Welcome to this meditation.
In this session we're going to soften your body,
We are going to soften your thoughts,
Your feelings.
Soften the room.
Around you,
The environment of life,
So that you can move towards sleep.
Towards deep rest,
Towards healing.
Without pressure.
And without placing emphasis upon perfection.
Turn up as you are right now.
You are so very welcome here exactly as you are right now.
If you are listening to this,
I'm guessing your mind has been busy.
Especially at night.
Maybe you are replaying certain moments.
Maybe you are replaying the day.
Perhaps worrying about tomorrow.
Or possibly just feeling a little bit too awake.
Inside your mind.
Right now,
Let's focus on this present moment.
And turning up.
Showing up.
As you are right now.
You don't have to fix anything.
You don't have to be perfect tonight.
You don't have to have the resolutions.
This meditation is not about fixing it.
This practice is about.
Being okay.
We are going to practice softening.
If you can lie down or be seated in a place which suits you,
And when you are ready,
We will make a start.
Sit down or lie down comfortably.
Allow your body to be supported.
Allow your body to simply exist.
In the position it is.
Right now.
It's okay.
Take a moment to notice where you are.
Perhaps you'd like to say to yourself,
I am here.
I have arrived at this moment.
I give myself permission to rest.
I am here.
I have arrived at this moment.
I give myself permission to rest.
Softening the body.
Let's start with your physical body.
Bring your attention to your jaw gently.
Gently to your jaw.
Notice if you're clenching.
Notice if you're clenching without realizing.
And bring softness.
Notice your breath.
If you can,
If you choose to do so,
Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
The way you breathe is up to you.
Each time we meditate,
It's going to be different.
Ideally breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
However,
There will be times.
When it is preferable that you breathe.
As you breathe.
It's okay.
You to you.
Breathe.
If you are breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth,
Gently softly when you are ready.
Lengthen the exhale.
Lengthen.
The exhale.
At a pace.
That suits you.
Soften your jaw.
On the out-breath,
Soften your jaw.
Allow your tongue to rest.
Now move your awareness to your shoulders.
Each shoulder.
Consider one shoulder at a time.
We can carry.
Our day prior moments in our shoulders.
Invite rest to each shoulder.
One.
At a time.
Consider the different areas of each shoulder.
There is a front.
Of the shoulder and middle.
The back to each shoulder.
As you breathe out,
Imagine your shoulders dropping.
So there is separation between your shoulders.
And the base of each ear.
There is length.
It's almost as if you have put something down that you have been carrying for a long time.
Lengthen the area from shoulder to shoulder.
To ear.
Relax,
Release.
If you choose to do so,
You may roll your shoulders back several times,
Slowly,
With breath.
Relax release.
Let your belly soften,
Bring softness.
A gentle attitude.
To your belly.
Focus on the belly,
On the navel.
This is a time.
That we release.
There is no engaging,
There is no bracing.
We bring softness to this practice.
Bring space to this practice.
The space to be slow,
The space to open up your mind,
The space to release your body,
Your physical form.
This space to relax.
If it helps,
Quietly say to yourself silently,
Within your mind I don't have to hold myself together right now.
I am permitted to rest.
Consider these words and relax.
Notice your hands.
Are they relaxed?
Or are they engaged,
Possibly gripping?
Possibly kill.
Notice each hand one at a time.
Relax,
Release.
Loosen your fingers,
Each finger.
On each hand.
Let your palms be soft and open.
Resting.
Resting.
Resting.
Relax your toes.
Each toe on each foot.
Soften your eyes,
Each eye,
The area around.
Each other.
Let your forehead smooth just a little.
You do not need to be perfectly relaxed.
Just a little bit.
More.
Just bring a little bit of softness gently.
Gently.
A little bit of softness.
Is enough.
It is enough.
If you wish to do so,
Say to yourself silently within your mind.
I am enough.
Just as I am right now.
Repeat these words to yourself with breath.
I am enough,
Just as I am.
Right now.
Right now.
Allow your breathing to be calm.
A little slower.
A little deeper.
Without forcing it.
Allow your breath to extend.
In its own.
In some meditations,
This may be easier.
In some practices.
It may not be as easy.
That's okay.
Allow the practice.
What it is.
Right now.
Breathe.
Breath.
If you can.
A little longer.
On the exile.
Breathe out the day.
Breathe in the moment.
Breathe out.
The path.
Breathe in a sense of self.
Breathe out.
Breathe out reflections.
Breathe in hope.
Breathe out physical engagement.
Breathe in,
Relaxation.
Breathe.
Softening overthinking and anxious thoughts.
Now we're going to gently soften thought.
At night,
Thoughts can feel large.
Sometimes enormous.
Like they're right next to us.
Like they are part of us.
But our thoughts are not part of us.
It may feel that way.
But we are separate.
To our thoughts.
We are I,
The concept of I.
And the eye does the thinking.
We choose the thought.
We think the thought.
And the thought can become words.
We can choose to soften thought.
For now.
For now,
This time is about rest.
This time is not about resolution or solving.
This time is about healing.
Imagine now thoughts as clouds.
Moving across the sky.
Imagine yourself watching the clouds moving across the sky.
Now imagine the thoughts as leaves.
These leaves are floating down a slow stream.
Now take your mind back to the clouds and imagine seeing the clouds moving,
Shape shifting,
And back to the leaves floating.
On a flowing stream.
Clouds and leaves.
Clouds and leaves.
Relax your body.
As you can in this moment.
In this practice.
Clouds and leaves.
Notice that you are the witness.
You are witnessing your thoughts.
Symbolized by the clouds.
And the lace.
With ongoing practice we can separate ourselves from our thoughts.
And our feelings.
We can choose to think and feel differently.
It's a practice.
Clouds.
Leaves.
Moving clouds?
Floating.
Legs.
Notice the clouds,
Notice the leaves,
And consider.
These represent thoughts.
Thinking.
Notice how the clouds drift past.
Notice how the leaves drift past.
Thoughts can drift.
Past.
We are not one.
With our thoughts.
We think.
Our thoughts and then they drift past.
Breathe as you witness.
The clouds and the leaves.
Breathe,
Relax your body.
If you like,
You can repeat silently in your mind,
This is just a moment in my life.
Not the whole story of my life.
This is just a moment in my life,
Not the whole story of my life.
My thoughts do not represent.
My life narrative.
I can look down upon my thoughts and think differently.
Allow this concept of separation.
The separating of I from the thought.
Allow this concept to settle.
Again gently say to yourself A thought is just a thought passing through.
I don't have to follow every thought.
Notice your mind now.
Your mind may be resting.
Your mind may be holding space for healing,
Perhaps,
Or perhaps your mind is holding onto,
Attached to.
Notice your mind as you would notice the clouds or the leaves.
Be the witness.
As the witness,
Notice any possible problems your mind wants to work on.
Just notice.
You are the student of your mind.
You look at this process without attachment.
What might be coming up.
Perhaps your mind.
Might be trying to replay a conversation,
An issue,
A goal.
A plan.
Perhaps your mind wants to fix something that occurred in the past.
Perhaps your mind wants to rehearse something.
That hasn't happened yet or has happened.
Notice.
It's okay.
Imagine yourself noticing as the student of your mind.
Now instead of being the curious student of your mind,
Become the master.
Teacher.
The Master Teacher.
This master teacher is empathetic.
Is compassionate.
Is wise.
Has perspective.
Imagine this master teacher witnessing your mind.
Being the objective witness to your mind.
The master teacher.
Imagine this master teacher silently saying to your mind.
.
.
I hear you.
I understand you.
I accept you.
Right now.
In this moment.
Your role,
Your job is to rest.
Your job right now is to rest.
As you silently say these words,
Feel empathy.
Feel kindness for your mind.
Feel understanding.
Almost as if you are communicating with a friend.
There is profound understanding.
Relax your body.
As you go through this visualization,
This process,
You don't need to believe this perfectly.
You don't need to feel complete calm.
This is a journey.
Allow the journey.
Just let these words sit.
Allow these concepts.
To sit.
Beside your thoughts.
Offering another way to be.
You are not your thoughts.
We think in order to survive.
To process.
And we can think.
Ourselves into a wiser state.
Wisdom comes from being able to separate.
Ourselves.
From the process of feeling and heart.
With compassion.
Feel compassion for your mind.
Everything is okay.
Whatever comes up,
Right now,
It's okay.
Take your mind back now to the clouds and the leaves.
Clouds floating.
Clouds high in the sky,
Leaves floating.
Now consider waves on the shore.
Waves on the shore.
They rise up,
They cool?
They fall back.
Imagine waves.
You are the shore.
Your thoughts are the waves.
They come and go.
They come and go.
Waves.
You are the shore.
Softening the room and inviting rest.
Now let's gently soften the space around you.
Notice.
Is there one small thing you can do right now?
To make this moment a little bit kinder.
Kinder.
Kindness.
Perhaps notice your pillow.
The softness of your pillow.
Or if you are seated,
The surface beneath you.
Perhaps notice the cool air.
Or how relaxed your shoulders are right now.
Or the gentle inhale and exhale.
There is kindness here.
Let the space around you hold you.
Let the surface beneath you support you.
Feel that sound.
Soften your mind.
There is no need to be alert.
There is no need for your body to be engaged.
Relax,
Release.
Perhaps say to yourself silently,
It's okay.
I'm here with you.
You don't have to be calm.
You don't have to be anything at all.
I am here.
I am here.
You are one with your mind,
You are one with your body.
Let your breath move in its own rhythm now.
Soft and easy.
Soft and easy.
Offer yourself the option of softness.
Teach your body that it's safe enough to slow down.
That it's okay to relax.
Even if prior moments were not so peaceful,
It's time to rest now.
Breathe.
Several rounds of breath.
Saying to your mind,
Saying to your body,
It's okay,
I'm here with you.
It's okay I am here with you.
It is okay,
I am here.
I am here.
With you.
If your mind still wanders,
It's okay.
That's alright.
Quiet space for sleep For the next period of time,
I'm going to say less.
We are going to create the space to drift.
Too flat.
You be.
I'd like you to choose one simple sentence.
To hold onto.
To carry.
To nurture.
As you rest.
I will make some suggestions.
Select one.
And softly,
Gently internalize this sentence.
And say it to yourself silently.
This is just a moment.
This is just a moment in my life now.
I am allowed to soften.
I am allowed to soften now.
My role is to walk gently.
Through the journey of my life.
You can also create a sentence for yourself.
Take that phrase.
That sentence.
Repeat so gently.
Repeat so gently in the background.
Of your mind.
Almost like a soft ball.
Lullaby.
Or perhaps repeat.
Like a flowing river.
Stream.
Allow the rhythm.
Repeat repose and breathe.
Soften.
Move gently.
Allow your mind to move.
I'm going to say less now.
You You are allowed to rest.
Soften your jaw.
Gentle shoulders.
Relaxed back wide legs.
Soft feet and hands.
Notice where you are right now.
You are okay.
You are okay just as you are right now.
Some nights,
Some times,
May be harder than others.
You are still worthy.
Who are still worthy of rest.
You are still worthy of rest.
Kindness.
Patience.
Relax.
Release.
Fingers.
House.
Chest.
.
.
.
Top of the head.
Arms.
Legs.
Move gently.
Accepting this moment just as it is.
There are no peaceful moments,
There is only the peace we bring.
To each moment.
Drift.
Relax.
Release.
Fingers.
Tose.
Chest.
Top of the head.
Arms.
Legs.
Move gently.
Accepting this moment just as it is.
There are no peaceful moments,
There is only the peace we bring.
Each moment.
