And we're going to take just a couple of deeper breaths together.
And I'm going to invite you to clear out a little space with this breath.
So we're going to give it a bit of a shh like this,
But through the nose.
So we're going to inhale through the nose and then.
So you're exhaling through the nose,
But you're giving a little shh kind of thing as if you could clear out some space with that breath.
And a couple more of those just at your own pace.
And letting your breath be easy and natural.
Relaxing through your eyes and your forehead.
And softening all through the scalp.
Feeling a releasing sensation,
Maybe like water being poured over your head.
Relax your throat and your neck.
And your shoulders and all through your side body.
Allow your heart space to melt,
Soften.
For your breathing to expand into that space.
Let your breath expand into your back.
Your ribs.
And all the way down into your belly.
Just for a moment,
Take a big inhale and draw your belly in and squeeze.
Tightening your abdominal muscles and holding that belly in.
Hold your breath in.
And then exhale.
One more time,
Pulling your belly in and holding it.
Sort of sucking that belly in and pulling the breath up.
And exhale,
Release.
Allowing the contrast to help us more fully let go.
Heavy arms and heavy hands resting in your lap or on your knees.
Can you experience your body for a moment as incredibly heavy?
Feeling a denseness,
A thickness,
A weight.
The experience of gravity pulling you down.
Let your body be like a heavy weighted rock.
Now release that and allow yourself to become light as air.
A sensation of floating just above the ground where you sit.
Like someone might just scoop you up and scooch you over.
You can be spacious,
Empty.
Now envision yourself standing at the edge of a lake.
Big beautiful lake.
And off in the background you see a majestic mountain.
A wind is passing through and you notice the ripples dancing on the top of the water.
A fresh,
Crisp wind.
Not cold,
But definitely awake.
See yourself taking a blanket and wrapping it around your shoulders.
So you're nice and safe,
Secure and held.
And again the wind passes through and the waves dance on top of the water.
In an easy rocking rhythm.
You're just standing with nothing to do.
Nowhere else to go.
Simply drinking in the beauty and the energy of the space that you're in.
You notice that the leaves on the trees are starting to change.
Just appreciating their vibrancy,
Their color.
And the waves are dancing on the surface of the water.
Little glimmers of light as the sun hits the top.
Sparkling reflection.
Feel your feet on the ground at the water's edge.
And experience yourself as both heavy and rooted.
And light as a feather.
All at the same time.
You notice the color of the sky starting to change as the sun sinks just a little bit lower.
Blues and purples,
Warm oranges fill the sky.
As the light gets longer,
The wind starts to calm down.
And you notice the ripples on the surface of the water begin to slow.
They come a little bit further apart.
And again,
The light changes.
You notice the way it's hitting the trees looks a little bit different now.
The way that it's hitting the water,
The colors are changing.
And the wind is almost gone.
And the water is starting to become still.
We're going to stand here,
Grounded and rooted like the mountain in the distance.
Light as the birds flying through the sky.
And watch for a few minutes as the waves dissipate and those subtle ripples turn to pure stillness.
And as the water shrinks,
The history will become the same.
The surface of the water like glass.
And the early evening sky reflecting perfectly like a mirror.
Everything is still.
Everything is quiet.
This one single moment seems to stretch on and on for an eternity.
Right here with nowhere else to go,
Nothing else to do.
Our entire life unfolding in a single,
Generous moment.
Now the sky is starting to darken and it's time to go.
You need to take this stillness like you could reach down on the banks of the lake and pick up a rock and stick it in your pocket.
Tuck this stillness away into the depths of your pocket.
In a place where you know you can reach in at any moment and find it again.
Now we'll head back home.
I'll invite you back into this space with a few fuller,
Deeper breaths.
And expanding your awareness to the sounds in the room around you.
Perhaps softly opening your eyes.
And whenever you're ready,
Just taking a moment to make any notes or reflections that you want to about your meditation.
