If you are feeling tired,
Overwhelmed,
Or unsure right now,
Know that you are not alone.
Right now,
You don't need to solve anything.
There's nowhere to go and nothing to do.
But be here now.
Eliminate all distractions,
No children,
No pets.
Turn the ringer off.
This time is for you and it's important.
Make yourself completely,
Supremely comfortable.
It is comfort that allows us to sink into the deepest levels of rejuvenation.
If possible,
Use headphones for the most profound experience.
There is a beautiful Italian phrase,
Il dolce far niente,
Which means the sweetness of doing nothing.
It reminds us that there is deep value in simply pausing,
Setting aside effort,
Expectations,
And the need to fix or achieve anything.
In these moments of rest,
The body and mind are given permission to soften and reset.
As the body relaxes,
The mind often follows,
And a quiet sense of safety can begin to emerge.
This feeling of safety is not something we have to create,
It's an inner resource that becomes more accessible each time we slow down and give ourselves space to truly rest.
Let's begin.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
Trust,
And let go.
Say silently to yourself,
I am deeply present.
I will not sleep.
Be here now,
Just as you are,
Trusting that your presence in this moment is exactly right.
Bring awareness to your body.
The gentle rise and fall of your chest.
The weight of your legs.
The places where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Allow yourself to arrive in this moment,
Just as you are.
You may not yet feel it fully,
And that's ok,
Simply notice the possibility,
The quiet whisper of calm,
Of safety,
Of peace.
Let yourself begin to arrive home within yourself,
One gentle breath at a time.
Let go of any doing,
And let my words become your words as you drop more and more into stillness.
Don't worry if you don't hear everything I say,
It is normal for you to drop in and out of external awareness.
The deepest part of you is always listening.
Simply affirm to yourself now that the essential part of yourself will remain awake and aware throughout the practice.
Welcome everything as an integral piece of your deep nourishment.
You can't do this wrong.
Every sensation,
Every sound,
Let it all bring you deeper into the space of being.
Remain still for the rest of the practice.
Bring your awareness to the breath now.
Acknowledge the wave of breath that has always been there,
Pulsing in the background of existence.
This gentle soothing rhythm of your own breath locating you back into present moment consciousness.
Notice each phase of the breath,
The inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause,
Simply present with the natural flow.
Now begin to allow the exhale to lengthen slightly,
Exhales a bit longer than the inhales,
The soft inhale,
The gentle exhale.
Each inhale is an arrival.
Each exhale is a letting go.
Feel the coolness of the air as it enters your nose,
The warmth as it leaves.
If your mind wanders,
That's perfectly natural.
When you notice,
Gently return to the breath.
Nowhere else to be,
Nothing else to do.
Just this breath,
This moment.
Allow the rhythm of your breathing to anchor you here.
Move your awareness now to sound.
Listening without attachment for the different sounds as they float in and out of the space around you.
Not trying to label them.
Just listening without judgment as sounds are born out of space and then dissolve back into space.
Coming and going.
Coming and going.
Recognize the impermanence,
Sounds,
Vibration,
Pulsing in and out of awareness.
Shift your attention to the space in between the sounds.
Still,
Silent,
Timeless,
All-encompassing.
Expand your awareness of this space out beyond this room,
Beyond this building.
Keep going,
Expanding out into the far reaches of the universe.
Everything coming and going in this vast space.
Now,
Be the awareness that these sounds float through,
Expansive,
Empty,
Like the vast sky behind the clouds.
Just listening.
Slowly,
Come back to the body,
Resting peacefully.
Bring your awareness to the top of your head.
Imagine a soft glowing light of calm resting there.
Silently offer the word calm to this space.
Let that warm glowing light move slowly down across your forehead,
Your eyes,
Softening the muscles around them.
Deep calm down through your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Your neck.
Let your shoulders drop.
Feel calm flowing down your arms,
Into your hands,
Your fingers.
Warm golden light down through your chest,
Your back,
Your abdomen,
Your hips.
Let it travel down your legs,
Your knees,
Your calves,
Your feet,
All the way to your toes.
Your whole body bathed in gentle calm.
Notice the subtle warmth in your skin.
The pulse of life beneath.
The way your body naturally knows how to rest.
The quiet feeling of safety in this inner sanctuary.
Trust it.
Rest here for a few quiet moments,
Simply feeling your body being held by a current of love that rises from within.
Now grow your awareness of your heart center.
Imagine a warm gentle light glowing there.
Steady,
Soft,
Inviting.
This is your inner sanctuary.
Your center of safety.
With each inhale,
Feel this light expand,
Filling your chest with warmth,
Presence,
And ease.
With each exhale,
Allow it to move outward through your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your feet,
Your torso,
Your legs.
Let it fill your entire being.
Now,
Gently invite a feeling of gratitude.
You might think of a loved one,
A cherished memory,
Or simply a moment of beauty that touched you.
Let that gratitude grow softly.
No force,
No effort.
Feel it ripple outward from your heart,
Like warm golden light spreading through still water.
Breathe here.
Rest here.
Let your heart continue to soften and expand with every breath.
Imagine yourself laying on a soft,
Mossy field,
Gazing up into the sky,
Watching clouds drifting slowly above.
As you watch the clouds,
Also notice your thoughts.
Thoughts,
Like clouds,
Appear out of nothing and then dissolve back into nothing.
Don't attempt to follow them.
Just observe,
Without attachment,
And let them go.
The sky is vast,
And your thoughts,
Like clouds,
Do not define you.
They simply pass through the space of mind while you remain grounded in your own calm presence.
Now,
Gently let your awareness move beyond the clouds,
To the open sky behind them.
While the clouds are ever-changing,
The sky endlessly remains vast,
Spacious,
Still.
Let yourself expand into this space.
Be the sky.
Let everything move through you.
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings.
Whatever comes,
Comes.
Whatever goes,
Goes.
Rest here.
Open.
Quiet.
Untethered.
In this fertile space,
Plant a seed.
What is it your heart most desires?
Pick one thing.
With one short sentence,
Positively and silently state your heartfelt desire and leave it here,
Like a precious gift in this inner sanctuary.
Feel yourself completely embodied with the energy of your fulfilled desire.
Peace.
Joy.
Excitement.
Gratitude.
Abundance.
Love.
Your presence alone waters the seeds you plant here.
Return often with a soft heart.
Simply bask in the embodied feeling of these elevated emotions.
Every breath expanding more into them.
When you're ready,
Begin to bring your awareness back.
Back to your breath.
Back to your body.
Feel your hands.
Your feet.
Your legs.
Your torso.
Your arms.
Your head.
Notice the sounds in the room around you.
The air as it touches your skin.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Stretch if that feels good.
And when you're ready,
Gently,
Slowly,
Open your eyes and become fully present in this space.
Right now.
Notice how you feel now.
This quiet sanctuary within you has always been here.
Remember you can return to it again and again.
Thank you for joining me today and giving yourself this gift of self-care at such an important time.
Peace is not the absence of chaos or conflict,
But rather finding yourself in the midst of that chaos and remaining calm inside.
Carry this gentle sense of calm with you as you move back into your day and remember to return to this sanctuary within often.
