So welcome to Scented Meditation,
My name is Megan and I'll be guiding you through a 30-minute body awareness meditation today.
And just a reminder that now is a good time to silence any notifications on your devices and then begin by settling yourself into a comfortable position,
Feeling free to adjust yourself throughout the meditation so that you always remain really comfortable.
The invitation whenever you're ready is to gently close down your eyes,
And just taking a moment to arrive in your space,
Acknowledging what it has taken for you to be here today.
Taking some time to draw inwards,
Just becoming aware of how you're feeling,
Just noticing any feelings or thoughts,
Maybe swirling around in your body,
Just accepting them as they are,
Allowing them to be there,
Making space for them,
Letting go of any expectations you may have this meditation.
You're not trying to force or achieve any certain outcome,
Just trusting that your body intuitively knows what is needed for you today.
Just taking each meditation as it comes.
So beginning now by noticing your breath,
Just noticing the breath moving in and out of your body,
Just noticing the air as it passes your nostrils,
Down the back of your throat and into your chest,
And then noticing it moving back out again.
Just appreciating the fresh intake of energy with each inhale,
And using this opportunity to exhale anything that no longer serves you.
Starting now to take control of your breath,
As you deepen it,
Gently guiding your breath down into your belly,
Noticing the belly rising on the inhale,
And softening and falling with the exhale.
Just continuing in your own time,
Take slow and steady breaths,
Deep down into your belly.
Breathing this way engages our diaphragm,
Which is a powerful way of activating our parasympathetic nervous system,
Which naturally relaxes the body.
And starting to lengthen your exhale,
If that feels right for you,
So that your exhale is slightly longer than your inhale.
Without straining in any way.
During the practice today,
You'll be using different anchor points to rest our awareness on.
At the moment,
The anchor is your breath.
Whenever you realize you have drifted away from your anchor,
Your thoughts or physical sensations or sounds,
Simply guiding your awareness back to your anchor.
Without any judgment or concern,
This gentle movement of the mind is all part of the process of effortless meditation.
It's exactly what should be happening.
So returning your breath back to its natural,
Easy rhythm.
I invite you now to scan your body with your mind,
Just releasing any built-up tension you find in the process.
And starting at the top of your body,
Just noticing if you're holding any tension in any parts of your head.
Just relaxing all the little muscles in your scalp,
And softening your forehead and your eyebrows.
Relaxing all the little muscles around your eyes,
And softening your cheeks,
Your lips,
And your jaw.
Now imagining any tension being gathered up on your inhale,
And completely released on your exhale.
Just imagining it all flowing out of your body.
Your head and face a little more relaxed.
Moving down to your neck,
Observing any sensations that you feel there.
Any tightness or any tension.
And imagining the tension being gathered up on your inhale,
And completely released on your exhale.
Now moving to your shoulders,
And allowing your shoulders to drop away from your ears.
Just feeling them loosen and soften.
Allowing them to simply melt down your back with each exhale.
Now scanning your awareness from the tops of your shoulders,
All the way down the length of your arms.
Right down to the tips of your fingers.
Just feeling for any discomfort along the way.
Allowing all the muscles in your arms to soften and relax.
Imagining all the tension in your arms being gathered up on your next inhale,
And completely released on the exhale.
Fall heavy wherever they lie.
Noticing your chest,
Observing any tightness that might be present.
Taking in a deep cleansing breath.
And then exhaling from your mouth with a big sigh if it feels comfortable to do so.
Moving your awareness down to your belly,
Noticing any tension that might be here.
Taking in another deep breath,
Feeling your belly rise with the inhale.
Gathering up any tension,
And then letting it all go,
A big sigh.
Scanning your awareness down your legs,
Noticing your thighs,
Allowing them to become heavier and heavier as they sink deeper and deeper into your support.
Moving your awareness down past your knees,
Down your calves and your shins.
Loosening your ankles,
Allowing your soles of your feet to rest gently on the floor.
Your feet and toes resting soft and easy.
And finally sweeping your awareness over your entire body once more.
Starting at the top of your head,
And on your next exhale,
Just releasing your breath all the way down to the tips of your toes.
And now from this place,
I invite you to rest your awareness on your breath.
Just finding the place where you most feel the sensation of the breath.
Maybe on the tip of your nostrils,
Feeling the air moving in and out of your body.
Or in the rise and fall of your chest,
Or in your belly.
Just placing your awareness wherever you most feel the sensation of the breath.
And remembering that the breath is simply an anchor,
Not a place to focus on,
It's just a place to return to whenever you happen to remember.
And you will notice thoughts arising,
And thoughts are very normal.
And during the meditation,
We are not trying to push them away or stop them from arising.
Just returning our awareness to rest on the anchor.
Whenever you happen to realise your mind has wandered away to thoughts,
Simply and easily guiding it back to your anchor.
Feel the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body.
I invite you now to let go of your breath,
Releasing it as an anchor.
Simply resting for these last few minutes,
As you allow the effects of the meditation to sink in.
You may choose to stay just as you are,
Or you can recline into a more comfortable position.
There's nothing for you to do here but rest,
Just allowing your mind to wander wherever it needs to go.
Now watch the time.
And gradually beginning to deepen your breath.
And deepening your breath.
Becoming aware of your body.
And feeling your body on your chair,
And your feet on the ground.
And just expanding your awareness to become aware of your surroundings once more.
And just keeping your eyes closed,
And in your own time,
Just bringing some gentle movement back into your body.
Maybe starting by wriggling your fingers and your toes.
And gradually expanding this movement into the rest of your body.
And stretching and twisting,
Moving in any way that feels right for you.
And just while you're gently coming out of your meditation,
Let me share the theme of the week,
Which is the power of forgiveness.
And while it is not always easy,
Forgiveness is a gift that we give to ourselves.
It frees us of pain,
Both emotional and physical.
And while we need not forgive and forget,
We can choose to forgive and remember.
Forgiveness will not change the past,
But it can enlarge your future.
And Marianne Williamson has said,
The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of our world.
And so now from this place,
Just taking a moment to notice how you're feeling.
And then whenever you're ready,
Just let the last thing be to open your eyes.
And thank you for sharing your meditation with me today.
