Hello and welcome to your Libra meditation.
We'll begin this meditation with alternate nostril breathing.
This breath work balances both sides of the body and creates equanimity in the mind and energy.
Find yourself in a comfortable seated position.
Have your spine upright and straight.
Feel yourself relaxed to the shoulders and neck.
Root down through your sit bones and feel yourself supported by the ground or floor beneath you.
Allow your hips to relax along with your face,
Your eyes,
And your shoulders.
Feel your core supporting you while your belly is soft.
Have both your hands resting on your legs for right now.
Palms upright in a receptive position.
For this meditation you will use your right hand and mainly you'll use your right thumb and your right ring finger.
Rest your index and middle fingers softly on your forehead between your eyebrows and then rest your thumb on your right nostril and your ring finger on your left.
You'll use these fingers to hold one nostril and then the other while breathing.
Start by inhaling through the left nostril while holding the right closed with the thumb.
Inhale for about a count of four.
Now hold your breath at the top for about a count of four.
You can hold both nostrils if this is comfortable for you or you can simply just hold your breath.
Now release the right side and exhale through the right nostril while holding the left.
Feel the air empty out.
Still holding the left,
Inhale through the right side.
Now hold the breath for about a count of four and now exhale through the left side while still holding the right closed with the thumb.
This is one full round.
We'll continue on for another three rounds.
Inhale through the left side.
Hold the breath.
Exhale through the right side,
Keeping that left side closed.
Inhale through the right side.
Hold the breath at the top.
Exhale through the left side,
Emptying out.
Inhale through the left side,
Holding the right closed.
Hold the breath at the top.
Keep the left side closed.
Exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right side.
Hold your breath.
Exhale through the left.
Let's do one more round.
Inhale through that left side.
Hold the breath.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right side.
Hold the breath.
Exhale through the left.
You can continue on for a few more rounds if you like,
If you're enjoying the breath work,
Noticing how each side feels when you breathe in and out of it.
And notice if any imbalances are coming up.
And when you feel complete,
You can release your hand.
Keep your eyes closed and just sit with yourself for a moment.
Observe the two sides of your body,
Noticing your mind,
Noticing your breath,
And noticing the relationship between balancing your breath and balancing your mind.
The second Libra meditation also revolves around the breath.
The breath is the point of balance within us.
You can perform this meditation seated or lying down.
And in this practice,
You're simply observing the breath without changing it.
You do not have to worry about breathing in for a count or out for a count.
You're simply just sitting with your breath observing what is.
And we'll practice this meditation for about five minutes.
To begin,
Simply focus your awareness at the tip of the nose,
Where you can feel your breath coming in and out.
Even if you can't feel your breath,
Keep your attention here.
Your senses will eventually sharpen with practice.
Just observe the feeling of the inhale and exhale,
As soft as it may be.
Perhaps you can feel the air entering and leaving your nostrils.
Maybe you can feel some other sensations,
Like heat or coolness,
Tingling,
Or nothing at all.
The point is just to observe and immerse your attention in the awareness of your breath.
And suspend judgment on the quality of your breath.
Just observe what is,
Without trying to control or force.
Just be with your breath.
Be with each inhale and exhale.
Let it be the only thing that's occupying your mind and awareness right now.
And if your mind wanders,
Gently bring it back to the breath with compassion.
Doing this as many times as you need to.
Just gently lead yourself back to the breath,
With patience and without judgment.
If thoughts come in and out,
Just let them go.
Not trying to fight them or suppress them.
Just simply let them float through your mind.
And keep redirecting your awareness to your breath.
Feeling the inhale and exhale.
Maybe noticing the breath entering in one nostril more than the other.
And it's okay if you don't have the awareness of your breath at this point.
Just keep your attention right at the tip of the nose.
Observing.
Focusing your awareness here.
Feeling the flow of the breath in and out.
As if this is the only part of you that exists in this moment.
Let your mind rest here for the next two minutes.
Just observe your breath in and out.
Continue keeping your focus on your breath.
We have about another minute.
And now slowly begin to open your eyes.
Allowing the light to reenter.
Notice how you feel in this moment.
And know that your breath is always there for you.
Anytime you need to center your energy or feel more balanced in your mind,
You can focus on your breath.
You can do this meditation anywhere,
At any time,
For any length of time.
We started with about five minutes today,
But feel free to work your way up to 10 or even 20 minutes of this meditation.
The longer you do it,
The clearer you'll feel and the more centered in your energy you will become.
