Noticing the body in a way,
Anchoring our sensations and our awareness in the body itself.
So as you breathe now,
Just widening your attention to notice this whole breathing body.
Noticing any sensations right now in this whole breathing body.
Focus on trying to feel your inner love.
Love can be felt in many ways,
But it always feels pleasant and it is often less noticeable than troubling emotions.
So tuning in now to any sensations of love within you right now.
You might notice,
If you feel any of these particular aspects of love,
Maybe a heart that feels warm,
Open-hearted,
Connected,
Fearless,
Having a sense of being whole,
Content,
Peaceful,
Or perhaps an overall feeling of calm,
Open,
Spacious,
Empty,
Balanced,
And somehow content.
You might notice feelings of love in the body by some faint energetic feelings,
Maybe some tingling,
Some subtle vibrational feelings,
Perhaps pleasant bubbling feelings,
Or just a sense of energy flowing somehow through parts of the body.
Allow the love that is within you to fill your body so that you feel it in every cell.
Notice how this relaxes,
Calms,
And soothes both the body and the mind.
The subtle energy of love in the body.
If you don't feel your inner love just right now,
Absolutely no problem.
You might notice then,
What thoughts are you thinking?
If the thoughts that are happening right now contain any judgment or wanting,
They may be showing up as an upsetting kind of feeling.
So just noticing any thoughts that are linked to judgments,
That might be clouding the love that is within you.
Don't fight the thoughts,
Just noticing.
Don't try to control the thoughts,
That just adds to our suffering.
So just welcome whatever noticing is here right now for you.
We know that thoughts in themselves are harmless,
And we can learn over time to let go of any belief or judgment that causes us to suffer.
So right now you might be noticing love and calm in the body.
Or perhaps you might be aware of thinking,
Of judgments that cloud that love.
So this is your moment to express care for yourself,
Compassionately noticing what is here.
Now we're going to spend a few minutes just scanning the body.
In a way we're taking a closer look for this love energy that might be in the body.
Or any judgment or thinking that might be clouding love energy in the body.
So let's begin with the scalp.
Just the top of the head and the scalp.
Soften and relax the scalp.
Offer the scalp your love and feel the love in the scalp.
Now love and relax the forehead,
The muscles in and around the eyes.
Love,
Relax and feel the nose and the cheeks and the jaw.
The muscles in and around the mouth,
Inviting the jaw to relax now,
To soften,
To let go even a little.
And the tongue to soften,
To let go even a little.
And the chin.
Love,
Relax and feel the left side of your head,
Including the left ear,
The back of your head.
And now the right side of your head,
Including the right ear.
Offer love to the neck muscles and let them soften and relax.
If you find pain,
Stress,
Tightness or difficulty in any part of the body as we do this,
Just take time to give that part of the body an extra dose of love.
Breathe your love into that part of the body and just fill it with your kindness,
Your compassion,
Your peace and your joy.
Practicing this now for the rest of our time together.
Focusing on the very parts that most need the love and attention.
Offer love to your shoulders now.
See if they might drop a little into a more comfortable,
Relaxed position.
Feel the love in your upper arms,
Your lower arms,
Your hands.
See if you might tune in right now to your hands,
Noticing the life,
Energy and joy in every cell of the hands right now.
Love,
Relax and feel the muscles in the chest and around the heart.
Let the area surrounding your heart now be open,
Calm,
Expansive,
Relaxed and warm.
Offer love to the belly.
Relax the belly.
Just allowing the whole belly area to soften,
To have a little more space,
A little ease.
Allowing the belly now to move more freely with the breath.
And now let the back muscles be loved.
Best you can,
Bringing all of your attention to the back area.
Release the muscles in and around the spine and throughout your back.
Let the back be soft and relaxed,
Noticing the whole of the back area.
And bringing special love and attention to any part of the back that is most in need of some rest and relaxation.
Offering the entire back now your energetic love.
And feel how the back responds to this.
Noticing now the pelvis,
That whole hip to hip structure,
Bony structure and all of the organs contained here.
Allowing your loving attention to soften and soothe and create a little more space in this part of the body.
Noticing the upper legs,
The weight,
The volume and the length of the legs.
Coming out from the hip joints all the way down to the knees.
Offering love to this part of the legs and to the knees themselves.
Noticing now the lower part of the legs.
From the knees all the way down to the ankles.
See if you might bring your whole awareness to the lower part of the legs.
From the knee down to the ankles.
And breathing into this part of the body,
Some love and attention.
And noticing how the lower legs respond to this loving attention.
Noticing now the ankles and the feet.
The soles of the feet,
The top of the feet,
The toes.
Just holding in awareness the feet right now.
And offering some love and attention and kindness to the feet just as they are right now.
Allowing all that is within the feet to have a little more space to soften,
To soothe.
And scanning right back through the body now.
Paying particular attention to any place where there is some tightness or tension.
And wherever you find tightness or tension or holding.
Seeing if you might breathe love just into that part of the body.
Bringing some compassion to just that part of the body.
If the mind has been busy,
Just taking this moment now to notice the thinking.
To be kind and as best you can non-judging.
Just noticing the thinking.
And then inviting the mind back to where you intended to be just for now.
And scanning the body.
Loving the parts of the body that may feel tight or tense or unloved.
And allowing those parts in particular to have some softness and some space and some ease.
So feet relax.
Lower legs,
Knees,
Upper legs relax.
Buttocks relax.
Back relax.
Shoulders relax.
Upper arms,
Lower arms,
Hands relax.
Front of the neck,
Back of the neck,
Relax.
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Relax.
Forehead,
Relax.
Eyes,
Relax.
Nose,
Ears,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Chin,
Relax.
Whole face,
Relax.
Chest,
Heart space,
Relax.
Belly,
Pelvic girdle,
Relax.
So that the whole body might have a more ease and a little space right now.
Letting the body settle and sink and be and be loved.
And as the body settles,
Noticing that the breath too has been settling.
So that the breath might be quieter,
Gentler.
And tuning in then to just that rhythm of the breath as it is exactly right now.
Maybe noticing the breath now in the belly.
Just that slight rise of the belly on the in-breath.
And the gentle falling back of the belly on the out-breath.
So resting in a way,
In awareness of this breathing body.
This body that we intentionally infuse with love and compassion right now.
And in the final few moments of this practice,
Just noticing what your body might wish for.
What might be your intention?
What do I most need right now?
Just letting those words drop.
Maybe some word or phrase emerges as a response.
Or maybe nothing does.
And in a way that doesn't matter.
Just letting the question drop.
What do I most need right now?
Dropping like a pebble into the pond.
As you tune in to the breath in the belly.
Becoming aware now of the body.
And maybe the points of contact between the body and whatever is supporting you.
Since you're noticing those points of pressure.
Becoming aware of any sensations.
Sensations of touch,
Contact,
Of warmth,
Moisture,
Or coolness.
Or maybe no sensations at all.
And then when you're ready.
With great kindness,
Deliberateness.
And probably a little more slowness than you're inclined to.
Just allowing the eyes to open.
Or the gaze to rise.
And just noticing the space that you're in.
Nice and gently.
