Welcome,
This meditation is based around the element of fire and in tough times it can be particularly helpful to tap into this element to really understand what we are holding fiery and strong at the centre of our being and what we might like to let burn up and dissipate.
Beginning into our meditation,
Take any shape,
This can be a seat,
You can press the back to a wall or a chair or you can bring yourself down onto the back,
Onto the ground,
Take the limbs wide or wrap the body somehow.
You might begin to sense into the edges of the body and notice their coolness,
The edges of the skin meeting the clothing,
The edges of the back line meeting what is beneath or behind you and the edges of the front line meeting what is in front of you.
From all of these edges now begin to draw your attention inwards through the cool surface layer and into the warmth of the body,
Drawing through the skin,
Permeating through the connective tissues and sinking through the bone to find the very centre of the body,
Find the heat.
You can spread the right hand and gently rest the right hand to the centre of the chest.
From the centre of the chest,
Slide the hand to the shoulder,
Wrap the fingers around the shoulder,
Feeling the contour of the shoulder underneath the hand and then slide the hand in towards the side of the neck,
Finding that soft part between shoulder and neck.
Perhaps you give a squeeze,
Perhaps you exhale and let the warm saliva in the mouth shift.
Slide the hand to the side of the neck,
Left side of the neck,
Fingertips behind and turn the head to look over right shoulder.
Feel the warmth of the body emanating into the hand and then perhaps begin to drag the hand across towards the right and slightly down.
As you do this you can turn the chin slowly through centre,
So you get this kind of drag in the skin,
Opposing directions.
If this felt good,
Do it again,
Hand to the side of the neck,
The chin towards the right side,
Turning the chin through centre.
As you drag the hand across to the right,
Take three more breaths.
Now slide that hand down the centre of the chest and place the hand either over the right low ribs or soften the arm to wherever feels comfortable,
Take a breath.
Spreading warmth across the left palm,
Left palm lands softly on the centre of the chest.
Sliding the hand out towards right shoulder,
Wrap the fingers around the shoulder,
Feel the gentle humidity of the skin or the warmth of the clothing.
And then slide the hand in towards the neck,
Maybe a squeeze between shoulder and neck.
Before the hand slides to the side of the neck,
Feel the skin.
Begin to drag the hand across towards the left,
Turn the chin through centre and do this two,
Three,
Four more times.
As you take your final exhale here,
Feel the humidity and the steam of the exhale in the back of the throat as the hand slides through centre of the chest and then down to the left side or the left low ribs.
Take the elbows wider,
Let the shoulders soften down.
Imagine a coin being placed cool on the centre of the forehead and then slide the attention inside the skull,
Find the brain,
Imagine the brain sliding back towards the back of the head,
The hemispheres perhaps slightly sliding apart.
Let the attention cool to the front of the lips and then as you exhale,
Slide the attention inside the mouth,
Finding the warmth and the humidity here.
Imagine a coin being placed in the centre of the chest and as you exhale,
Find the warmth inside the chest.
Find the heart and allow the heart to rest hot onto the back of the spine.
Find the cool skin of the belly and as you exhale,
Find the warmth of the organs inside the belly,
Resting against the spine and across the back of the pelvis.
Spiralling your attention into what feels like a centre or the core of the body now,
Imagine that you are holding a light or a flame at your centre.
Observe how present or how big this flame feels.
It could be the tiniest flickering candle right now or it might feel like a smouldering bonfire.
Without changing anything at all about the breath,
You could imagine the breath like bellows stoking this fire at the centre of your being.
The inhale feeding fresh air,
The exhale a warm expression of what you hold within.
Allow an intention or perhaps a powerful prayer to arise now and this could be something that you would like to bring in for yourself or perhaps it is a prayer for the world.
Imagine writing that prayer on a scrap of paper and holding that scrap of paper close to the flame in the centre of your being.
As you hold that prayer or intention to the central flame of the body,
It illuminates catches and then begins to disperse outwards through the body with the breath into the bloodstream,
Through the connective tissues,
Outwards from the pores of the skin and with the breath begins to circulate outwards into the space you're in.
Then beyond the space you're in,
Beyond that immediate sphere and just like you're sending a lantern into the sky,
Watch your prayer or your intention spread wider outwards,
Placing the hands gently to the body.
May your body be a moving prayer.
Take as long as you would like here.
I look forward to seeing you again.
I look forward to meditating with you again.
