In this practice I will guide you gently into your inner world so that you can get to know what lives there and what is happening for you moment to moment.
I will give you some guidance and then I'll leave a space of silence for you to rest in your awareness and notice how it is for you.
So take a little time to find a position where you can really relax.
It's good to sit up tall but don't be too rigid.
Allow a sense of movement in your body.
You can be sitting on a meditation cushion,
In a chair or lying down.
The most important thing is that you're comfortable and that your body can relax.
Let's start by doing three nice deep slow breaths together to slow your energy and relax the body.
Breathe a nice full breath in through the nose,
Hold for a second and then breathe out slowly through the mouth,
Feeling your body relax as you breathe out.
For a second breath in through the nose,
Hold for a second and then slowly out through the mouth,
Relaxing and settling.
One more time in through the nose,
Hold and then out slowly through the mouth,
Feeling yourself deeply relax.
And now just breathe naturally and really take an interest in its quality within the body.
Become aware of the sensations of the breath coming in and out of the nostrils and throat or the rising and falling of the chest,
Abdomen or ribs,
Allowing your body to gradually settle and your mind calm.
Shift your awareness slightly now to the out-breath as a resting,
Settling breath and allow yourself to follow that breath down and settle into your body.
If you find yourself drifting off in thought,
It's okay.
As you notice you've wandered off,
See if you can leave it as it is and gently come back to the sensations and feelings of the breath within your body.
You may find that the mind wanders off quite a lot.
This is completely natural so don't worry.
Thoughts will always be there,
It's part of being a human and we need them to cope in the world.
What's more beneficial is to just leave the thoughts to be as they are,
Not really engage but also not push them away and rather put your awareness into the body.
And actually this will naturally free up the mind and disentangle you from the thoughts.
With the in-breath there can be a sense of filling like the whole body is breathing and with each out-breath really allow a sense of releasing and relaxing and opening.
As you do that,
Notice if you're holding any tension anywhere in the body,
Maybe in the neck or the shoulders or the face and with each out-breath allow that tension to soften and relax.
Now take part of your awareness down to the ground,
The sensations of the weight of your body on the cushion,
The sensations of the connection to the earth,
The feeling of the ground supporting you and pushing up from below you.
Maybe you feel the sensations in your legs and your bottom or your pelvic floor and really let the whole body relax and deepen down into that sense of ground.
Again if you notice any tension or holding in the body,
Just allow it to soften and relax into the quality of ground.
And if you notice you're distracted,
Just leave it to be and gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
Settle back into the body and rest down into that sense of ground again.
And hold a sense of compassion for yourself.
It doesn't have to be perfect and allow yourself to enjoy it.
As you relax and breathe from that sense of ground,
Gradually bring your awareness up into the trunk of your body and open to any feelings and sensations there.
Whatever is there,
See if you can give it space to be there as it is.
Don't get caught in any stories around it or try to analyze it or stop it.
Just let them be feelings and sensations arising and moving through.
Now slowly allow your awareness to expand out to the rest of your body,
To the arms,
The neck,
The head and back down into your legs.
See if you can open to sensations and feelings within the whole body as you breathe,
Giving everything space to be just as it is.
You may notice a subtle feeling of joy or contentment,
A sort of good feeling sitting somewhere there in your body.
Might not be obvious but you might find that resting there somewhere in your being is a subtle feeling of joy,
Wanting to bubble up and expand.
If you have a sensation of this,
Just allow it to be as it is and go where it needs to go and if not,
It doesn't matter.
Just allow yourself to really relax and feel into your body.
Resting with a sense of quiet,
Present awareness.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
I'd like us to finish off by just bringing a sense of fulfillment to your heart for the meditation that you've just done,
However it's been for you.
Holding your experience with a sense of love and compassion.
If you enjoy this practice and enjoy exploring your inner world,
Please feel free to check out my other practices and dive a little deeper.
Thank you for meditating with me.
