Welcome!
Today we are going to meditate on a Sanskrit mantra of wholeness and perfection in the universe.
This mantra comes from the Isha Upanishad,
An ancient Vedic text that reveals profound wisdom that everything that exists,
Seen and unseen,
Is whole,
Complete and perfect.
To begin the practice,
Find a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Allow your eyes to gently close if that feels right for you.
Let your spine grow tall and gently relax your shoulders away from your ears and chin level with the ground.
Rest your hands on your knees or in your laps.
Soften your facial muscles,
Release any tension in the jaw and allow your tongue to rest gently behind the top teeth.
Begin by bringing your attention to your breath.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing.
There is no need to change or control the breath.
Simply notice.
Let breath be your anchor.
As you inhale,
Feel the belly rise.
As you exhale,
Feel the belly gently fall.
Belly rises on the inhale,
Belly falls on the exhale.
If your mind begins to wander,
Gently guide it back to your breath.
Become aware of your body breathing in on each inhale and become aware of your body breathing out with each exhale.
Moment by moment,
Breath by breath,
Let yourself rest in this quiet awareness.
Present breathing being.
Now I invite you to listen deeply to the sound and meaning of this ancient Shanti Mantra.
Let the vibration of the words move through you.
Feel this mantra resonate in your body.
Notice the word Purnam,
Meaning full,
Whole,
Complete.
Not lacking,
Not broken,
Not separate.
You are not incomplete,
You are not apart from the infinite,
You are a reflection of it.
I will repeat the mantra again along with the translation.
That is whole.
This is whole.
From wholeness emerges wholeness.
Even when wholeness is taken from wholeness,
Wholeness still remains.
Just as a wave rises from the ocean,
You arise from something vast and whole.
You are not separate from that source.
You are that.
Wholeness is not something you need to achieve.
It's your very true nature.
But the mind often whispers,
I need to be more.
I need to fix this.
I am not enough yet.
Let those thoughts come and go,
Like clouds in the sky.
The Purnam Mantra invites us to remember the truth underneath.
We are already whole,
Right here,
Right now,
Just as we are.
Take a few moments now in silence.
Let the mantra echo inside you.
Feel into the stillness,
The completeness that's always here.
When you feel ready,
Gently bring your awareness back to your body.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Wiggle your fingers or toes.
And if your eyes were closed,
Gently open them.
Know this.
You are whole.
You are complete.
You are enough.
Om Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Let the peace of Om Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti dissolve the last traces of inner resistance.
Namaste.
