As you arrive in today's practice,
Allowing the bones,
The muscles and the skin to land and then allowing the mind and your energetic being to be present too.
Inhaling,
I meet the moment.
Exhaling,
The moment meets me.
So there's not just one way exchange occurring with the present unfolding moment,
But there's this reciprocal moment between you both,
You and the moment,
Meeting one another.
And hey,
If it's been a long while since you've actually tuned in to present moment unfolding,
Just take a little moment to say,
Hey,
Sorry,
I haven't seen you for a while,
But I'm choosing to meet you now.
Moment accepts that and is just grateful that you've returned.
And as you release the eyelids even more upon the eyeballs,
Let the back of the eyes soften into space.
Creating an open space behind the eyes,
Let the mind,
The brain open and relax.
I'd like you to start with a simple visualization of a mountain.
This strong,
Steady,
Serene part of nature that seems to always have the right perspective on things from up high,
Looking down upon.
And then notice on the top of that mountain,
There's a single tree.
And the single tree's leaves are dancing in the breeze,
The branches softening and flowing freely,
Yet the roots drawing down into the earth on the top of this mountain.
My hope for you today in this meditation practice is that you can be like this mountain and tree,
Steady,
Grounded,
Yet fluid.
The ability to stay flexible through this practice.
And then allowing the image to gently drop towards the background of the mind,
Knowing it's always there if you need to come back to it for motivation or inspiration.
And start to notice your breath.
Feel the inhale.
Feel the exhale.
And you might even choose to imagine you are on the top of this mountain,
Either sat up against the tree looking out or lying beneath the shaded branch.
In the embrace of nature.
And as this breath gently travels in and out,
Try not to sense it as something that you're doing,
But as something that's just simply occurring.
Don't have to force it or change it.
And as you notice that this just simply happens without any obvious sign to tell your body to breathe,
It just likes to do it on its own.
Also notice now the aliveness in your hands and your feet.
Sensing the breath and the sensations,
Notice that you are here in this very moment.
And with that,
There is nothing to achieve.
Nowhere to go.
Just this here and now.
And with that,
We're going to just gently awaken a breathing technique that will support us calming.
We're going to use triangle breath today.
So it comprises of three lines,
And it's not an equilateral triangle today we're working with.
It's an isosceles.
So two of the lines are equal and the longer line at the bottom is double the size of the top two.
So the inhale is the shorter line.
The hold is another short line and the exhale is the long line.
We're going to count in for four,
Hold for four and out for eight.
Let's clear the breath together.
Inhale fully.
Exhale to let it wash away.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Suspend,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Suspend,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Suspend,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Last round.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Suspend,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Return to natural breathing.
Returning to an easeful way of breathing without needing to shape or alter your natural breath.
Feel how good it feels just to let it flow in and out.
Opening your mind's eye now to the visualization element of our practice.
Letting the mind clear so it may invite these images through.
If you can't perceive anything I'm suggesting,
That's okay.
Just stay open,
Neutral in your field of awareness and see if anything comes forward.
Soften the jaw,
Smooth out the forehead,
And imagine yourself now standing at the edge of a river.
The river is neither rushing nor stagnant.
It moves effortlessly,
Finding its own way without resistance of any kind.
This river here represents life itself,
Always flowing,
Always present.
You don't need to direct it.
You don't need to hold on to anything.
Just simply observe.
As you witness the water,
Feel the earth beneath your feet,
Solid and unwavering.
The air moving around you,
Touching your skin,
Reminding you that you are part of this great unfolding.
You notice how the trees don't try to control the wind,
How the river doesn't struggle against its course.
They're all together in perfect harmony.
Here by the riverbank,
You take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
You feel any stress or tension or niggles leave you and move and drift into the water.
Feel that now,
Anything releasing that doesn't need to be held.
And you decide to step into the river you're in.
Allowing the water to embrace you.
Safe,
You float downstream.
Are you able to trust the natural flow?
Can you allow it to be without fighting the gentle current?
Drifting now,
You sense a deep stillness that lives within you.
The river gently moving,
But you,
You are completely still.
This is a beautiful representation of presence itself.
The stillness.
The sense of being within,
Nothing is missing,
Nothing needs to be added or removed,
Just as is.
Whole and complete.
As you drift downstream,
With your tensions,
Fears,
Doubts,
Stress,
Releasing from your cells,
Moment by moment,
You start to sense what space that creates in you.
All that murkiness,
Stagnant energy coming out from your body into the water.
Creating nutrients for the aquatic life.
And with this space that you're creating,
You start to sense into all the good in your life.
Open yourself to sensing,
To feeling the good in your life,
Letting it land.
And if something arises,
Try not just to let it be a mental experience,
Bring it into the heart.
Let yourself feel it.
Let that feeling spread through the entire body,
Moment by moment,
That feeling amplified.
As if it could change the quality of the water and the mountains and the streams,
Just from you feeling.
And with that sense of feeling,
Find something now that you hope to present itself in the coming days or weeks.
Is there something you're looking forward to or hoping for?
Let that be alive now.
Let that hope or that desire be felt.
And within that feeling,
Allowing these positive affirmations to vibrate through your whole heart,
Mind,
Body system.
Silently or softly repeating these words internally,
Not as something you believe,
But as something that you recognize within yourself as a possibility.
I am here in the now.
I trust the flow of my life.
There is nothing to resist,
Only to allow.
Peace lies in presence.
And if there's any other affirmation you'd like to draw into this meditation,
Give it space now.
And then gently noticing your breath.
Feel the air re-entering your lungs and leaving your body.
Just like the river flowing.
Let the visualization dissolve,
Yet feel the physical ground beneath you,
Maybe through any supports that's under your body.
Start to bring some subtle movements into your fingers,
Your toes,
Returning to your physical form.
And when you're ready,
You can blink the eyes open and come back into your space.
