Hello,
This is Amy Ruthie,
And this is a meditation to help you connect with your true self and ask your true self what it really needs today.
So we'll start by getting as comfortable as possible.
You can lie down or you can sit upright.
Really settling in to this position.
And start by bringing your awareness to the environment around you.
Notice the sounds that are around you,
Both far and near.
What sounds do you hear right now?
And now moving to the taste in your mouth.
Do you taste anything in your mouth right now?
And the smells around you.
What do you smell right now?
Just noticing,
Just witnessing the smells around you.
And now shifting to what you feel.
So maybe the cool air against your skin or the sturdy surface beneath you and where it's making contact with your body.
Just noticing,
Bringing yourself into the present moment right here,
Right now.
And now we'll move to the breath.
And as you inhale,
Notice that the air is a bit cooler versus when you exhale.
So inhale,
Feel the air as it passes through the nostrils,
A little bit cooler.
And then as you exhale back through the nostrils,
Notice that the air is a bit warmer.
So bringing your awareness there to the temperature of the air as you inhale versus when you exhale.
And now I invite you to think of a time when you felt really relaxed.
Maybe you were at home just lying down on your bed.
Maybe in the mountains lying on a hammock.
Maybe lying in the grass in your backyard.
Just bringing into your awareness a time when you felt really relaxed and at ease and peaceful.
I'll give you some time here.
And now I invite you to imagine that you're back in that moment and start to notice the environment around you.
What do you feel under your body that's supporting you?
Perhaps it's a hammock or the ground,
Blades of grass poking into your skin.
Maybe it's a yoga mat underneath you or your new comfy mattress.
What's underneath you right now?
What are you feeling underneath you right now?
And now shifting to the smells around you.
What do you smell in this situation?
Perhaps some wildflowers growing nearby or freshly cut grass or your dog's breath as your dog pants next to you.
Just noticing the smells around you in this situation.
And keeping your eyes closed,
Bring back to your mind what's around you.
What do you see around you?
And now shift your attention to the sounds around you.
What do you notice near and far?
What kind of sounds are around you in this very relaxing moment?
Perhaps a babbling brook.
Maybe the ocean.
Maybe your cat meowing in the background.
Just noticing what do you hear right now?
And now I invite you to sit back and relax for a moment,
Just deepening your inhale and your exhale as you imagine that you're in that moment right now.
Really relaxing down,
Calming down,
Feeling more peaceful.
Deepening your breath,
Grounding down.
And relaxing down,
Making sure your shoulders are not working here.
Relax your jaw and your forehead,
Your hip flexors.
Really allow yourself to calm down here.
Relax here.
And now we'll go a bit deeper.
For a lot of people,
Connecting to the heart or to the true self can be difficult.
But it doesn't have to be.
And I invite you to join me on this journey of traveling from the thinking mind down to the heart space.
Most of us,
Most of the time,
Are in the thinking mind.
But here,
We're going to travel to the heart and see what it needs.
So imagine that there's a staircase,
10 steps on the staircase,
From your head,
From the thinking mind,
Down into your heart.
I'll have you inhale and exhale deeply 10 times.
And with every breath,
Imagine taking one step down to the heart.
So you'll inhale deeply,
Exhale deeply as you take one step down.
And we'll do that 10 times.
And before we begin that,
Please remember that it's completely normal,
Completely natural for your mind to wander off.
And if along the way,
Your mind has wandered and you lose count,
That's okay.
You can just start back at 10 and start the process from the beginning.
So here we go.
And if you've lost count,
That's okay.
Just bring your mind back.
I'm currently on step 5,
So if you want to join me here,
We'll go to 4 next.
And if you get there early,
That's okay.
You can just return to your natural breath.
So we'll continue here.
And now we've arrived.
So you might just check in with your heart and say hello.
Maybe it's been a while.
And maybe even saying,
Sorry,
It's been a while.
And now I invite you to ask your heart,
What do you need right now or in the next hour or in the next day?
What do you need right now?
And I'll leave you in silence here for some time to allow those answers to naturally bubble up from your heart.
If you really ask your heart,
The answers will appear.
And I'll guide you back in a little bit.
Hopefully an answer has bubbled up for you.
And if not,
That's okay.
I invite you to move through this exercise again in the future,
And you'll likely have answers in the future.
You can use an example like I need more love,
Or I need more acceptance,
Or I need more time in silence.
And using one of those examples or the answer that bubbled up for you from your heart,
Go back in and think of at least one small step you can take in the next day to allow that to happen.
Even one small baby step is okay.
And keeping your eyes closed here,
Coming back to your body,
Noticing the points of your body that are making contact with the surface beneath you,
Noticing the sounds around you,
The smells around you,
Bringing yourself back to the present moment.
And we'll conclude this meditation with one om.
We'll inhale and exhale together to prepare.
So inhale and exhale.
Inhale for om.
Om.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey today.
And I invite you to return to this journey when you're feeling a little lost,
Not sure what's going on inside,
Not sure what your heart needs.
This is a great practice to really get in touch with your heart,
Ask it what it needs,
And then come up with an idea of how to make that happen.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Namaste.
