Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
That allows you to remain awake and at ease throughout this short meditation.
Gently close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale fully through your mouth.
Take a few of these cleansing breaths,
Letting them guide you into the present moment.
As you breathe in,
Create space for peace and quiet.
As you breathe out,
Let go of any tension in the body and in the mind.
Now allow your breath to return to its natural state and observe the gentle rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations.
Stay with your breath and choose an area of your body where you feel it the most.
This might be the expansion and contraction of your belly,
The rise and fall of your chest,
The air coming in and out of your nostrils.
Take a few moments here.
If your mind starts to wander,
Gently bring your focus back to your breath.
Now let's move into a partial body scan to help anchor you in bringing home to the present moment.
For this meditation,
We'll focus on areas of grounding like our hands and our feet.
We'll begin by bringing your awareness to your hands.
Feel your hands from the inside out.
Notice any sensations that you feel.
There might be some heat,
Some tingling.
What sensations tell you that your hands are right here?
If your hands are on your lap or your thighs,
You might also feel them in contact with these areas.
Sharpen your awareness and bring some kind attention to the different parts of your hand,
Starting with your palms,
Moving to the back of your hand,
And finally,
Feeling each of your fingers one by one from your pinky fingers to your ring fingers,
To your middle fingers,
To your index fingers,
And finally,
Your thumbs.
Slowly shift your attention now to your feet.
Experience a sense of stability here as you feel your feet firmly rooted in the ground.
Feel your feet from the inside out and notice any sensations that come up.
Again,
What sensations tell you that your feet are here?
You might feel your feet in contact with your shoes,
Your socks,
Or a surface.
There might also be some humidity,
Warmth,
Or coolness.
Be with whatever's here.
Be with whatever's here.
Now see if you can bring your attention to the different parts of your feet,
Moving from the soles of your feet to the tops of your feet,
And now to each of your toes,
Maybe moving from the outermost toes to the innermost toes.
Finally,
We'll move your awareness now to your sit bones if you're seated or your back if you're lying down.
Sense how the earth beneath you fully supports you.
Let yourself fully relax here and savor feeling safely held.
You might feel the pressure of your weight on the surface you're on.
There also might be some tingling or pulsing.
See if you can be with whatever's here.
If there is any pain or discomfort in this area,
Let curiosity and kindness guide you deeper.
Are the sensations dull or sharp?
Are they pulsing or static?
Are they concentrated or radiating to other areas?
Can I allow these sensations to be just as they are?
Stay with any sensations in this area for a few more moments.
Let the sense of heightened awareness and kind attention slowly spread throughout your entire body,
Softening and relaxing each area as much as it allows.
Soften and relax.
Soften and relax.
Soften and relax.
As we come to the end of this meditation,
Take a moment to savor the peace you have cultivated for yourself.
Know that small pockets of relaxation and calm can be found even in imperfect situations.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for joining this meditation.
Thank you for joining this meditation.
