Last week we discussed the idea of “backseat drivers” and the people in our lives who attempt to guide our life. Sometimes, these people have your best interest at heart, and other times; they do not. I created this meditation to help you become the driver of your own bus. So, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Transcription
Think meditation is hard. Do me a favor, take a slow deep breath in and now breathe out.
Congratulations, you just meditated. Hi, I’m Crystal Kakowski and this is Breathe In. Breathe out a weekly guided meditation podcast for anyone ready to own their own shit and find some peace while doing it.
I recently had an experience with a friend and he made the comment, you are the bus and all of the people on it want to be the drivers. And it’s akin to listening to the other voices that we hear all the time. You’re not good enough, you’re this, you’re that, that keep hold us back and keep us small. And it was very heartwarming and delightful for me to dive into that rabbit hole mentally for myself. And I thought that I would bring it to you as a guided meditation so that you can now look at all of those passengers on the bus and maybe we kick one off, maybe we find one that is not so helpful and beneficial and we let them know that they can leave and we leave them in the middle of the road somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. So without further ado, I hope that you find nice comfortable space where you will not be interrupted, not driving. I need you to be stationary in a cozy, comfy location so that you can let go for the next few minutes and experience your bus so you’re settled in.
Close your eyes, take a nice deep breath in, and then slowly let it out all the way before you slowly inhale again, taking in that air, filling up your lungs. And then exhale your next deep breath. You feel the surface supporting you, holding you, cradling you. As you exhale, relax, let your body sink into the surface. You keep breathing deeply, allowing every part of your body to release. As you think further, you breathe easier. Your belly fills and expands as you fill your lungs even more. Life giving oxygen is then spread throughout your body as you relax. In this moment, we’ll start a scan at the top of your head, your scalp tingling. Breathe into that space and feel everything begin to melt as you breathe in. And exhale all of the stress and the tension that you’ve been holding. And with your next breath in, we’re going to start moving down your forehead. This beautiful space that expresses so many emotions. You feel it relax and let go. Stress melts away as you continue breathing deep, those spots. And as you exhale, all of that tension melts away, releases you keep moving down your nose.
Your lips, your chin, everything smooths out, releases as you breathe into those muscles. And that next deep breath goes into the base of your head where your head and neck come together and all of those muscles that hold your head up and turn it around so that you can see and take in the world around you. Those muscles finally get to let go see them. Smoothing, relaxing. As you move down, down, down your neck and out your shoulders. They carry so much. Take a nice deep breath and feel them rise a little bit. And as you exhale, they release their tension and they sink further into the support you keep breathing in. Scanning down your arms, past your elbows, down your forearms. Get to your wrists. You may need to roll them a little to let them release. Tense your fist a little and on the exhale release, stretch your fingers out and let them rest at peace. Read More
Deep breath. And you feel how your chest expands, taking in that beautiful air. And then it comes back to a resting space. As you exhale, you feel the ribs and the muscles in between. Feel your ROMs and all the muscles between your shoulder blades, how they move and expand as you breathe in. And they release and relax as you exhale, so many of them, those muscles you keep moving down your belly and your back. All of those muscles that help keep you upright and supported, breathe deeply into them. Focus on that space. Keep breathing deeply and allowing them to be fully relaxed and supported by the surface that you are on. Hmm.
With your next deep breath, we move down the hips and the buttocks. Your thighs all filled with powerful muscles that help move and propel you forward through life. If you need to tighten them, do that before you release completely sinking in deeper and more relaxed down your knees, your calves, your ankles, your heels, your arches. And feel that scan. Go all the way to the tips of your toes. Stress melts away. You’re in this beautiful place, calm, peaceful. In your mind’s eye, allow a bus to materialize. What kind of bus is it? What color is it? Is it snub nosed or does it have a big engine? Is there a bathroom in back or is it more like public transit or the subway? When you get onto that bus, you notice there’s nobody in the driver’s seat right now, but there are a ton of people. The bus is filled, young and old. Take a moment to look around to take them all in. What are they about? Take another deep breath in. Now you get to be the driver. So you sit down in the driver’s seat, turn the bus on, turn on your blinker.
You pull onto the road. This is your life path. This is your journey. Look at the scenery around you. It’s beautiful. What colors do you see while you’re driving? You begin to hear the passengers talking. Some are telling you where to go. Some are telling you about what they think other people are thinking. They’re all trying to get your attention and make you go in a certain way, act a certain way, drive a certain way. But this is your journey. This is your bus. You want to be the most beautiful journey possible. Let’s pull the bus over for a moment. Have all these people on the bus. You are drawn to one that is nowhere near as supportive as you need them to be. This voice on the bus, you know it. You know it well. It’s the most critical, the most upsetting. It’s the one that keeps you the smallest. The thing is that has the bus driver. You do not have to allow everybody to ride. You have the ability to tell someone to take a hike, to drop someone off. And at this point in your life, it is time to listen to the most. Positive, loving voice is possible.
This voice does not serve you. They’re not helping you. They’re holding you back. So like magic, you can summon that voice forward and right out the door and you can allow that person, that voice to stand on the side of the road while you close the doors and you start the engine back up and keep driving down the road. That voice no longer speaks. There’s more joy, there’s more encouragement, there’s more love. As you put even more distance between you and the critical voice that has no place on your bus, it feels so much better. You find that the other voices are more positive and encouraging. The mood inside your bus is lighter and it flows so much better. Perhaps there’s music, whether it’s people singing or the radio. Good job. Take another deep breath and and, and it’s time to come back to the here and now. So with another deep breath, you hear my voice a little stronger. You’re more aware of the surface that your body is on. With another deep breath, you start moving your body a little bit. Roll your shoulders, arch your back with another deep breath. Maybe you roll your fingers and toes, your wrists and ankles becoming more alert and aware and present to the moment.
And with another deep breath, you might roll your neck and open your eyes being awake, aware and alert. Right here, right now you feel a little lighter. I feel like you can move a little easier. I hope you have a little bit more peace.
Keen to take a little more time. Do that. Stomp your feet on the ground. Feel more grounded and connected here in the moment. There may come a time that you hear another one that’s not quite as positive and uplifting as you would like them to be. And I encourage you to return to this meditation and let ’em take a hike. You don’t have to allow them to have a voice in driving the bus and where the bus will go. And on the sidelines. I really hope that you pay attention to what your bus needs cuz routine maintenance is a must. Self-care in oil changes and washer fluid and going and getting the outside washed. You got this.
Thank you so much for investing time into your own wellbeing. I sincerely hope this moment of self-care and healing brought you some hope and peace. I’m at Crystal Kowski on Instagram and YouTube and I sincerely hope you check us out and follow along for more content coming soon. I look forward to meditating with you again here Unrea in breathe out. Until next time, take care.
Breathe In, Breathe Out is a weekly mindfulness and meditation podcast hosted by yours truly, Krystal Jakosky. Each week, we’ll release a brand new lesson or meditation focused on helping you navigate your life by giving YOU the tools to become your own healer.
