Find a quiet,
Comfortable space where you can sit or lie down.
Take a moment to settle in.
Let your hands rest in a way that feels natural.
And gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Let yourself arrive fully in this moment.
Whatever thoughts or feelings brought you here today,
Know that you are welcome exactly as you are.
There's nothing to fix,
Nothing to change in this moment,
Just a space to be.
Begin by shifting your awareness to your body,
Not as an image,
But as a felt experience from the inside.
Notice where you might feel something good or neutral or simply okay within your body.
It might be the steady rise and fall of your breath,
The sensation of your feet resting on the floor,
The warmth of your hands,
Or maybe it's the softness of fabric against your skin.
And if your mind wanders to any discomfort or distress,
Gently acknowledge your mind,
Your sensations,
And then return your attention to what does feel okay.
This is not about forcing positivity.
It's about making space for what is already neutral,
What is already bearable,
What is even the smallest bit good right now.
Now bring curiosity to those areas of ease or neutrality.
What do they feel like?
Maybe you feel some warmth,
Some steadiness,
A gentle hum of energy,
Some other sensation.
There might even be an image that arises.
Perhaps you notice your breath filling and expanding your ribs,
And you feel the warmth and coolness of the air flowing in and out of your nose.
And maybe it's that that feels neutral or even good.
Or maybe what you feel is grounding right now is the quiet rhythm of your heartbeat.
And maybe as you notice that quiet rhythm of your heartbeat,
A smile begins forming on your mouth.
Or maybe it's the feeling of your toes that brings a fluttery sense of joy to your belly.
Or maybe it's the fabric against your arms that feels neutral,
Like a still water surface.
If any sense of comfort emerges anywhere within your body,
No matter how small,
Allow it to expand.
Imagine that warmth or ease spreading outward,
Like ripples in a pond or a candle burning brighter.
And if all you find is neutrality,
That's okay too.
Let yourself rest in that neutrality,
Knowing that this too is a valid and safe enough place to be right now.
And then invite that neutrality to expand if it would like to.
So for example,
If your feet feel neutral,
Then invite those neutral feelings in your feet to spread upwards ever so slowly and gently.
These feelings may or may not expand,
And either way is just fine.
It's just an invitation.
And just allow whatever arises to arise,
Without becoming particularly attached to any feeling,
Thought,
Or sensation.
And as you do this,
Focusing on what might feel internally okay,
Good,
Or neutral,
Or bearable,
You may notice some outside messages or thoughts arise.
Maybe some judgments,
Expectations,
Or opinions from other people,
From other places,
About your body,
Or maybe about that you do not belong.
And without engaging with any of these thoughts,
Imagine just placing them gently on a shelf,
Setting them down just for now.
There might even be some distressing messages,
Some alarming messages,
And you might not know where these messages come from.
You maybe just recognize a feeling of distress,
A feeling of discomfort or negativity.
I invite you in your mind to perhaps see these messages or thoughts or feelings as leaves floating down a stream,
Each thought landing on a leaf,
And then moving further and further away.
And there may be many leaves floating on the stream,
Or just a few.
And perhaps you can also invite these messages maybe to be like clouds,
Passing through your mind,
Drifting off and changing shape,
Without holding on to anything,
Without even examining any of them,
But just inviting them to drift on,
To change form,
Or maybe you can imagine gathering these distressing thoughts up,
Holding them gently for a moment,
And then returning them back,
And saying,
No,
No thank you,
This isn't mine to carry right now.
This isn't my time right now to carry these.
And each time a distressing thought returns,
Simply give it back,
Or put it on a leaf,
Or in a cloud,
Or wherever else,
Letting it drift away.
Allow yourself to inhabit your body right now in this moment from within,
As if it is your home,
Not something to be fixed or changed.
And allow yourself to inhabit your body without becoming too attached to any thoughts or feelings that arise.
Allow any distressing thoughts to be outside your body.
And then,
When you feel ready,
At your own pace,
Return to the place or places within your body,
The sensations within your body,
That do feel okay,
That do feel neutral,
Or maybe that even feel comfortable in your body.
To the air,
Maybe,
That's moving in and out of your lungs.
To the pressure of your sit bones,
Maybe,
Being supported by the surface beneath you.
Or maybe to the gentle beating of your heart,
Always steady,
Always present.
Or maybe it's your elbows that feel neutral.
Or maybe it's the tip of your nose.
Or maybe it's just that predictable flow of breath in and out of your lungs.
If it feels okay,
Take a few breaths,
Just to notice wherever it is in your body,
Whether it's one place or multiple places in your body,
That feel okay enough.
Just noticing them,
Acknowledging them,
Letting them be right now.
If it feels okay,
I invite you to take a moment to offer yourself kindness,
A simple acknowledgement.
You can do this silently or aloud,
Up to you.
But something like,
I'm here.
Thank you,
Body,
For letting me be here right now.
Thank you,
Body,
For being with me in this journey.
And take as much time as you would like to offer yourself some kindness,
To offer your body some acknowledgement.
You decide when you're ready to come back to the space around you.
And this is your practice.
So whenever you decide,
Begin to bring awareness back to the space around you,
Noticing any sounds,
Perhaps noticing the feeling of air on your skin.
If your eyes are closed,
When you're ready,
Gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,
Maybe blinking them open.
If you'd like,
You can wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Maybe shrug your shoulders,
Perhaps even look around the space you're in,
Looking left to right and around,
Reconnecting with this present moment beyond your body.
We are coming to a close here in this meditation practice.
And I hope you felt even a little bit more ease and groundedness from this practice.
Feel free to let me know how it was for you.
You can leave a comment or a question if you'd like.
And until next time,
May you be able to find some comfort,
Ease,
Some okayness within yourself and your body.
