell you one thing that when you step into this practice, everything that you're doing becomes better. Everything that you're trying to step into becomes more real. That's the journey that we're on together. If you're in with me to do some meditation, to get some shit done, not just to chill and relax, step into this journey because we're in for a great one. Now let me give you a couple of ground rules before we get started, I have three golden rules that I want to make sure that I mention to you here. These are the three myths about meditation and I get it. Some of us have never tried meditation before, and if that's you, you're actually in the best spot. Because what most of us have done is we've tried meditation, we've tried these different apps, we've tried the guided practices, and we pretend like, "Oh my God, we tell our friends that we love to meditate." But really we're lying, we're just sitting there trying to meditate, trying to get our minds to stop thinking, trying to do this thing that we can never actually accomplish and then beating ourselves up inside because we can't make it happen. I know some people here do enjoy their meditation practices. Whatever part of the journey you're on, whether you've tried meditation, but it never sticks or you've heard about it but never given it a shot. This practice is going to teach you how to create a ritual that will work for you. There are three myths that stop us from being able to meditate. Myth number 1 is that meditation is about getting your mind to stop thinking. Listen, it is not possible to get your mind to stop thinking. That's why meditation feels so hard. My promise to you is throughout this program, I will never ask you to stop thinking. In fact, most of you are really good at meditating because guess what? If you can worry, you can meditate and I'll teach you how in this course. Myth number 2 is that meditation is supposed to be about relaxing or being zen. While meditation can feel relaxing sometimes that's not what meditation is really about. Meditation is about becoming more alive, becoming more connected to your passions, more connected to the things that you care about, the causes you believe in, and how you want to grow and move forward. That's what we're going to be doing in this course. Then myth number 3, and this is a big one, is that people think that in order to meditate, you got to sit cross-legged, all still with your back straight, just bind tight and booty all tight. That you don't have to do that to meditate truly. With meditation and this is one of the most important tenants of meditation, if your body is not comfortable, your brain can't relax. This biological system is smarter than anything you're trying to do in your practice. I will never ask you to sit cross-legged. I will never ask you to be uncomfortable. In fact, I'll never even ask you to be still in this practice. The most important thing as we jump into this journey is that you are comfortable. If you itch or you want to scratch or you whatever is you're practicing, let yourself move. That's a part of the practice. This that we're doing here together is revolutionary. It's revolutionary in so far as who you thought that you could be and also who it is that you're going to become and we're doing a practice together called freedom meditation. Now, let me tell you a little bit of the logistics about how this is all going to work. Every day, for 10 days, you're going to have a guided practice and it's going to be just a short audio video experience. We're going to be able to actually learn some new concepts and then be able to experience these concepts inside of a listening practice. The reason I call them a listening practice is because what meditation is really all about is learning to listen to, and hear the most important voice of all, the voice inside of you. Because if you can't hear that, then we're building our life based on what everyone else says we're supposed to do. The nuts and bolts structure is like this. Every lesson, we'll start with a short talk of me giving you some technique or tool or experience that you need to understand. Then we go into an audio only guided meditation listening experience. For the audio only practices, you'll see that all disappear. We do that on purpose because you don't have to see anything for these meditation practices. You can just plug it in your ears. You don't even have to be looking at the screen and I'll guide you through the whole journey. Then at the end of each practice, I'll come back, tell you what's next, and then you'll want to get into your guided workbook that will help you integrate these practices in your life. Let me tell you, the workbook honestly might be the most important part of this journey, because this is how you take these concepts that we learn and what you hear within and then implement them into your life. I know some of us when we think of things like, "Oh God, there's a workbook. I don't have time to do a workbook." Look, I get it. I'm actually this person too. So we've specifically designed this workbook to be easy, quick, and short, and guided for you. The reason why we did this is to be honest with you, the workbook is actually one of the most important sections of this practice. If you skip the workbook and you don't do that, then all we're doing is sitting here and meditating and thinking and listening, you can just listen to a podcast and do that as much as you want or go on an app. This is an experience, a transformational experience that we want to go through together. The only way that you can bring this transformation out of your head and into your life is by integrating it. That is what I promise you the workbook is all about. Now, I've structured this journey over the course of 10 days for a specific reason. I know some of you over achievers are going to want to power through it and get through it all in a weekend. Don't do that because you need some time to let these practices and experiences integrate into your life. This is not just about learning a skill, this is about learning something that's going to actually help you transform your life. The only way to do that is to learn, go back into your life for a little bit, steel how the practices blossom and unfold in you, and then come back for the next stage of the journey. If you have to skip a day, don't worry, it's okay. Just come back as soon as you can, try not to let too much time elapse. The best way to get the most out of this experience is to do 10 days, one day at a time, and then we'll be on our journey to freedom. Go ahead and download your workbook in the class resources, and then you can meet me right back here in day 1 when you're ready to get started. I'll see you there. 7. Day Five: Wake Up Your Creativity: Welcome to day 5. This is our day on creativity and it's perfect because we're right here at the halfway point of our journey together. One of the most important things about this program is recognizing that as we take action, as we move forward past our fears, that creativity and fear come hand in hand. You don't get one without the other, especially when you're doing something that is new to you or that is pressing you a little bit outside of your comfort zone. There's really two ways to explore going out of your comfort zone. One way is, let's say on a scale of one to 10, your comfort zone is a five, one way is to try to do a 10 or a 12. Oftentimes for so many of us, that scares us and pushes us out of the water, we end up failing. It recycles us into this cycle of shame over and over and over. But another way to approach this, is if your comfort zone is a five, is to just try a six, and then to try a seven, and then maybe try a six again, and then to try an eight. Taking these little bites helps us move past our fear in a really powerful way. Now, today we're talking about creativity. I love this quote from my colleague, Jennifer Bloom. She says, "I don't equate creative to artistic. We are creating the most important thing of all, our life". That's what you're doing here. Whether you consider yourself an artist or an entrepreneur, or a mum, or whatever you consider yourself being, this idea of creation is something we're actively doing every single day. We want to break down the word creativity. What I actually like to say honestly is about decolonizing creativity. Colonized creativity focuses on perfected output. It says that your creations don't matter unless they have a purpose or unless they're worth something. Decolonized creativity says that our creativity matters just because we have the power to create, just because we have the power to be. It's about the process more than it's about the product. That's what we want to focus on today in this lesson. Now let me tell you something you might not know about the word creativity. The origins of this word creativity obviously go back to the word create, which comes from creatus in Latin, which actually means to bring into being. Back in ancient times, they actually didn't believe that humans could create anything at all. They thought that the only way that creation of any kind and any kind of creativity happened, was you connecting in to some higher self, to the divine or from all the different religions and traditions passed back. But now in modern days, we know that we do create. But what you have to remember, is that when we're tapping into that space of creativity, it's not our job to judge it. So when we tap into the space, we're connecting with our highest self. We're tapping into a creative space that's greater than us, and because you don't know how just being in your creative process. Again, this is even just about creating your life, how that can impact somebody else. Little by little, ripple by ripple, we change the world by stepping into our own power in truth. Let's dive into our practice of creativity. Go ahead and we'll start with the freedom trinity, like we always do, body, eyes and breath. Get comfortable. Relax a little bit. Then go ahead and place your hands over your heart and take a deep full breath in and a breath out. When and if you feel ready, you're invited to shut your eyes. Remember, you can always keep them open if you'd like. As we do each day, we'll begin with the freedom trinity, body, eyes, and breathe. Now, we'll align our breath together with the three count breath. On the count of three, go ahead and exhale everything out of your system through your nose. 1, 2, 3 exhale everything out and come to completely empty. Great. Now to my count of three inhale for 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Again, inhale 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Last time, inhale 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Great. Now just breathe normally. I want you to call into your mind right now that future version of you. The future version of you who is living the life of your dreams and trust anything that arises today, even if it's fuzzy or incomplete. You might have multiple things shuffling in your mind. But just notice in this vision today, what is the future you wearing in the vision. Are they indoor or are they outdoor? What do you look like? What do you see? Just scan around yourself in the vision, and notice what colors are around you. Is there anybody there with you? What are you doing in this vision? What happened or is happening or is about to happen? What is happening in this vision that indicates to you that you are indeed living the life of your dreams? Notice, do you hear anything in the vision? Remember, don't force it. Do you smell anything or taste anything in the vision today? Do you notice any physical sensations? Are there any specific emotional qualities? Take a moment right now and just continue scanning around this future vision where you are living the life of your dreams. If you haven't fully yet, let yourself really go there. Now, as you look at this future version of you, who is a living the life of your dreams, ask yourself this question that gets right to the heart of the spirit of creativity; what am I ready to bring into being? What am I ready to bring into being? What am I ready to bring into being? Just be here for a moment now as you get the messages that you need. Go ahead and place your hands over your heart and just feel or repeat these words with me; I am ready, I am powerful, I am creative. I am ready, I am powerful, I am creative. Last time. I am ready, I am powerful, I am creative. You are creative. You are bringing into being the most important creation of all. When you're ready, I invite you to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Before we transition, this is your moment to select your daily power action. The one thing that you're going to do today to help you take you towards your vision, your dreams and your goals. As soon as you're ready, I invite you to open your eyes. You are creative. You are a creative being. When you tap into this creativity that is inside of you, you tap into a source of power that's connected to your highest self. This moment is a great opportunity to just step right into your guided journal practices to start to see how you're going to wake up creativity in your life and write down your daily power action. We're halfway through the program now, I'll see you in the next practice. Bye for now. 17. Bonus: I Am Enough: Welcome to your practice. This practice has an incredibly important title and an incredibly important purpose. It's called, I Am Enough. The reason why we're using this practice in our toolkit is because so many times, no matter how much we meditate, no matter how much we read or how many podcasts we listen to, or how many courses we take, or how evolved we think we become, there's always going to be stuff that happens in our lives. There's always going to be difficulties. We're always going to feel like sometimes we've gotten off track or that we're not showing up for ourselves in the way that we thought we should or we're not living up to our own high expectations that we set for ourselves. It's normal. It happens to every single one of us, including me. But what we have to remember is that every time we feel like we fall off track or we get off-center, what's happening in those moments is a lesson. Sometimes it's the most important lesson because it's the lesson about what takes us off track and then how to find our way back home. Getting lost is okay because next time you get lost, you find your way back home a little bit faster each time. One of the things that feels really important to me always as we do these personal growth practices is that we remember that we are enough, that our value is not based upon what we produce and what we do, or how much we achieve, but it's really based upon who it is that we're being and how we're showing up in the world. Look, I get it. I feel probably most like anybody listening to this right now, one of the things that I've always called myself as a kid is a chronic overachiever. Thinking it that if I just do enough, accomplish enough, succeed enough, that maybe I'll finally be enough. Then we overwork ourselves and end up pushing ourselves to limits and falling off track even in the overworking. For this practice, we're going to do something a little bit different. I think you'll have fun with this one. I'm going to play you a song. When I play this song, I want you to listen to it, not like you normally listen to your song like a performance or whatever. I want you to listen to it like a meditation because this song, when I first wrote it, the song is called I Am Enough, I wrote it to the childhood version of me who just wanted to know that no matter what he was going through, no matter what he looked like or how much he was getting teased or how much he accomplished, that he was enough no matter what. For each of us, no matter how much we do, that child is inside of you. Today, we're going to make sure they know and you know, that you are enough. Let's start, like we do in all of our practices, by just softening into our bodies. I'll play the song for you in a minute, don't worry. Take a deep breath in and a breath out. If you feel comfortable doing so, I invite you to close your eyes and remember you can always keep your eyes open in these practices. Particularly, for today's practice, when the music starts playing, if you feel called to sway or move or pulse or dance in any way, or even just to sit still, welcome that, invite that forward. This is the creativity part of the practice. Let's start by aligning our breaths with a three-count breath. On the count of three, I want you to exhale everything out of your system through your nose. 1, 2, 3, exhale everything out and come to completely empty. Great. Now, to my count of three, inhale for 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Great. Inhale 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Last time. Inhale 1, 2, 3, hold for 1, 2, 3, exhale 1, 2, 3. Great. Now just breathe normally. I want you for a moment right now to imagine a childhood version of yourself, at any age. As you imagine this childhood version of you, see if you can notice what age you landed at, even if you have to approximate a little bit. Notice as you look at this childhood version of yourself, what are you wearing? Are you indoor or are you outdoor? Most importantly, what did that childhood you need to hear most at that time? We use this song, I Am Enough, as a prayer and an intention for the child inside of each of us. Listen closely. I am enough. You are enough. We are enough. No matter what you're going through in your life right now, no matter how you're showing up in your life right now, you are enough. You are worthy. Just take a moment right now to take a deep breath in and ground into your energy, just feeling and noticing whatever it is that you feel. Feeling the energy of music, how it wakes us up in a special way that even goes beyond the words. Music has always been one of those things that we've used throughout millennia, throughout history to transform incredible pain and suffering into beauty and light. This is the way that we express. Today, as you anchor into your enoughness, the enoughness that is your birthright, I want you to just place your hands over your heart and just repeat these words with me. I am enough as I am. I am enough as I am. I am enough as I am. You are enough. You are enough. You are enough. Go ahead and take one final deep breath in and a breath out. When you're ready, open your eyes. Amazing work. This is a really important tenet for us to keep in mind, that we're going to go through stuff. We're going to go through stuff in our lives. We're going to fall off track sometimes, but no matter what, we are enough. Thank you so much for practicing with me today. I'll see you right here in this special place the next time we practice. Bye for now.