Welcome to this guided meditation for increased self-awareness. Before we begin, please find a comfortable seated position in a place where you will not be disturbed. During this meditation, we are going to focus on increasing your awareness of self. You can expect to gain a heightened sense of self-awareness that you can carry with you throughout your day.
Start by focusing on your breathing. Take a deep breath in, pause, and exhale. Notice if it’s difficult for you to take deep breaths, and consider that you might not be getting enough cardiovascular exercise. Or any exercise.
Allow yourself to let go of any tension you are feeling. Bring your awareness back to what it feels like to exist right at this very moment, and release any concerns you have about your day. Be aware of how your stresses don’t matter, because your job doesn’t matter, and neither do you. Let this knowledge relax you.
Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, and be aware of the jokes you tell and realize that you are being racist.
As your focus on your breathing, try to let your thoughts go. We all have thoughts but we are not controlled by our thoughts, so let them float away slowly, like clouds. Notice how slowly your thoughts come and go. Notice how slow you are at thinking and grasping new concepts, and be aware of this intellectual shortcoming. As these mundane and unoriginal thoughts enter your mind, let them float away. They will never become substantive anyway, so it’s nobody’s loss.
Focus on yourself. Even more than you usually do, which is already a lot.
Now bring your attention back to your breath. Place one hand on your heart and one on your stomach to feel the rise and fall of your breathing. Notice your stomach, pay attention to the tightness of your pants, and become aware of how tight your pants are against your stomach. Ask yourself if your pants were this tight last month, and conclude that they were not. Visualize your body in this meditative state, and then let your visualization dissipate and come back to the present moment; don’t spend time focused on your body, nobody else is looking at it for any extended amount of time.
Visualize yourself being fully mindful, self-aware, and at peace. Take another deep breath in and out. Now visualize yourself in a social setting, such as a dinner party. Be aware of how you behave in groups of people, and notice how uncomfortable you are making eye contact. Stay focused on this dinner party. Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, and be aware of the jokes you tell and realize that you are being racist. Be mindful of the other guests and the party, and notice them shifting away from you.
Bring your attention back to your breath, and again notice the inhales and exhales, like waves on a beach. You should now be more self-aware of who you are and how others perceive you. Please remember that you can return to this meditation at any time, unlike your ex-boyfriend, who never wants to see you again.