Hello and welcome.
Before we begin I invite you to remember that there's no right or wrong way to experience this practice.
This is simply time for you,
In whatever way feels best.
You know your body better than anyone.
So if at any point you feel dizzy,
Short of breath or uncomfortable.
Allow yourself to pause,
Rest or sip some water if that feels supportive.
There's no need to push.
Honour what your body needs in each moment.
This meditation is here to help you ground your body,
Soothe your mind,
And settle your energy.
Begin in a seated,
Cross-legged position,
Sitting on a cushion,
If that feels good.
And if you would prefer to lie down,
That is fine too.
Lengthen through the spine,
Reaching the crown of your head gently toward the sky.
Draw the lower abdomen in slightly so the breath can expand into the ribcage.
Inhale for a count of four.
And exhale for a count of four.
Feel the lungs and ribs expand on each inhale and completely soften on each exhale.
Continue this four count breath for 10 full rounds.
And if you lose count,
That's completely fine.
Simply begin again with kindness.
Breathing in 1,
2,
3,
4 and out 1,
2,
3,
4.
This is one round and continue this for 10 rounds.
Our next practice is a four-part abdominal breath work.
You may remain seated or lie down if that's more comfortable.
Each part of this breath begins with a count of four.
Closing your eyes.
Inhaling for four,
And filling the belly and expanding it with air.
Hold for four,
Feeling the breath circulate through the body.
And exhale for four,
Emptying completely.
And hold for four,
Relaxing any remaining tension.
And this is one round.
Complete three rounds.
Using this 4 count And if it feels comfortable,
Extend to a five.
So inhaling for five,
Holding for five,
Exhaling for five,
And holding for five.
And if that still feels good after a few rounds,
You can move to a sixth count.
Remember,
This breath is meant to relieve tension.
Do not push or strain.
Let the breath support you rather than challenge you.
Let's begin.
Breathing in.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Out.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold.
One,
Two,
Three four in one two three four and hold one two three four One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
One more.
In.
Home.
Home.
Allow the mind and body to soften.
And your breathing to find its own rhythm.
Taking some time now to practice on your own.
The next simple practice.
Is a counting meditation which steadies the mind and builds focus.
And if you haven't already and you'd like to close your eyes and allow the breath to be completely natural.
Count silently with your breath.
Inhale,
One.
Exhale two.
Inhale count three,
Exhale count four.
Inhale,
Count five.
Exhale count six Inhale,
Count seven.
Exhale,
Count eight.
Then begin again at one.
Continue this for five minutes.
And if you lose your place,
Gently return to one without judgement.
When you feel complete.
Notice any sense of peace or clarity.
Bring your awareness to your body.
Feel the weight of your physical form settling into the earth.
Softly repeat,
I feel the earth below me.
Connect.
To the earth below me.
I am the earth below you.
Repeat as many times as feels grounding.
I feel the earth below me.
I connect to the Earth below me.
I am the earth below me.
Now shift your awareness to the top.
Of your head.
Imagine a warm,
Soft wave of attention moving downward.
Relax the forehead,
The brows,
The temples.
Soften around the eyes.
The sockets.
The eyelids.
Maybe squeeze the eyes gently for a moment and release,
Letting them relax even more.
And clench the jaw.
Let the tongue rest softly in the mouth.
Soften the entire neck.
Letting the voice rest.
Let the shoulders drop away from the ears,
Heavy and loose.
Let awareness flow down the arms.
Into the hand.
All the way to the fingertips,
Noticing your thumbs,
Index fingers,
Middle fingers,
Ring fingers and pinky fingers.
Just allowing the heaviness of the arms to feel supported by the ground beneath you.
And noticing the back of your body.
Where it makes contact with the ground beneath you.
Allow yourself to surrender into this moment.
And follow your awareness down your spine,
Allowing it to soften.
Bring awareness to the chest.
Feeling it rise and fall.
And then to the stomach.
The centre of feeling,
Holding,
Emotion.
See if the stomach can soften.
Even by 1%.
Just knowing every exhale softens your body a little more.
Just breathing in.
And breathing out.
Feel the head.
Sinking into the support beneath you.
Let the legs be heavy.
Running your awareness down your right leg.
And running your awareness down your left leg.
Let your legs feel heavy and soften a little more.
Let the feet relax.
Let your toes soften.
Noticing the space between your toes.
.
.
.
.
.
Holding your whole body in your awareness from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest.
The stillness in your hips sinking into the ground,
The support beneath you.
Unclenching those hands.
Relaxing your shoulders,
Softening your jaw.
Relaxing your eyebrows.
And the space between your brows.
Allowing your whole body to feel heavy here.
The only thing moving is your breath.
Moving through you.
Just noticing Noticing the temperatures.
Noticing if you're feeling heavy or light.
Just breathing in to any areas of tension.
Giving it permission to release.
Just for now,
You may put down what you've been carrying.
And just breathe.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4.
Breathe out 2,
3,
4.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Let it go.
I radiate positivity.
I am protected.
I am connected.
I am balanced in my communication.
I am.
I radiate positivity.
I.
I'm protected.
I am connected.
I am balanced in my communication.
Begin returning your awareness to your breath.
No need to change anything.
Just observe.
Feel the rise.
And the full.
If you like,
Breathe in for 4.
.
.
And out for 4.
In a gentle rhythm.
Keeping the eyes closed,
Breathing in 2,
3,
4,
Out 2,
3,
4.
Just bringing awareness back to the breath.
Back to your body.
Just keeping your eyes closed,
Wiggle the fingers and toes.
Feeling the body supported.
.
.
.
.
.
Notice any sensations of calm.
Softness or clarity,
However subtle.
And bring your attention back to the room while still holding the quiet you've created.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and a long breath out.
Softly saying once more.
I feel the earth below me.
I connect to the earth below me.
I am the earth below me.
I feel the earth below me.
I connect to the earth below me.
I am the earth below me.
And when you're ready.
Gently open your eyes.
Just looking around the room and taking in the colours of the walls.
Notice objects,
Their colours,
Shapes and textures without labelling them,
Just simply observing.
Scanning your space until you've seen everything in your environment.
Take three deep breaths,
Feeling grounded in your body.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking this time,
For choosing to pause,
Even in the midst of everything you hold,
Just thank yourself.
And thank you for being here.
