Welcome to The Meditation Podcast. This is Jesse Stern with Episode 150, Inspiration.

In many languages and cultures, the words for 'spirit' and 'breath' are closely related. The Latin words spiritus (spirit) and spirare (to breathe) give us English words like inspire (to enter breath), expire (to exit breath), and respiration (to cycle breath).

Note that these words are not related to desperation, which comes from sperare (to hope).

In today's meditation, we focus on each breath, each inspiration.

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We are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health benefits from using this podcast. You are responsible for your own health.

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Now, let's begin.

As we enter the Spring season, much of the world is focused on war, AI, and the potential impact of these actions on economies, jobs, careers, social interaction, and human evolution. Spring represents new life, budding growth, warmth. But in the generational cycles of our lifetime we are entering Winter - representing death, contraction, cold.

In today's meditation, we remain focused on the heart.

This podcast is made possible with great thanks to our subscribers on Patreon. Join our community at Patreon.com/theMeditationPodcast.

After traumatic events or periods of elevated stress, the body may continue to hold onto its protective responses. Thus, even after a painful or difficult event has ended, we may continue to feel elevated heart rate or nervous system, a sense of high alert, or a persistent thought that something bad will happen. By resetting our stress response, we cultivate the release of old injuries and old stress responses, which in turn helps to cultivate a natural sleep cycle.

In today's meditation, we reset our stress response.

This podcast is made possible with great thanks to our subscribers on Patreon. Join our community at Patreon.com/theMeditationPodcast.

Anxiety, burnout, grief, stress, trauma, anger, frustration ... our thoughts and emotions are typically based on past or future experiences. However, we carry emotional and mental stress through the present, within our bodies. Physical manifestations of such stress may include tension, nausea, chronic pain, stiffness, and more.

In today's meditation, we gather our thoughts and emotions to the present moment, and allow release within the body.

This podcast is made possible with great thanks to our subscribers on Patreon. Join our community at Patreon.com/theMeditationPodcast.

In celebration of the New Year, let us release that which we no longer need, and renew our vision and intention for the path ahead.

In today's meditation, we release and renew.

This podcast is made possible with great thanks to our subscribers on Patreon. Join our community at Patreon.com/theMeditationPodcast.