Meditation For Presence

This meditation session begins with a full body scan down the right and up the left sides of the body, then provides time for quiet presence. At times during the silence, a singing bowl is hit as a reminder to notice where the mind wanders and come back to presence. This is a great meditation to practice before sleeping.

Transcript

Hi friend. Welcome to today's guided meditation. We're going to be doing a pretty simple body scan meditation, But it'll be a little bit different than other body scan meditations where we'll start on one side of the body and scan all the way down and then scan up the other side of the body. So once I leave you in silence, There are going to be moments where I hit the singing bowl and in those moments it's just a simple reminder to come back to the present, Noticing where your mind goes and guiding yourself back. So after the body scan meditation I will leave you for a good amount of time and during that time you'll hear the sound bowl as that reminder and then at the very end I'll bring you back to close out the practice. So let's go ahead and get started in a comfortable seated position. So you want your spine straight, Your shoulders relaxed and away from the ears. And just take a moment to notice what it feels like to be you just as you are right now. Without comparison to times past or comparison to the future version of yourself or others, Just acknowledge how far you've come to bring you to this moment. And if you haven't already, Go ahead and close your eyes or soften your gaze and fully tune into your body. Notice the sensations that arise where you meet the ground. Maybe you notice any aches and pains that exist in your body. See if you can notice those without judgment or control, Just allow them to be. Maybe with your next exhale imagine some of that tension or whatever isn't serving you to be released out the mouth. And to get started maybe you want to turn the corners of your lips upwards into a soft smile, Naturally releasing endorphins in the body, Making you feel a little lighter, A little better. We're going to start on the right side of our body. So starting at the top of our head, Just notice an imagination of what it feels like to be you. Imagine tension releasing from the top right side of your head. Going down to your forehead, That right side of your forehead, Release any tension that exists there. Going down your eyebrows, Your eyelid, The right side of your nose, Your right cheek, Any tension. Imagine just releasing with your next exhale. Release tension on the right side of your lips. Your right earlobe, Your right jawline, Down your neck, To your right shoulder. With your exhale, Release tension. Release tension down your right upper arm, Down the right side of your chest, Your right ribcage. Release tension with your exhale, Your right forearm, Your right hand, Your right thumb, Your right fingers. Exhaling out that tension. Going down to your right abdomen, Your right hip. Take a moment to release tension here. Going down your right upper leg, Your right knee, Your right shin and calf. Release tension here. Going down to your right ankle, Your right foot, Your right big toe, And all the other little toes. Imagine tension releasing with your exhale. And in through your nose, Take in a very deep, Rejuvenating breath. And then release all existing tension that's still on the right side of your body with the exhale. And then begin to release tension in the left side of your body, Starting with the left little toes, Your left big toe, Your left foot, Your left ankle. With your exhale, Imagine tension releasing from these parts of your body. Going up your left calf, Your left shin, Your left knee. Release tension here. Up your left thigh and your left hip. Imagine tension releasing here. Up your left abdomen, Your left ribcage. Release tension here. Imagine tension releasing from all your fingers on the left hand, Your thumb, From your left palm, Your left forearm. Exhale, Tension here. Moving up your left upper arm, Your left shoulder. Release tension here. Your left chest, Up the left side of your neck, Your left jawline. Exhale, Tension here. Release tension from the left side of your lips, The left side of your nose, Your left cheek, Your left earlobe. And go up, Releasing tension from your left eye, Your left eyebrow, The left side of your forehead. Imagine tension releasing with the exhale here. And finally, The left side of the top of your head. Release tension here with the exhale. And then inhale a deep, Rejuvenating breath into your body. On your exhale, Release any further tension that exists in the left side of your body out into the ether. And imagine a warm glow spreading from the top of your head all the way down. Your face, Your neck, Your shoulders, The tops of your arms, Your chest, The bottom of your arms, Your hands, Your abdomen, Your hips, Your back, Your legs, Your knees, Your shins, Your calves, Your ankles, Your feet, Your toes. A warm glow has spread all down your body and you are fully relaxed and ready to sit in silence for the next few moments. Notice where your mind went throughout today's practice. Without judgment, Just acknowledging the flutterings of the mind and gently guide yourself back to the present moment. Notice once more where your body meets the ground. Maybe add a gentle wiggle to your fingers and to your toes. Maybe spin the wrists and the ankles and flutter your eyelids open when you're ready. Maybe on your next inhale, Reaching up high to the sky with your fingertips, Stretching long through your arms. Maybe praising the sun, The moon, The stars, The sky for showing up for you every single day. If you'd like to bring your hands together at heart center and bow in honor of the practice. Namaste, My friend. Thank you so much for practicing with me today. I hope you have a great rest of your day.