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first purchase. That's bombas.com/acast,

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code acast. Hi,

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it's Eric welcoming you back

2:21

to another relaxing episode of

2:23

Listen to Sleep. This

2:27

past week, Bodie and

2:29

Joey and I took a trip

2:32

down to the big city of

2:34

San Francisco. And

2:37

while we were there, we did

2:39

some of our favorite things. Like

2:42

going out to the beach for a

2:44

couple of long walks. We

2:47

went to the dog park for

2:49

some fun play sessions. And

2:52

we spent a few nights all

2:55

sleeping together in a big pile

2:57

up in the V-berth on our

2:59

boat. It was really

3:02

lovely. On

3:04

our last day there, we met

3:07

up with my friend Sean and his

3:09

dog Bella for a walk

3:11

at one of our favorite dog parks.

3:15

Sean is the person who created

3:17

and runs the mindfulness teacher training

3:19

program that I got certified through

3:21

a few years ago. And

3:24

we've since become friends and

3:26

dog walking puddies. As

3:30

we spent the morning walking along

3:32

the San Francisco Bay, we

3:34

chatted about our plans for the

3:36

upcoming year and about

3:38

the ways that we could help

3:41

more people reduce the suffering in

3:43

their lives. Toward

3:46

that end, I'll be

3:48

providing you more free resources

3:50

this upcoming year, like

3:53

tonight's mindfulness meditation.

3:56

And for folks who want to go deeper, I'll

3:59

be out. offering more direct support

4:01

through the Awaken Your Myth,

4:04

Peace and Prosperity Circle. Most

4:08

of all, I guess I'll just

4:10

be leaning in more to ways

4:13

that I can continue to

4:15

support you in

4:17

my role as your Mountain

4:19

Core Mindfulness Grandpa. Feel

4:23

free to join my email

4:25

group at listentosleep.com and

4:27

let me know if there's something specific

4:30

you'd like to see me do that

4:32

would help you. Tonight's

4:36

guided mindfulness meditation will

4:38

gently lead you through

4:40

the process of

4:43

releasing the illusion of

4:45

control and surrendering

4:47

to the natural flow of life.

4:51

By practicing mindful

4:53

awareness, visualization, and

4:56

self-compassion, you'll cultivate

4:58

a profound sense of peace

5:01

and alignment with the present moment,

5:05

ultimately freeing yourself from

5:07

the suffering that can

5:09

be caused by excessive attachment

5:11

to control. This

5:14

meditation is part of the Letting

5:16

Go Challenge in the Awaken Your

5:19

Myth, Peace and Prosperity Circle, our

5:22

private mindfulness community tucked away

5:24

from social media. Along

5:28

with the challenge's self-guided exercises,

5:31

the meditation invites you on

5:33

a transformative journey to explore

5:35

letting go as a

5:37

pathway to peace and greater

5:40

authenticity. You

5:42

can take the challenge and get

5:44

the support you need to start

5:46

transforming your life today by

5:49

joining the Peace and

5:51

Prosperity Circle risk-free at

5:53

awakenyourmyth.com. And

5:56

for a limited time, all quarterly

5:58

and yearly memberships. come

6:00

with a bonus download of 36 guided

6:04

meditations for sleep and

6:06

mindfulness. 11

6:09

and a half hours of meditations. $99

6:11

value. Yours

6:13

to keep. The quarterly

6:15

membership is just about a dollar a

6:18

day and comes with

6:20

a 30-day money-back guarantee. Though

6:22

there's really nothing to lose. Just

6:25

even if you decide the community

6:27

isn't for you, you'll

6:29

still have the meditations as my gift

6:32

for trying it. There's

6:34

a link in the show notes and

6:36

I can't wait to meet you on our

6:38

next live Zoom call. Welcome

6:50

to this guided meditation on

6:53

letting go of the illusion

6:55

of control. Find

7:00

a quiet space where

7:02

you can be undisturbed for the

7:04

next little while. And

7:08

just allow yourself to settle

7:10

into a comfortable position. Either

7:14

seated or lying down

7:16

is fine. Now

7:38

let's begin by bringing attention

7:40

to the breath. Just

7:45

noticing the sensation of the

7:47

air entering and

7:50

leaving the nostrils. Feeling

7:55

the rise and fall of the

7:57

belly and chest. with

8:01

each inhalation and

8:04

exhalation just

8:11

allowing the breath to

8:13

find its natural rhythm

8:17

not trying to control or

8:19

change it in any way

8:31

as you rest in this awareness of the breath notice

8:40

how each breath arises and passes away on

8:42

its own without

8:50

any effort or control on your

8:53

part the

9:00

breath is always there

9:02

for us a

9:05

constant companion flowing

9:08

in its own natural

9:10

way now

9:30

expand your awareness to

9:33

the whole body scanning

9:37

through the body from

9:39

head to toe just

9:45

allowing yourself to feel

9:47

all the various sensations

9:49

that might be present

9:55

some may be pleasant

9:58

others may be may

10:00

be unpleasant or

10:02

neutral. See

10:06

if you can simply notice the

10:09

sensations. Notice

10:12

any areas of tightness,

10:15

tension, or a sensation

10:19

of holding on. Do

10:41

you notice how the body is

10:44

constantly changing and

10:46

shifting, moment to

10:49

moment? Sensations

10:52

arise and

10:54

pass away. Like

10:57

waves on the ocean. And

11:03

rather than resisting or

11:05

trying to control the

11:07

body's experience, can

11:12

you simply allow it to

11:14

be exactly as

11:16

it is? Now

11:36

bring to mind a current

11:39

situation in your life that

11:42

you're grasping for control over.

11:46

Maybe it's a relationship,

11:50

your career, a

11:53

health issue, or

11:55

family circumstances. Just

12:02

acknowledge the fear, anxiety,

12:06

or frustration you

12:08

feel around this

12:10

inability to perfectly

12:13

dictate or manage this

12:15

situation. Now

12:32

visualize yourself holding

12:35

tightly to this

12:37

situation, as

12:39

if your hands were clenched in

12:41

tight fists around it. Let

12:47

yourself feel the tension, the

12:50

contraction, the

12:53

resistance that can arise

12:55

in the body and mind when

12:58

we grasp through control in this way. Can

13:20

you recognize how this

13:22

tight grasping and controlling

13:25

ultimately creates suffering

13:29

and struggle? It

13:32

cuts us off from the

13:34

natural unfolding of life, from

13:38

our innate wisdom and

13:40

creativity. The

13:44

more we resist reality and

13:46

try to bend it to our will,

13:50

the more frustration and

13:52

anxiety we experience. For

13:59

more information visit www.fema.gov Imagine

14:14

beginning to loosen the

14:17

grip of control. Notice

14:21

your hands slowly

14:24

opening, fingers

14:27

uncurling and

14:30

palms expanding. And

14:35

as you let go physically, feel

14:39

into the sense of relief

14:42

and release that begins

14:44

to flow through you. Trying

15:08

to breathe, relaxing

15:11

the tight hold and

15:14

need for things to be a

15:16

certain way. Allowing

15:20

the situation to be as

15:23

it is, without

15:25

the overlay of your fears and

15:29

demands. Surrender

15:32

to the uncertainty and

15:35

make space for new

15:37

possibilities To emerge. The

16:00

new and do struggles over. To

16:03

a higher wisdom. And

16:07

trust this situation to

16:09

the universal flow of

16:12

life. To

16:14

Divine Intelligence. Can

16:21

you email to the

16:23

truth that there may

16:25

be a greater harmony

16:27

unfolding beyond our limited

16:29

perception? And

16:33

you let go and

16:35

let live lives through

16:37

you. As

16:59

she release you. Crap on

17:01

control. Can

17:04

you feel. A profound sense

17:06

of peace and freedom

17:08

starting to arise. There

17:13

is a spacious mass. And

17:17

on whiteness that comes

17:19

from aligning with life

17:21

and releasing versus hats.

17:26

Prevent to this expanding

17:29

presence and stillness. From

17:51

this place of surrender. You

17:55

are not giving up

17:57

or disengaging. from my Rather,

18:02

you're bringing forth your

18:04

most authentic, responsive,

18:08

and creative self. Letting

18:12

go of the illusion of control allows

18:16

your innate wisdom to

18:18

arise, unclouded

18:20

by fear and

18:22

judgment. Now

18:45

bring your attention back to the

18:47

breath, noticing

18:50

how it continues to

18:53

flow naturally, without

18:55

force. Just

19:00

allowing your whole being to

19:03

embody this quality of

19:05

surrender, of

19:07

letting go into the

19:10

present moment. With

19:13

each inhalation, breathe

19:17

in acceptance and

19:19

trust. And

19:23

with each exhalation, release

19:26

control and

19:29

resistance. It

19:51

helps to recognize that

19:53

letting go is a

19:55

continual practice, the

19:58

urge to control and

20:00

resist life is deeply conditioned

20:03

in us. You

20:07

can bring compassion and

20:09

patience to this very

20:11

human tendency, and

20:15

each time you find yourself

20:17

grasping or contracting,

20:20

remember, you

20:23

can consciously realign with

20:25

flow and surrender. As

20:48

you let go of control, you

20:52

open to the boundless love

20:54

and wisdom that is

20:56

your true nature. You

21:00

are no longer bound by

21:02

limited egoic demands. You

21:06

are free to respond to

21:08

life with spontaneity,

21:12

creativity, and

21:14

care. Relaxed

21:34

in this spacious awareness,

21:37

allowing everything to be as

21:40

it is. Relax

21:46

all holding on. Surrender

21:51

all resistance. Simply

21:55

notice the breath breathing

21:58

itself. and

22:01

the body resting in

22:03

deep ease. Slowly

22:23

bring your attention back to the

22:25

body and your

22:27

surroundings. Wiggle

22:30

your fingers and toes. And

22:34

when you're ready, slowly

22:36

open the eyes. See

22:59

if you can bring this quality

23:02

of acceptance and letting go into

23:05

your day. When

23:09

you find yourself contracting around

23:11

control, remember

23:13

the freedom of surrender.

23:19

Thank you for your practice. Thank

23:59

you. you