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Welcome to the Mindful Fire podcast, a show about crafting a life you love and making work optional using the tools of mindfulness, envisioning, and financial independence. I'm your host, Adam Koyo, and I'm so glad you're here. Each episode of the Mindful Fire podcast explores these three tools through teachings, guided meditations, and inspiring interviews with people actually living them to craft a life they love.

At its core, Mindful Fire is about creating more awareness and choice in your life. Mindfulness helps you develop self-awareness to know yourself better and what's most important to you by practicing a kind, curious awareness. Envisioning is all about choosing to think big about your life and putting the power of your predicting brain to work to create the life you dream of.

And financial independence brings awareness and choice to your financial life, empowering you to make your vision a reality by getting your money sorted out and ultimately making work optional. And here's the best part. You don't have to wait until you reach financial independence to live out your vision. Mindful Fire is about using these tools to craft that life now on the path to financial independence and beyond.

If you're ready to start your Mindful Fire journey, go to mindfulfire.org and download my free envisioning guide. In just 10 minutes, this guide will help you craft a clear and inspiring vision for your life. Again, you can download it for free at mindfulfire.org. Let's jump into today's guided meditation. Mindful Fire

So let's find a position that allows you to be both alert and relaxed at the same time. And you can gently close your eyes. And let's drop in with three deep breaths in and out. Now, as we begin this practice, I first invite you to thank yourself for showing up, for creating this space in your life to invest in yourself, in your well-being, in your clarity,

in your sanity with everything going on in our busy lives and in our VUCA world. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, taking your seat is a radical act of sanity and love. And so thank yourself for showing up, connecting with your body, noticing whatever's there to be noticed, any sensations, areas of ease, areas of tension, allowing whatever you find

to be as it is, noticing with a kind, curious attitude. When we notice in this way, with a kind, curious awareness, we create space. We create space to relate differently to whatever's going on in our experience, whether it be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Mindfulness allows us to see it clearly and to loosen its grip on us.

Allowing for a little bit more space and a little bit more peace. And so checking in with your body and your mind right now in my body and my mind. It's like this. It's like this. And if there are areas where there's tension or strong emotion, perhaps just acknowledging it. I see you. It's okay. And if you'd like, inviting it to relax as you exhale.

Not in a resisting sort of way, but in a kind invitation sort of way. May you be peaceful. May you relax. And now I invite you to find your breath in the body and just rest in the space of this in-breath and this out-breath. Right now there's nothing that you need to do, nowhere you need to be, nothing you need to figure out. You've chosen to be here. And so just resting in the simplicity of

resting in the space, resting in the peace of just this in-breath and just this out-breath. Whenever your mind wanders away, just notice that thinking is happening. The space of awareness is vast enough to include all aspects of our experience. And so just bringing that kind awareness to what's on your mind and then choosing to come back to the breath and starting again.

And if your mind is drifted off as mine has, no problem. Noticing what's on your mind and allowing some space. Noticing whatever's on your mind with a kind, curious, open attitude. And if any judgments are coming up, allowing them to be in this space, this kind, curious space of awareness. Just seeing them clearly. No need to make them good or bad, right or wrong. Just allowing them to be.

And then choosing to come back and to start again with just this in-breath and just this out-breath. Each one completely new, completely unique. Each one a chance to start again. And each one your life happening here and now. Moment by moment by moment. And breath by breath by breath. Each time our mind drifts off and we notice we have an opportunity to change.

see the stories playing out in our mind. And when we bring a kind, curious awareness to them, we create space to get to know ourselves better and to simply see what's in our mind without being attached, without letting it drive us unconsciously as our thoughts so often do. And so each time you notice what's on your mind, just observe.

And you may see the same stories coming up again and again. And the more you practice this on the cushion, the more you'll be able to do this out in the world, noticing stories arising, seeing them just as they are, and choosing to come back or to let go if they are not useful or not serving you. So in a very real way, what we're practicing here in this space of awareness is

translates into more space in our moments out in the world, in our interactions with others. And it's not always easy, but we can continue to practice and we can continue coming back. Let us finish now with three deep breaths together. Breathing in and out. And one more. And opening your eyes whenever you're ready.

With your eyes open, taking one final mindful breath as a reminder that this space is available anytime and we can practice creating it in any moment. And it just takes a breath. Thank you very much for your attention. Thanks for joining me for today's guided meditation. If you enjoyed today's episode, I invite you to hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this.

This just lets the platforms know you're getting value from the episodes and you want to be here when I release additional content. If you're ready to start your Mindful Fire journey, go to mindfulfire.org and download my free envisioning guide. In just 10 minutes, this guide will help you craft a clear and inspiring vision for your life. Again, you can download it for free at mindfulfire.org. Thanks again, and I'll catch you next time on the Mindful Fire podcast.

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