And just dropping in,
Getting as comfortable as you can,
Allowing yourself to become aware of the points of contact where your body meets the support that you're resting on,
And allowing yourself to just make any minor adjustments to get as comfortable as you possibly can here and now.
And once you've really settled in,
I invite you now to just take a moment to scan over any dense or heavy thoughts,
Emotions,
Things of the day that may be just hanging out in your consciousness now.
Any to-do lists,
Any worries,
Any anxieties,
Whatever they are,
We're just going to acknowledge them.
We'll say,
I thank you for being here,
I see you,
But now is not the time.
But I acknowledge that all of this is present in my experience.
Once we've acknowledged it,
I invite you now to create a container in some way.
You could actually envision yourself putting these things into a container of some kind.
Whatever works for you,
Just allow yourself to place these things in and away,
Move them off to the side.
Now I invite you to begin to scan the body.
We're going to move from the top of the head,
Just doing a gentle exploratory scan,
Moving the awareness throughout all of the parts of the body,
Noticing any areas of tension or tightness,
And just bringing mindful awareness to those spaces.
If you wish,
You can even use the breath as a way to bring some expansiveness into any spaces where there is any tension or tightness.
And then as you scan the body some more,
We're going to bring an awareness and attention to the smaller parts of the body that maybe don't get noticed as often.
Taking a mental note of the jaw,
If it's clenched or tight,
Just see if you can release it a little more,
Make it a little soft.
Allowing the tongue to just fall into the mouth,
Just completely relaxing those small muscles around the face.
Relaxing the eyes,
Then gently beginning to scan down to the neck and the shoulders,
Noting any tension and just allowing them to rest even more softly.
Then bringing awareness to the hands and the tips of the fingers,
Noticing the heaviness of the hands as they rest on your legs or your lap.
Just feeling that gentle weight,
Noticing the way that the clothes brush up against the skin,
The body,
All the way down to the toes.
If you'd like,
You can even maybe wiggle them a little bit just to feel the sensation that's there,
The tips of the toes.
Bringing mindful awareness and even maybe a sense of gratitude to these smaller spaces in the body that so often just go unnoticed.
And now it's here,
I invite you to check in once again,
Anything that may have come up,
Anything that may still be hanging on about the day,
Worries,
To-do's,
Expectations of what you think this meditation or this practice that we're engaging in should look like.
Allow yourself to release that,
Allow yourself to place it into the container that we've put off to the side.
And know that whatever experience you have here and now tonight is exactly as it should be.
We're not trying to force or change,
We're just trying to allow ourselves to be.
Now I invite you to bring awareness now to the breath,
Wherever you may feel it the most.
Perhaps you notice the rise and fall of the diaphragm,
Chest,
Or the expansion and contraction of the belly.
Maybe you notice that the belly is a little tight,
Allow it to just soften.
Perhaps you notice the air moving in the tip of the nose and the nostrils and the inhale and the exhale.
Wherever you notice the breath the most,
Allow that to become your anchor.
I'm not trying to force or change or alter the breath in any way,
Just become the observer of the inhale and the exhale.
Any thoughts come or rise to the surface,
Just allow them to be there,
Let them come,
Let them be,
Let them go.
Just make a mental note,
Thinking,
And gently bring the awareness back to the breath and the anchor.
Now I invite you to check in with your body and with your mind.
And whatever your experience is,
I invite you to label the experience you're having.
Perhaps your mind has wandered and you have thoughts,
You can label those as thinking.
Or if you notice any body sensations,
A feeling.
Just allow yourself to make a note of whatever the experience is.
And then just gently come back to the breath with compassion,
Without judgment,
Without pulling.
Allow yourself to do this with grace and ease,
The way that a feather would fall on a pillow.
And checking in once again with the experience you're having,
And just labeling and noting that experience,
Whatever it is.
Perhaps you're having a multifaceted experience.
Allow yourself to just make a note,
And then bring your awareness back to the breath.
And now as you breathe,
Begin to bring the awareness now back into the fullness and the richness of the experience.
You can start to expand the awareness out past the breath and into the body once again.
You can begin to scan,
Starting at the top of the head and working your way down.
Just making a mental note of anything you notice.
Becoming aware of the skin and the air temperature.
Becoming aware of the seat with which you sit.
Becoming aware of the feet on the floor.
Just bringing the awareness back into the body as a whole.
And then you can start to wiggle the fingers and the toes,
Maybe take some deeper breaths.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly begin to crack open the eyes once again.
They are closed,
Or focus the gaze.
And coming back into full waking consciousness.
