INNER STRENGTH

Part I: Visualization

Find a comfortable seated position and gently begin to close your eyes. Begin to bring your awareness into your body, feeling your body grounded, supported and relaxed. Then shift your awareness into deepening your breath, which will anchor you throughout this visualization.

This visualization will be focused on tuning into your inner strength.

Bring to mind a challenge you are currently facing in your life? Then begin to ask yourself what inner strength you need to address it? What images, words or feelings arise? Give yourself several minutes to let the answers arise.

Once have the answer, begin to visualize yourself using this inner strength to carry out a solution to the problem you are facing. Imagine it as if it is actually happening, and feel that inner strength present and in operation in your life right now.

Remain here as long as you need to experience your inner strength, and when you are ready bring your awareness back into the body, tuning into your breath again, and begin to open your eyes.

Part II: Expressive Arts Activity

Supplies: You will need a stack of magazines and a sketchbook for this exercise.

Directions: Begin by flipping through a stack of magazines pulling out images and words which represent power and strength to you. Don’t overthink this process, just begin to pull images and words that jump out to you.

Next, use the images and words to create a collage of inner strength.

Lastly, in your notebook write about your experience of completing the power and strength collage. What images or words stand out to you the most? Where there any common themes among the words and images? How did the collage support the images that arose in your visualization?

Part III: Meditation

You will need 15 to 30 minutes for this meditation

Find a comfortable seated position and gentle begin to close your eyes. Begin to bring your awareness into your body, feeling your body grounded, supported and relaxed. Then shift your awareness into deepening your breath, which will anchor you throughout this visualization.

Begin to visualize your body as a mountain, sturdy, tall, and grounded in the earth and reaching toward the sky. Feel into the mountain nature, are there jagged peaks and steep slopes, or soft rounded edges? Feel the different ecosystems on your mountain, are there flowing rivers, or snow covered peaks? Feel the changing environment all around you as the day turns to night, the seasons change, yet the mountain remains unmoved and grounded on the earth.

For the remainder of the meditation continue to visualize your body as the mountain, rooted and strong. If you mind wanders, first return to your breath and then to your visualization of your mountain.

Namaste