A meditation on aging

There's a lot to think about aging. How to live it healthily, happily, connectedly, and make it last. There is lots of good to be had from "mid-adulthood," the "third act," "life's sweet spot," and to put us in the right mindset for thinking with optimal compassion and curiosity, I provide this meditation. You can listen here or read below.

(Voice: Kusum Punjabi, AMFT).

Or listen and read along if that's what you like!

Roots of Experience

Find  comfort in your chair.

Let your body relax.

Close your eyes if that feels safe.

Let your hands rest gently.

Take a deep breath in...

And slowly breathe out.

Again—Inhale...And exhale.

Let each breath guide you home:

Home to your body.

Home to this moment.

Nothing to do. Nowhere to be.

Just here in your domain where you have every right to be.

Roots of Experience

Bring your attention to your feet.

Feel where they meet the ground.

Notice how your feet are your roots, growing deep and into the earth beneath you.

These roots are strong.They are shaped by your life—every step, every experience.The more you've lived, the deeper they go.The more you've felt, the richer the soil they draw from.

With each breath in,these roots pull up nourishment from the earth,  from the wisdom of everything you’ve lived through.

Breathe in—receive that wisdom.

Breathe out—soften into it.

The Strong, Flexible Tree

Now feel your spine —tall and natural—supple like the trunk of a tree.

Strong… and flexible.

A beautiful, mature tree—shaped by seasons, touched by time.

Your arms, like branches, can gracefully reach and open.

Feel your head lift, like the crown of the tree. Still growing. Still sensing the sky.

There is beauty in your tree because it has stood.

Because it has seen wind, and rain, and sunlight.

And still… it grows. Adapting to every change of season

Breath and Wisdom

Feel the life in your tree-body.

Feel the breath moving up and down—from root to crown.

From earth to sky.From past to present.

And know this:You are wise. You are strong.  You are resilient.

 Because through your seasons you’ve stayed present, again and again—through joy, through challenge.

Closing

Take one more deep breath—drawing in all that wisdom…And release gently.

When you’re ready, wiggle your fingers.Move your toes.And open your eyes.

Carry your roots with you. Stand tall. Grow still.

You are not finished.

You are flourishing.