In today's meditation I guide a mindful inquiry into courage.

Settle into the practice through the breath and then tune into your wisdom and reflect on the questions I offer at the end of the meditation exploring courage.

To be able to live in an authentic way, where how we live on the outside is in alignment with what matters most to us on the inside, can take quite a bit of courage…  

Whether that’s:

• Speaking out when we feel scared or fearful of being judged by others
• Acknowledging that the work we are doing isn’t aligned with what we truly value and taking the steps to start a new career
• Ending a relationship that’s not serving us or finding the strength to work on a relationship and stay while it's going through inevitable growing pains…
• Following a longstanding dream whether it’s to write a book, to sing, perform or start a new business..

Showing up in the world and living in a way that honours our true selves, or soul, is an important foundation for our happiness and wellbeing.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can support greater courage and alignment in our lives. But How? 

1. Mindfulness teaches us that we don’t have to believe all of our thoughts. This allows us to step out of the prison of our old limiting beliefs and experience new possibilities.  eg. if you wanted to start a new business the thought may arise which says something like “I don’t know how to run a business, there’s no way I could make money by following my passion”
2. Mindfulness helps us learn how to stay with difficult emotions. Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's the ability to step forward despite the fear.…we have to feel the fear and do it anyway! As we become more experienced at mindfulness practice we get better at being able to stay calm amidst the storm of difficult emotions.
   
3. Mindfulness helps us build greater confidence as we get better at recovering from setbacks with more ease. We become less fearful of failure knowing that we are resilient and can face difficulties with greater strength.
   
4. Mindfulness brings us in contact with the truth of the impermanence of everything, including our own life. Getting deeply in touch with this sense of our own mortality makes us more courageous as we realise this is not a dress rehearsal, this is our life. Time passes quickly and this moment is as good as any to change things and take healthy courageous risks to live in a way that really reflects what we really want for ourselves. Time to leave that unfulfilling relationships, that soul destroying job and take the brave leaps that are needed to find deeper fulfilment and happiness. 

Mindful Inquiry: 

What area of your life is asking for more courage?

What is the smallest possible action you could take to move towards being more courageous in this area?

How might your lack of courage in this area, be protecting you?

What is it protecting you from?