What I Learned in Therapy

K66: Hey.

Thanks for joining me
for today's meditation.

My name is Jamie.

And I'm a 500 hour
registered yoga teacher.

I'm also a psychotherapist.

And the healer.

And I'm really glad you're here.

So just take a few moments.

To find yourself a comfortable position.

As a position in which you can lay or sit.

For about.

10 minutes.

Maybe a little longer.

So find a place where
your body feels safe.

A place where your body feels comfortable.

And a place where you are honoring.

The places your body has been.

If you have back pain.

Find a position.

That eases, that suffering.

If your hips hurt.

Find a position that eases that suffering.

The aim of meditation
is not to get it right.

The aim of meditation.

As to calm the body.

And let the mind rest.

And for you to walk.

More deeply into who you are.

So I went to have found
that position on your mat.

Take some easy breaths.

As you settle in.

We move so quickly through our days.

From the moment we get to
work, we don't settle in.

We jump in for the moment we get home.

We don't settle in.

We jump in.

And so I'm inviting you to
give yourself permission.

To settle in.

And once you have found that space,

I invite you to close your eyes.

If that doesn't feel comfortable or safe.

Then find a soft gaze in front of you.

Or look up at the ceiling.

And find one thing to rest your eyes on.

And meditation.

It sometimes helps if we close our
eyes because there's less distraction.

No wherever you are.

Rest your eyes on what you see.

And not what you think.

If your eyes are closed.

Notice if there's just darkness
and notice the darkness.

If there is light seeping through.

Notice the light.

If there's color or texture.

Notice.

And the mind.

As powerful as it is.

Might still be bouncing
around inside of you.

And that's okay.

It's a sign of life.

It's a sign of your capacity.

But I wonder if we can
work on the capacity.

To still the mind.

And give permission for the body.

To settle.

And then begin to focus on your breath.

Slow the breath.

And yoga.

We often talk about that.

Uber.

Bruh.

Which is a breathing practice where you
close the back of the throat, just a bit.

So that the breath becomes audible.

The breath becomes an audible
reminder that you are alive.

That this is your life.

That this is your body.

And that today's the only day.

Yesterday is gone.

And tomorrow is not promised.

So today is the only day.

To encounter yourself.

We live in a culture that
is so outward facing.

That we forget.

I think we forget.

That every time we encounter
someone or something.

We are truly encountering ourselves.

So take a big inhale with me.

And a big loud exhale.

And just find some easy breath.

Today we are meditating.

And encountering you.

So relax your jaw.

And then relax it again.

And then again,

And then those muscles around your nose.

Relax, those muscles.

And the muscles around your eyes.

We use these muscles to portray to the
world a certain kind of performance.

A certain kind of persona.

And in your meditation.

There's no one.

No persona.

No performance that you need to find.

Relax the muscles in your
face so that you can find you.

And authentic.

Representation of who you
are right in this moment.

And then take care of.

Shoulders away from your ears.

And then relax them again.

And again,

And then relax your jaw.

Again,

I want you to think back.

On your week.

Think about the people that you met.

And then think of one person that
you met that stands out to you.

Perhaps not someone new.

It doesn't matter if it's someone new.

No matter who we meet.

We are always meeting.

Parts of ourselves.

So think back to an
encounter you had this week.

With one person.

And maybe they were kind.

Then maybe they were not.

Maybe you are kind.

And maybe you were not.

But take yourself back.

To that encounter.

And watch it like a movie.

Observe you not the other person observed.

You.

How did you breathe?

Where your words sharp or were they soft?

Did you listen or did you speak.

Yoga is about.

South observation.

South understanding.

And then developing a
tremendous amount of compassion.

For being who you are.

When one knows oneself and
knows one's suffering so well.

Compassion is often.

The only option.

Because, you know yourself.

So well,

In therapy.

I always talk about.

How it's an honor to meet your pain.

Because those are parts of you.

And so often we are quick
to turn away from pain.

Scared that we are in capable.

I've expanding our capacity.

To walk through it.

To gain the wisdom the
suffering is giving.

But I am here to tell you.

That self knowledge and self
reflection and self observation.

Is your way to suffering?

Well,

So notice yourself in the
last week of your life.

And the encounters that you've had.

And every encounter,
you have an opportunity.

To find pieces of yourself
even after the fact.

So as you observe yourself,
Begin to deepen the breath.

Who is that person you're observing.

Are they hurting?

Have they slept well.

Have they fed their body with.

Nutritious love.

How does that person
that you're observing.

That version of who you are.

How do they speak to themselves?

The most important encounter that
you're going to have today, tomorrow.

Last week or next week is always going to
be the encounter you have with yourself.

And if you know yourself well,

These encounters will be expensive.

And complimentary to your healing.

And if you do not know yourself well,

These encounters can feel very scary.

Confining.

Exile.

Leavin away from yourself.

Continue to breathe deeply.

There is always a way.

To find more of yourself.

So, if you are not sure of your expansion,

Yoga teaches us our capacity.

Our capacity to know ourselves.

Most importantly.

And so as you're observing yourself,

From a moment last week.

What are words of compassion you can send.

To that version of who you are.

I invite you.

To spray paint that part of
yourself with all of your love.

All of your compassion.

And most importantly, your curiosity

so that you can know.

Very deeply.

The wounds you carry.

So that your wounds.

Do not wound others.

And this is the gift, the honor.

Of knowing our pain.

So that we can use it to heal ourselves.

Instead of wound others, which
will inevitably wound us.

So observing yourself.

And an encounter last week.

Take a big inhale with me.

And exhale compassion
for that part of you.

Take a big inhale with me.

And exhale even more compassion
for that part of you.

One more time bacon now.

Hold your breath out.

The very top of that.

In-hand.

Ask yourself, what would I lose?

If I gave myself more compassion.

Exhale.

Now.

Just breathe.

There is no beginning and no end of you.

You come from the stars.

You come from the earth,
you come from your family.

You come from love.

Every time you encounter yourself.

You encounter more vastness.

More capacity.

More capability.

Then you ever knew you had.

Take one more.

Again, how with me breathe all of that in.

It is an honor to encounter yourself every
day, every moment, every breath, exhale.

And because you are the
knower of the spotty of yours.

Always, always, always you are the knower.

And if anyone tells
you otherwise, you got.

To seek counsel elsewhere.

Because you are the
knower offensive movement.

That belongs to your body, to this
meditation and to the encounters

that you have with yourself.

Find that movement.

And then deepen the breath even more.

And take another big inhale with me.

And a big exhale.

Remember who you are.

And then roll to.

One side of your body.

And rest your head on your arm.

I conclude most of my meditations.

With this wisdom.

But there was a day when
you were just a possibility.

And then you happened to the world
and the world was never the same.

And then the world happened to you.

And you were never the same.

And the reciprocity.

Of that change.

Has been happening.

Since before you took your first breath.

And so I remember.

Perhaps we need not worry so much.

Everything keeps happening.

But how much more spectacular would it be?

That you were aware of
encountering yourself.

Every moment.

Every interaction.

And every breath.

In order.

To spray paint yourself.

And the world.

With your compassion.

And your love.

And then come to a seated
position on your mat.

Or on the ground.

On your bed.

Wherever you are.

Bring your hands to prayer.

And then press your palms together so
that you can feel that there is a human.

On the other side of
each one of your hands.

And take a big inhale with me.

Exhale.

Remember who you are.

It's been my honor to guide
you through this meditation.

Much respect.

No mistake.