Today,
I want to offer you a meditation just to help you settle in to the body and settle into this present moment.
So as we begin,
I'll invite you to find a posture that will support your practice.
A posture that invites you to be comfortable,
To relax as best you're able to today,
And also to stay alert.
And so maybe you're sitting or standing or lying down,
But really having the intention to check in with what's needed in the body as you settle into a posture for practice.
And if it's comfortable,
I'll invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze.
And as you begin,
You might just take a moment to recognize that you are here,
That you've stopped doing and that you're taking this time just to be just to arrive and settle into the body.
Maybe thanking yourself for being here.
Whatever you were doing before you started this meditation,
Whatever's going on for you right in this moment,
Whatever's present,
Whether that's a sense of ease,
Sleepiness,
Worry,
Sadness,
Whatever it is,
Seeing if it's possible just to allow it to be here.
Allowing yourself to be just as you are right in this moment.
As we connect with awareness,
We can see if we can just bring some gentleness to our practice so we can remember it doesn't need to be any particular way.
So you might let go of expectation and see if you can offer yourself a willingness to just be here for whatever arises.
Setting an intention to be with yourself in this moment,
Just as you are.
Letting awareness rest in the body,
Just sensing into the body,
Maybe noticing what's here.
You might notice if there are any areas of tension,
Any places where energy feels constricted in the body.
And as you notice,
You might see if you can soften around those areas of tension or invite some space around them.
If it's helpful,
You might try breathing into these tense areas,
Maybe noticing the energy in the body as you breathe in.
And seeing if there's anything that can soften or be let go of as you breathe out.
You might do this for a few rounds of breath,
Again,
Noticing the energy in the body as you inhale and continuing to soften and settle in as you exhale.
Maybe letting your attention rest with the heaviness of the body,
The felt sense of heaviness.
So here you might see if you can feel into those places where the body connects with the chair,
Cushion with the floor.
And as you feel into those points of contact,
Is it possible to let yourself be held?
So really releasing into the heaviness of the body and seeing if you can allow the body to be held by the chair,
The floor,
The cushion.
You might just take a moment or two to notice what that feels like.
Connecting with the movement of breath in the body,
Seeing if you can allow your attention to rest gently with the breath.
And just to notice what is the breath like right in this moment.
It might be shallow,
It might be long,
Ragged,
Maybe a little slow.
Just getting a sense of what's here in the body right in this moment and doing your best to allow things to be just as they are.
Anytime you notice that the mind has wandered,
You can see what it's like to gently return your attention,
Return your awareness to the felt sensation of the body sitting or to the breath or just continuing to invite the body,
The mind to settle.
And we can do this over and over again,
Beginning again.
When the mind wanders,
We can just know it's the nature of the mind to wander and we can gently return our attention to the body,
To the sensation of breath,
Allowing this moment to be just as it is.
And you might just take a moment to notice where your attention is resting,
Gently returning awareness to the felt sense of the body.
Once again,
You might see if you can connect with the sensation of the whole body sitting,
Lying down,
Standing,
Expanding awareness,
Getting a sense of whatever's here.
Maybe you reconnect with the breath.
Once again,
Noticing the energy in the body as you inhale and seeing if there's anything you can release or set down as you exhale.
And as we come to the end of the meditation,
Taking a few more moments to allow yourself to be here in whatever way you need.
So maybe that's a few deeper breaths or continuing this idea of settling in,
Softening,
Letting go.
Just taking these last few moments to check in with what's needed.
And as you feel ready,
Moving at your own pace,
I'll invite you to open your eyes if they've been closed and come back into the space you're in.
Allowing yourself to transition with as much intention as you settled into your practice.
And I thank you so much for your practice today.
