So as you drop in to today's practice,
Simply start by allowing the eyelids to gently close,
Relaxing the back of the eyes and making any final adjustments that you need to in the physical body so that you can lean and rest into practice today.
Starting to just take a few deeper breaths than you usually would.
Expanding and illuminating the ribcage with the inhale and exhaling and deflating,
Releasing the ribcage with the exhale breath.
Simply take a few more just like that with that awareness placed here directly in the chest.
Inhale,
Expansion,
360.
Exhale,
Release towards your center.
And our centering thought for this practice,
I remember to return to myself.
I remember to return to myself and expand compassion and love toward myself.
And with that,
Just notice how those words or that intention might have gently shifted the atmosphere within you.
Maybe a warmth or a connected feeling inside starts to appear.
And we're just going to start with a short visualization before we move into some breathing together.
So dropping your awareness into the center of your chest,
The heart space,
Anahata.
Imagine a candle flame,
A flicker,
This small yet powerful glow in the center of your chest.
And then over the course of the next few breaths,
Just imagine that light,
Warmth,
Connection,
Compassion,
Starting to really integrate into your whole being.
And then as you're doing that,
You're going to start to feel a little bit of warmth,
A little bit of connection,
A little bit of warmth,
A little bit of warmth,
A little bit of connection,
Compassion,
Starting to really integrate into the cells.
I return to myself.
And with that,
Allowing each breath that draws you into this connection with self to allow you to release what has been thus far today.
Any stories,
Any projections,
Any fears,
Any doubts,
Just get placed to the side where there can be left for the practice.
Instead,
That beautiful,
Warm light is present.
And just allow that feeling,
That visualization to merge together for the next few moments.
And as we gently glide into our breathing technique today,
Try to make this entire breathing segment of our practice a love note to yourself.
For when we deep breathe and when we optimally breathe,
It's like we're sending a love note to our nervous system to tell ourselves that we're safe,
That we're supported,
That all is well.
So go ahead,
Start to deep breathe and allow the breath to travel in for a count of four or five and out for a count of five.
Keeping the breath as smooth as you can.
If there are any kinks or bumps in the breath,
See if you can just make them a little smoother.
Letting any edginess round and the breath starts to just glide in and out.
With self-compassion,
Self-awareness present.
As if each breath were pouring in just a little bit of love and appreciation towards yourself.
In for four or five and out for the same count.
Awareness is gently placed in the centre of your chest all the while as you breathe with that intention to sip in a little bit more love,
To expand compassion.
Softening the jaw,
Softening the throat,
Softening the nose,
Softening the mouth.
Softening the jaw,
Softening fingers.
Smoothing out the forehead and let it travel in,
Don't resist it.
Any blocks or resistance towards this love,
See if you can let those guards come down and really receive that.
It's okay to love yourself.
It doesn't make you egotistical,
It doesn't make you arrogant,
It makes you worthy and it means that you acknowledge that you're worthy,
That you're enough,
Exactly as you are.
So continue with that breath,
With that feeling present of deep worthiness for a few more moments together.
Making this the final round of full breath with a count of four or five.
And then gently returning to an easy natural flow of breath,
In and out through the nostrils.
From here we're going to go on a short and sweet body scan from the top of our heads.
And we're just going to place a little bit of love through our body,
Relaxation also.
So starting as I mentioned at the crown of your head,
Notice the scalp,
Notice the hair,
Notice the atmosphere above your head.
And imagine that warm loving light,
Just like a waterfall or a warm shower,
Starting to move on the top of your head.
Washing down,
Relaxing the scalp,
The skull,
The brain.
Relaxing the back of the head until it trickles down into the neck and throat.
Softening the vocal cords,
The glottis that controls the speech of our voices.
Softening the cheeks,
The eyes and the ears.
And imagining that warm golden light just getting into each cell,
Each tissue,
Each bit of muscle and brain in the head.
And just filtering out anything that is not serving you or bringing you closer to self-awareness and self-compassion.
It just filters through and out into the atmosphere,
It's not needed here.
So often in our minds we can create stories about ourselves or keep ourselves in boxes.
When truth be told,
We are limitless,
Anything is possible and we can be whoever we choose.
And from that feeling in the head and the throat and the neck,
Let that warmth and relaxation continue down into the shoulders.
That area where we often hold a lot of habitual tension.
Imagine this area like melted butter,
Just softening,
Settling,
Drooping and dripping downwards.
Relax.
And from the top of the shoulders,
Letting that wash its way down to the upper arms,
Lower arms,
Palms of the hands.
Until you feel the entire length of the arms,
Shoulders to fingers just settling and softening.
Letting that warm loving light travel through and down until it meets the palms of the hands.
And then allowing your awareness to travel back up into your chest.
Inclusive of heart,
Diaphragm,
Lungs,
Ribcage,
Upper spine and mid-spine.
And that love pours into all of the organs,
Beams through your body,
Into your space.
And releases anything that does not serve you here on earth.
And releases anything that does not serve you here on a physical,
Emotional,
Energetic scape.
And then letting that ripple and trickle down into the stomach,
The lower spine,
The hips.
And here in our hips,
This is another tender spot for unwanted tension.
So see if you can open and release and relax the hips 5% more.
That warm loving light travels through the hips,
Down into the legs,
Upper legs,
Lower legs.
And all the way into the soles of your feet.
Noticing your whole body now.
Held in warmth and love.
This warm energy.
And just take a moment of awareness and appreciation for your body.
For your vessel that you get to move in and to breathe in and to live through.
It's yours.
And you might whisper internally,
Thank you.
Thank you.
For doing everything without question for my survival.
Thank you.
And you might make a commitment to your body here.
To continue to nurture it and to take care of it.
To do what is needed.
To do what is needed to prioritize your health.
And from here we drop into some beautiful affirmations.
So feel free to either place your awareness once again in the heart space.
Or just gently resting your awareness in the breath.
You might choose to place one hand over your heart.
Feeling the chest in your palm.
Take a deep breath in if you've done so.
And as you exhale allow that warmth of compassion to spread through your chest once again.
Silently,
Internally repeating these affirmations.
And allowing space for each one to be resonant.
To echo within.
I am worthy.
I am worthy of love and respect.
I acknowledge my strength and resilience.
I am deserving of kindness and care.
Love starts with me.
I commit to loving myself more.
Exactly as I am,
I am complete.
I trust in myself.
I trust in my abilities and my talents.
And if there's any other messaging from yourself to yourself that you'd like to convey now is the time to just let them flow through.
And with all of that,
Just starting to deepen the breath once again.
If you've still got your hand placed on your chest,
Gently release it back down.
And before we come back into the room,
We're going to bring our fingertips to the crown of the head.
And you're just going to gently start to pat from the crown of the head down into the forehead.
Just like soft little droplets of water,
Of rain.
But it's love and it's warm.
And then onto the face.
Starting to tap here.
Maybe you tap into the chest.
And then just allowing that tapping to move intuitively wherever you'd like it to go.
That touch of self.
Let it be kind.
Let it be compassionate.
And when you've had your time with that,
You can gently take any other movements that feel good to reawaken.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes,
Moving into the next part of your day with deeper compassion towards yourself.
With greater self-awareness.
