In our modern lives that we live,
We tend to spend so much time up in our heads,
Busy and stressed,
With tension in the body,
And no real space to really let go and be,
To rest within and enjoy the natural space that's within us,
To allow ourselves that one space of calm in our day.
This practice will guide you into your body,
Into the present moment,
Allowing you to slow down,
Ground and rest.
You may find that it can be challenging to really let go and rest in this space,
But as you practice more you will find yourself much more naturally letting go.
It's important to hold yourself and your experience with love and compassion and just let it be as it is in this moment,
No judgments,
No worries,
No expectations.
I will give you some guidance and then I'll leave spaces where I don't talk,
So that you can really let go into your own space and notice what is happening there for you.
To find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit,
You're welcome to lie down if you need to.
It's beneficial to have your back nice and tall and straight,
But there's no need to hold yourself tight or rigid.
It's really much better for your body to feel relaxed and supported.
You can close your eyes and take a few moments to begin to arrive.
Allowing yourself to let go of anything you're planning or worrying about and gradually arrive in the room that you're in right now.
Arriving in your body,
In the present moment.
To help you to begin to gradually settle,
You can become aware of your breath,
But your breath within your body,
Bringing your awareness down away from the head and into the quality of the body.
Notice the feelings and sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils and your throat as you breathe.
Notice the feelings and sensations of your lungs,
Ribs and abdomen,
Rising and falling with each in-breath and each out-breath.
Not worrying about what you're supposed to be doing or noticing,
Just allowing yourself to be inquisitive and give whatever you notice space to be there.
Notice the soothing rhythm of your breath coming in and going out and how your body rocks and moves as you breathe.
And pay particular attention now to your out-breath,
A relaxing and settling breath.
And if you want to,
You can extend the out-breath out a little,
Not too much,
Just what's comfortable for you.
And really follow the whole length of the out-breath,
Feeling your body relax more.
And more and more as you do that.
At the bottom of the out-breath,
You could allow your awareness to almost gently stick to the ground or melt into the ground,
Just for a moment before you come up again into the in-breath,
Gradually resting and settling.
Take your awareness down to the ground below you or the chair or bed,
Noticing the feelings and sensations of what's below you,
Noticing where your body meets that ground,
And notice how it gently holds you and supports you as you relax,
Allowing you to really let your whole body deeply relax down into that ground,
Allowing your mind to slow down,
Your energy to calm,
And your body to rest.
And relax.
If you become distracted again,
That's fine.
See if you can let go of the thoughts for now,
And gently bring your awareness back to your breath,
And back into feelings and sensations in your body as you breathe,
Feeling your body relax back down into the ground as you do that,
Noticing the quality of the ground below you again,
Supported by your breath.
Bring your awareness up into your legs,
Noticing the feelings and sensations in your legs.
Maybe you feel the weight of your legs on the ground.
Bring your awareness up into the trunk of your body,
And notice any feelings and sensations there,
Or maybe even emotions arising and moving through,
Noticing with a sense of bare awareness,
Noticing what's there,
Allowing its space to be there,
Without judgments or pushing away,
Or getting entangled in the stories around it.
And let your awareness expand out to the rest of your body,
Out to your arms,
Up to your neck and head,
Until you're aware of feelings and sensations within your whole body,
Letting your awareness expand out further from your body,
Connecting you with that sense of space and unity with the world around you,
Still being present in your body and not getting sucked out into whatever's around you,
Allowing your body to deeply rest and letting yourself find peace and calm in the space within your body.
As you rest there,
It can be as if your whole body is breathing.
With the in-breath,
There's a sense of gathering,
And with the out-breath,
There's a sense of letting go,
Of dropping,
And resting into the ground,
Allowing everything to just be as it is,
Moment to moment,
Welcoming whatever is there for you with a sense of love and compassion,
Resting in space,
Resting in calm,
Notice if you feel any tension or lifting up in your body anywhere,
And gently allow that to soften and relax again.
And if you become distracted,
You can take a deep breath in through your nose,
And as if you're breathing out through a fine straw,
Breathe a long,
Slow breath out through the mouth.
Feeling your body relax back down into the ground,
Letting the distraction go,
Feeling yourself rest back down into the space of calm,
Allowing yourself to enjoy it and appreciate it.
To bring this meditation to an end,
Bring a sense of love to your heart.
Really feel that love and let it radiate out into your body,
Almost like it wants to bring a smile to your face.
And now go out into your day and share this love and calm with those around you.
