A warm welcome to today's meditation that will help you to become more present and go forward with a renewed freedom today.
Begin by getting yourself into a comfortable position,
Sitting or lying down.
If you would like to close your eyes,
Or if you prefer to keep them open,
Then please do whatever works for you today.
Just start now with a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath in through the nose.
Hold it for just a moment at the top,
And release through the mouth.
Imagine that you are exhaling all of your worries as they drift away from you.
Again,
Breathe in slowly through the nose,
Allow the belly to fill and the chest to expand.
Hold for a moment,
And breathe out.
Allow yourself to let go of yesterday,
Allow the memory of it to dissolve right in front of you.
And as you take your next breath in,
Just allow yourself to welcome in this brand new day.
Hold your breath here,
And let go.
If you'd like to keep breathing in this way for a little while longer,
Then please continue to do so.
Or if you'd prefer,
You can allow your breath to fall back to a natural rhythm.
Notice that there really is no right or wrong today,
Simply what feels good for you.
And it's important to trust our instincts,
As they very rarely let us down.
Try to release anything that you feel might hold you back today.
These thoughts,
Concerns,
And worries are all valid,
But they are not useful for us today,
And we can let them go now.
In a moment,
I want you to slowly scan from head to toe.
And as you move along each part of your body,
Place your focus on it and notice how it feels.
It's perfectly normal to feel strong sensations,
And it's also normal to not feel very much at all.
Either way,
You're not doing anything wrong.
The important thing is to keep bringing your focus to each new area.
By gently scanning down the body,
We can help to bring ourselves further into the present moment,
Connecting to what is happening and what we are feeling right now.
And don't worry if your mind starts to wander,
This really is very normal.
If or when you notice it,
Just try to bring your attention back to your body or to my voice.
Start by bringing your focus to the forehead and just notice how it feels today.
Try not to change anything,
We are simply acknowledging,
Accepting,
And moving on.
Shift your focus down to your eyes and across your cheeks.
Notice how your eyes are resting,
Open or closed.
They might feel bright and awake,
Or perhaps heavier today and a little more tired.
Again,
There is no right or wrong,
But it's always useful to know how our body feels.
Let your attention drift to your mouth and your jaw.
How are your lips resting at the moment?
Is your mouth closed tight or slightly parted?
Bring your focus to your neck and shoulders and notice how this area feels today.
Acknowledge and accept.
Gently move your attention down along your arms,
Past your elbows and into your forearms and your wrists.
And focus on your hands now,
The palms and the fingers,
And notice how they are resting.
Let your attention drift into your chest and focus on the ribcage which circles your whole upper body and reaches all the way round to your spine.
And now,
Slowly follow the spine down,
Vertebra by vertebra,
Until you reach your lower back and let your focus rest here.
Acknowledge and accept.
Bring your focus to the belly now and notice the gentle rising and falling sensation as you breathe in and out.
And with your next breath,
Just let the focus drift to your buttocks muscles and notice how this area feels today.
Allow your attention to move slowly down both of your legs and focus on the muscles in your thighs.
Let your focus pass over your knees,
Down your shins and into the ankle joints before finally reaching your feet.
Notice how the feet and toes are resting and feel the sensation against the surface you are on.
And when you're ready,
Slowly bring your focus back to a comfortable place in your body.
This might be the forehead,
The core or your breath,
Wherever feels good for you.
Just allow yourself now to be in this moment of calm and enjoy this personal time for you.
And when you are ready,
Allow your eyes to open and take in your surroundings.
In this often overstimulating world,
It can feel as though we don't have the time to focus on the present or to focus on today because there are so many things that have happened and so many more things that are coming up.
But the truth is,
The present is the only time that we can guarantee.
The past has faded now and the future is unknown.
It's important to be aware of the future,
To think about what we might want,
Where we'd like to be and of course to be organized.
But balance is the key and we just need to be careful not to let the fear of tomorrow spoil the joys of today.
I hope that you're feeling a little more connected today,
Not only to the present but to yourself as well.
A final thought about coming into the present.
If ever you find yourself rushing around with a head full of busy thoughts and distractions,
I always find it a nice exercise to just stop for 60 seconds and simply listen to what is going on around me.
Thank you for taking this time today and I hope that wherever you are in the world,
You're looking after yourself and keeping safe.
Have a wonderful day and I'll see you next time.
