Give yourself the gift of arriving here.
Now.
Notice what's around you.
You can turn your head,
Notice the ceiling,
The walls.
Your body sitting in the seat.
Let yourself settle in.
Bring some movement in if you need.
To get comfortable.
Rest your feet on the floor.
Move your neck or your head.
Just giving yourself the gift of being right here.
Wherever you have just come from is finished.
And you have nowhere to be.
Nothing to do for the next little while.
Just sit here and give yourself the gift of presence.
Shift your attention to your breath.
There's no specific way to do this.
You can notice the breath going in through your nose and out through your mouth.
You can notice the rise and fall of your chest or belly.
You can notice the sensation of the air as it passes through your nostrils.
And if you like,
You can take a deep breath in through your nose.
And out through your mouth.
As we move through this meditation,
If you get distracted.
You can always return to your breath as an anchor.
Another anchor can simply be noticing your back against the seat.
The groundedness of sitting.
Or feeling your feet on the floor.
You can also return to the sound of my voice or use other anchors you've used in the past.
Distractions are perfectly normal,
And noticing that you've been distracted is actually part of the practice.
If you start noticing feelings of overwhelm,
Of anxiety,
Of agitation in your body,
That's okay.
You can always open your eyes at any time and continue practicing.
You can return to an anchor.
You can stand up,
And you can even stop,
And that is okay too.
I invite you to shift your attention to the top of your head.
To your scalp.
See if you can notice any sensation on your scalp,
Such as tingling or tightness.
The sensations of coolness or temperature.
Or even if you get the sense you're holding something there.
See?
If you can relax it just a little bit.
Let go just a little bit.
Shifting your attention to your forehead.
Notice again if there are any sensations here of temperature,
Warmth,
Coolness.
Tingling any furring of the brow.
And even if you don't notice anything,
That's okay.
You can even notice if there is a feeling of neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
We can also call that neutral.
Regardless of what is present,
See if you can soften your brow.
And relax it even just a little bit.
As you notice different sensations while we move through the body.
You don't need to think about why they are there.
Or get caught in story.
You can just simply notice that they are there.
Shift your attention now to your eyes.
Notice if they feel heavy or light.
If there is any tension around them or behind them.
Notice the sensation of your eyelids resting.
You don't need to do anything with what you find there.
Just notice.
And see if you can soften around your eyes,
Even just a little bit.
Moving your attention to your cheeks and jaw.
We hold so much in our face.
Notice if there is any tightness here,
Any clenching,
Any holding.
Any pain,
Any pressure.
See if you can let your mouth part just slightly.
Your lips opening just a fraction.
Even letting your jaw soften,
Hinging open slightly.
Just a little bit.
Now bring your attention to your neck and throat.
Just noticing what's present.
If there's any tightness,
Any warmth.
Any sensations that are pleasant or unpleasant.
Or nothing at all.
Whatever is present is fine.
See if you can soften just a little bit around your throat.
Swallow if that feels supportive.
Shifting now to your shoulders.
Notice where they are.
Are they kind of hunched over?
Are they raised up to your ears?
Are they at rest?
Notice any sensation of weight,
Tension,
Or tightness.
See if you can let them drop just slightly.
You can even raise them up towards your ears and then let them back down.
Releasing just a little of whatever you may be holding in your shoulders.
You don't have to let it all go.
And maybe just a little.
Moving down your arms.
Through your upper arms,
Your biceps,
Your triceps.
Your elbows,
Your forearms.
Noticing any sensations as your attention passes through.
Is there any soreness?
Any heaviness?
Any sensations of your clothing against your arms.
Any coolness from the air conditioning or warmth from the heat.
Any tingling?
Just noticing what is there all the way down.
But not needing to investigate cause.
And again,
If you find yourself getting caught in story or thinking about why something feels a certain way,
That's okay.
Just bring your attention back to what we're doing,
To the sound of my voice,
To your breath.
We just begin again.
Now,
Arrive at your hands.
We hold so much in our hands.
But notice them resting now.
The weight of them.
Any warmth?
Or coolness,
Temperature changes,
Any tingling in your fingers or palms.
See if you can soften your grip.
Uncurl your fingers just a little.
And let your hands fall out to the side.
Bring your attention now to your chest.
Notice the rise and fall of your breath.
Notice if there is any tightness,
Any heaviness.
Any sensation of constriction or openness.
Any feeling of expansion.
Just a neutral feeling,
Neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
Whatever is here,
Just notice it.
You don't need to change it or explain it.
Just see if you can soften just a little around your heart.
Around your chest,
Just a little release.
And maybe even breathe in deeply.
And exhale again.
Focusing on your chest.
If you are noticing any agitation or overwhelming emotions,
That's okay.
You can simply pause this meditation.
You can open your eyes.
You can shift to an anchor,
Stand up,
Or take a break.
Be kind to yourself.
This is not something to force yourself through.
Or make yourself do.
This is a gift.
And however you are able to accept that gift.
Is what matters.
Moving your attention down to your upper belly,
Your stomach.
Notice any sensations here,
Tightness,
Emptiness,
A feeling of fullness or warmth,
Maybe some butterflies.
This is where we often feel our emotions first,
Before we even have words for them.
Just notice what's here.
And shifting to your lower belly,
Your abdomen.
Notice any holding here,
Any tightness or release.
If it feels supportive,
You can place your hands on your belly.
Noticing as it expands on the in-breath and contracts on the out-breath.
Now bring your attention to your back.
Your upper back,
Between your shoulder blades.
Notice any tension,
Any aching,
Tightness.
Sensation of weight.
Whatever is present is fine.
You don't have to fix it or figure it out.
Just notice what's here.
And see if you can soften just a little bit around your upper back.
Letting your seat support you.
Dropping those shoulder blades down a bit.
Now moving down to your mid and lower back.
Notice any sensations here.
Tightness,
Tension,
Aching,
Warmth.
Softness,
Or perhaps nothing at all.
Let the chair,
The floor,
Whatever is beneath you hold you.
Support you.
See if you can release just a little into that support.
If you are in a chair,
See if you can try to melt into it.
Filling in the crevices with your back.
And into your seat.
Like how a cat melts.
Onto the floor in the summer.
Now shifting your attention to your hips and pelvis.
This is a place that holds a great deal.
The body's center of gravity.
And often a place where we store stress and tension without realizing it.
Just notice what's here.
Any tightness?
Any heaviness?
Any temperature,
Sensations of your clothes against your skin.
If they're feelings of pleasantness,
Unpleasantness.
Or no sensation at all.
And see if you can soften,
Let go.
Just a little.
And let your hips rest.
Moving down to your thighs.
Your quads,
Your hamstrings.
Notice the weight of them resting.
The sensation of this deep beneath him.
Sensations of clothing.
Of temperature.
Any tightness or soreness or tingling.
Just notice.
See if you can just let them be heavy fully supported.
Not needing to hold anything up.
See if you can let your thighs fall out to the side.
And then shifting to your knees.
Noticing any sensations that are here.
Temperature.
Achiness.
Soreness.
Coolness.
Or no sensation at all.
Just notice.
And then moving into your calves.
What's present?
Do they feel good?
Strong.
Tight.
Strange.
Cool or hot.
Just noticing.
And then arriving at your feet.
We forget how much our feet do for us,
All the weight they hold.
Notice the sensation of the floor beneath them.
The weight of your feet.
Any tingling or warmth in your soles,
In your toes.
Any tightness or soreness.
See if you can feel grounded here.
Feet on the floor.
Body in the seat.
Fully supported.
Can you let your feet fall out to the side just a little?
Let anything that may be held in your feet soften.
Even just a little bit.
And now take a moment to let your attention encompass your whole body.
From the top of your head to the soles of your feet.
Just notice yourself here.
Present.
Breathing.
Not needing to be anywhere else.
Not needing to do anything.
Just be here.
If there is anywhere in your body that is calling for a little more attention,
A little more softness,
You can bring your attention there.
Breathe into it gently.
And soften a little more.
And then take a breath in.
And as you breathe out,
See if you can offer your whole body just a little more ease.
Give it a little more rest.
And maybe offer gratitude for all it does for you every day.
As you return to your day,
Be gentle with yourself.
If anything arose during this practice,
Emotions,
Memories,
Sensations,
That's okay.
You can return to your anchors at any time.
Even after this meditation ends.
Your breath is always available to you.
The ground beneath your feet is always there.
And when you are ready.
Begin to bring some gentle movement back in.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Take a deeper breath.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes and return to the space around you.
Thank you for giving yourself this gift of presence and kind attention.
