If you're comfortable,
I invite you to stand for this practice.
Standing allows you to feel into your body more fully.
Sitting is just fine,
So is laying down.
Keeping your eyes open,
Gaze soft,
Or if you're more comfortable,
Going inward and closing your eyes.
Let's center.
Let's connect to our whole being,
Body,
Mind,
Soul.
Connecting to the vast web of life that surrounds and moves through us.
I invite you to drop into your body,
Dropping into your sensations.
What do you notice in the world of your five senses right now?
Are there sounds,
Aromas,
Perhaps a taste in your mouth,
A sensation against your skin?
What do you notice in your mental activities right now?
What's the weather pattern of your mind right now?
Is it raining,
Foggy,
Partly cloudy,
Sunny and clear?
What do you notice in the interior of your body?
What sensations are here?
Is there any place in your body that feels particularly active or still?
Where might you be experiencing a change in temperature?
Where do you feel tension?
Can you let it go?
Can you soften?
Does it change?
And what emotion is here right now,
And how do you know that emotion is present right now?
What is happening in your body to let you know?
How does your body reflect that for you?
Whatever is here,
Whatever you notice,
I invite you to say yes to it.
No need to change it,
No need to resist.
We center to become present,
Open,
Connected,
And on purpose.
We will center in four dimensions.
The first is our length.
I invite you to center in your length,
Feeling,
Sensing,
Imagining your body both straightening and settling.
Straightening from the base of your spine,
All the way up your vertebrae,
All the way up into your crown and beyond.
Stretching toward father sky above.
And at the same time,
Settling,
Allowing gravity to settle and relax you,
Allowing your skeleton to support you,
Relaxing all the way down to your feet.
Allowing mother earth to hold you.
When you center in your length,
You center in your dignity,
And in the dignity of all living beings.
I invite you now to center in your width,
Feeling,
Sensing,
Or imagining the left and the right sides of your body unfurling,
Expanding.
Feeling the envelope of your body,
Ear to ear,
Shoulder to shoulder,
Hip to hip.
Feeling your width and filling out from the inside.
Now taking a moment to extend out into the space beyond you,
Sensing for other living things,
Perhaps a tree outside your window,
A family member in another room.
When you center in your width,
You center in your belonging,
Connecting to the broader living world,
You have access to centered boundaries,
Choosing what you allow in,
Choosing what you give out.
Taking a moment,
I invite you to center in your depth,
Noticing your back body,
The back of your head,
The backs of your legs,
Your heels,
Feeling,
Sensing,
Or imagining the space beyond you,
Behind you.
What is at your back?
Your lived experiences,
Your wounds,
Your successes,
The wisdom you have earned over this lifetime.
And who is at your back?
Your family tree,
Your ancestors,
And over 350 million years of evolutionary wisdom is at your back.
And who has had your back?
Now coming through your back and resting on the inside of your body for a moment,
Appreciating your heart,
Your lungs,
The blood that's moving in your veins,
All of the systems of your body.
Coming to the front side of your body,
Perhaps noticing your nose,
Your lips,
Your kneecaps,
Centering in your depth is centering front and back,
Past and future,
Resting in this moment,
Resting in the now,
You're here right now.
Centering in our last dimension of purpose,
I invite you to place one hand on your heart,
This is your center of emotion,
I invite you to take your other hand,
Placing it on your lower belly,
Thumb near your belly button,
Hand resting below it,
This is your center of action and intuition.
As you rest in this space of presence,
I invite you to allow the answers to the following questions to fill out your entire body,
Your entire nervous system.
What called you to this practice today?
What wants to grow and emerge in your life?
And why is this important?
Why is this meaningful to you?
What is the quality of being that will nurture this growth and emergence?
Can you give it a name?
Can you sense into this quality now?
Can you locate it in your body?
And I invite you to notice what else is emerging for you right now in this spacious and relaxed presence.
Allow all of your answers to fill out your centers.
Allow this energy,
Your intention to shape and inform your entire being.
And I invite you to release it all,
Releasing it to the universe,
To the mystery of life.
And perhaps now consider,
Where are you now compared to when we started just a few moments ago?
What is possible for you from this place,
From this presence?
Thank you for taking time to center and explore with me.
And when you're ready,
Perhaps take a deep breath,
Feeling the movement of your body and perhaps a slight smile.
Thank you for joining me.
