Hello,
And welcome to today's meditation.
Today,
We'll begin by taking a deep breath in,
Feeling your stomach,
Then your chest fully expand,
And exhale through the mouth,
Allowing your belly and your chest to return to center.
Do this again on your own for another few breaths,
Tuning into your body and breathing into the parts of yourself that need a little love.
When you're ready,
If you haven't already,
You can gently close your eyes,
Placing your hands on your heart or your lap,
And simply breathe normally.
In time,
To make our body feel like home,
We often walk through life living in our minds,
Detached from or constantly critiquing our bodies,
Unappreciative of all they do for us each day.
But your body is your home.
It's the place you live for all your life,
That nourishes and supports you endlessly.
It deserves our attention,
Our love,
And our gratitude.
With that,
I want you to gently begin to move your attention to your body,
Noticing it maybe for the first time today.
Notice the parts you love,
The parts you hate,
The parts you never notice like your breath or your heartbeat that sustain you without conscious thought.
On your next breath,
Visualize yourself as a mini version of you inside your body,
Or simply imagine your body as your home.
Take a moment here to appreciate all your body,
Your home base does to keep you safe,
Comfortable,
Doing all the things you love to do so much.
Send gratitude to each and every part of your precious home.
I want you to begin to ask yourself,
What does it really mean to make your body your home?
What is home to you?
Perhaps it's a cozy nook with a fluffy blanket,
A candle,
And a good book.
Maybe it's the sun streaming in through your favorite window,
Warming and illuminating your face.
Perhaps home to you is friends or family gathered around laughing or sharing a good meal,
A clean space,
The sound of birds in your backyard,
A nice comfortable bed.
Whatever home is to you,
I want you to imagine yourself making your body a mirror of home.
You can picture yourself throwing a cozy blanket over the couches of your curves,
Offering you warmth and safety,
Taking a deep breath in as the sound of your favorite bird song comes across your chest and feel the gentle breeze on your inhale,
Expanding the space of your home.
Feel your forehead relax as the smell of your favorite food dances across your nostrils.
Feel the laughter of loved ones rain down on you like your favorite shower after a long day.
You can decorate your legs with the plants you care for so much as they trail protectively down to your knees and calves,
Wrap your feet in the feeling of warm slippers,
Or grasp beneath your toes,
And feel your whole body cradled by the books whose adventures you mark your shelves with,
The photos whose memories you adorn your walls in,
The love you infuse your home with,
Every inch cradling you in the gold sparkling light of home.
Take some time now going through each part of your body,
Decorating it and imagining it as home,
Memories that don't feel as good emotionally,
Physically,
Or spiritually.
Notice if they live in your body or your mind.
It's so easy to love the nice things about ourselves,
But quite difficult to accept the messy parts that live within all of us.
These parts too,
You can think of like your home.
You can choose to let them exist in all their messy glory,
Or know you have the power to transform any areas you'd like.
Either way,
It is up to you.
You are a unique home to decorate as you choose.
You can view your stretch marks as the most beautiful patterned wallpaper in your home.
The softness of your belly is a gentle place to rest.
You can see difficult experiences you've gone through as the history of your home,
The unique tales it has gotten to witness that have strengthened it and weathered your home.
Do you want to accept as they are,
As the unique parts that give your home the care?
There may be parts that you wish to release,
And you can do that too.
You can take out a washcloth and spray it with a magic cleaner that eases any pain,
Erasing any blocks or challenges,
And returning the area to its sparkly bright self.
You can give a little elbow grease if there's any parts that are particularly tough,
And watch as it gets brighter,
The pain disappearing further and further away,
Replaced by a sparkling golden light.
You can redecorate,
Painting over your relationship with physical ailments to create a new story.
You can toss your shame around a body part into the trash like a recipe that didn't go quite right,
And replace it with your favorite meal.
It's intoxicating scent swirling around,
Creating feelings of warmth as it heats up on the stove.
You can reset the rooms of your home that feel chaotic,
Especially those in your mind,
Fluffing the pillows and folding the blanket at the end of a long day,
So when you come downstairs tomorrow,
The living space of your body is ready again.
To make your body,
Your home,
A peaceful place to rest,
Recharge,
And reset.
And if any pieces still remain,
Remember that imperfections or quirks are part of what makes a house so beautiful.
Staying here for a few moments,
Allowing the light to dance across your body,
Your home.
Feel deeply what comes up when you see your body as your truest definition of home,
What it means to treat it with the love and reverence a home deserves.
Float in and out of the rooms of your body,
Setting the intention to appreciate it a little more every day,
And breathing through the waves of whatever comes up.
Still keeping your eyes closed,
Bring one hand to your heart and the other to your belly,
Sending love and appreciation through your hands for your body,
Your home.
As we prepare to close today,
I'd like to end with a short poem by Aaron Hansen titled,
Your Home,
Your Home.
If there's one thing that I may tell you,
Let it be you are your home.
Your body is the only house that you will truly ever own.
Maybe it's got some broken windows and there are tear stains on the floors.
Maybe you lock the things you wish you weren't behind its many doors.
But there is wisdom in its bookshelves and a laugh to light the rooms.
There's a vase upon its table where the love you've grown all blooms.
Dreams sit on the mantelpiece next to kindness and your trust.
Where you use them all so often,
They have no time to collect dust.
So please don't look at mansions with that envy in your eyes.
There's more that makes a home than its appearance or its size.
Your body is the shelter,
So you deserve to love it all.
Don't let the world stand round outside and tell you how to paint your walls.
How lucky that you have somewhere to protect you from the night.
And if there's cracks left from the past,
Well,
They just let in more light.
Please hold yourself here for as long as you need.
And whenever you're ready,
You can transport yourself back to the room you're in.
Gently your eyes,
Wiggling fingers and toes.
May your body be a beautiful home filled with gratitude,
Love and light.
Thank you for joining me today.
Namaste.
