This meditation is called Welcoming My Humanity.
When we are born into a body and first come out of the womb,
We're naturally and intuitively accepting of our humanity.
We're just here in our body and comfortable,
And we expect to be welcomed into the world.
Let's see if we can hold that same space for ourselves now that we are grown,
And see if you can open past any reluctance to do this for yourself,
Knowing that by offering yourself this gentle welcome,
You're giving yourself some healing and nourishment that your body craves,
And you deserve this.
If you do meet any sticky or resistant feelings in your body during this session,
Perhaps you could take a hand gently to that part,
Or stay steady with your abiding breath.
Know that you belong in this experience,
Which takes you back to your original self and your birthright to be as human as you are.
Thank yourself for giving yourself this time,
This space,
And begin to find yourself settling in some way.
And as you begin to settle,
Keep a sense of informality and naturalness with yourself.
You can sit anywhere and in any way you like,
Or you may be lying down.
Your eyes can stay open until they want to close,
If they want to.
And create a sense of sanctuary for yourself,
That this is a special time where you're not going to be disturbed.
And that you're going to spend a few sacred moments with yourself,
Simply welcoming and allowing yourself to be exactly as you find yourself.
And the quality of attention you're going to intentionally gift yourself with is one of acceptance and welcome,
And gentle curiosity for whatever arises.
And that is all.
Nothing else is needed from you here,
And you can just be.
So perhaps begin to feel your breathing moving in your body and not trying to change it in any way or judge it.
Just feeling how that brings you a little closer to yourself,
Perhaps.
And as you settle in,
I invite you straight away to feel yourself welcomed,
Exactly where you are,
And how you are.
That underneath whatever support you're on right now,
You can feel that the earth underneath you is holding a special spot for you,
Reserved just for you.
And you can feel yourself releasing and landing into that spot,
That home base provided just for you.
A freely given gift of total support for all you are and all you do.
Pay attention for a moment to that visceral sensation of your own body making contact with the earth.
Through the prop you're on,
Your sitting bones or the bones of your spine making contact with the bones of the earth.
And you can feel that viscerally and physically.
And particularly that as you release naturally to gravity and feel the support of the earth,
That the earth itself is coming up to hold your sitting bones or your spine.
That whatever you are on,
Underneath it is the earth rising up to support you and to hold you.
Inviting yourself to notice what that feels like,
That surface below as coming up to meet you.
And noticing that this surface is steady.
It's reliable.
I invite you to feel it or notice it as capable and able.
It is consistent.
It is here to support you and wants nothing back from you.
It is safe.
And from that place of feeling into this supportive surface below,
I would invite you now to gently begin to bring your attention to your body,
Your presence.
And say a friendly hello to the being that you are,
Just as you are right now.
And then see if you can remember an experience you've had of being free to be yourself.
Maybe you were in a place in nature where you felt like nature itself,
You could be wild and untamed.
Maybe it's with certain people that you feel accepted by and at ease with,
Where you don't have to put on any acts with them.
It's just easy to be yourself.
Maybe it's that old,
Comfy sofa or chair that you can just flop down on at the end of the day and release.
Release any expectations or masks that you've been holding all day.
Maybe it's when you're writing or drawing or some other activity,
Maybe you're gardening and you feel at home with yourself and in flow.
Just spend a moment evoking that and the feelings that come with it in your being.
And noticing how your being feels when it's in those spaces.
Perhaps there's a physical feeling of dropping some weight and of melting into relaxation.
A sense of ease and feeling comfortable.
Perhaps it's a feeling of a sigh,
A long exhale as you land back in your real body and presence and can let go.
A feeling of relief and release.
Or perhaps some other sense,
Maybe freedom and spaciousness and joy.
What senses inform you that you have the feeling of just being yourself?
And as you tune into this,
Stay close to yourself and notice how your body feels.
There are places and experiences and people that can help put us at ease with their unconditional welcome and deep acceptance.
And now,
Feeling that,
Open to offering to yourself from this current of deeply accepting energy.
By inviting this energy of welcome and deep self-acceptance from yourself and taking it into yourself.
Start by rubbing your hands together for a moment,
Generating some warmth there.
You can rub them quite quickly,
Feeling the warmth that you can generate there.
And feeling it as the warmth of generosity,
The generosity that you can touch yourself and life with that contains so much welcome.
Like the warm welcome of a fire in the hearth.
And then take one of your hands to your heart and the other to the ground or to the support you're on,
Knowing the ever-abiding steady earth is right beneath it.
Feeling the contact in both hands,
The contact with your heart and the contact with the earth.
And saying to yourself,
I deeply and completely welcome and accept myself here.
Even if just for this practice,
Speak those words to every part of yourself because every part of yourself is listening.
And now,
Keeping one hand on your heart,
Take the other hand to your belly.
Feel the contact there with the rise and fall of your breathing.
And say,
Just for this time,
I deeply and completely welcome and accept myself here and now.
And feel what comes.
Feel what is happening inside your body.
And then keeping one hand on your heart,
Take the other hand to your forehead.
Feeling the contact there,
And say,
Just for this time,
I deeply and completely welcome and accept myself here and now.
And take a pause here with your abiding breath and that contact with your precious human body and that contact with the earth underneath you,
Which is supporting you unconditionally.
And then keeping the hand on your heart,
Extend your other hand out to life in some way with your palm facing up towards life,
Towards nature,
Towards the mystery and air and space.
And say,
In this moment,
I deeply and completely welcome and accept myself here and now.
And then take your hands wherever they'd like to be,
Maybe maintaining some contact with your body or right next to it,
Staying close to yourself.
And as you continue to be here with the breath inside your body moving freely,
Be with these words and in some way take them into your being.
What matters to me is how I feel and accepting how I feel.
I accept my needs.
I accept my questions.
I accept my concerns.
I accept my dreams and desires.
And I accept what I deserve.
Like every other human,
I deserve to feel safe and secure.
Like every other human,
I deserve to feel truly seen,
Respected and valued.
Like every other human,
I deserve to feel loved.
Like every other human,
I deserve the freedom to learn more about myself and have things unfold for me that are a part of who I truly am.
Like every other human,
I deserve happiness and fullness and fulfilment.
Like every other human,
I deserve passion and compassion.
Breathing with the words as you take them in.
And like every other human,
I deserve to be exactly as I am.
Take some breaths here and feel inside your body what is arising for you.
Being gently curious and kind.
And now,
Speaking to your feelings.
To my feelings.
You are not whinging or being difficult.
You are allowed to take up space and I can give you that space.
You are not bothering or annoying me.
I have time for you.
You can be yourself with me.
Is there anything you need from me right now?
Breathing.
And if you like,
You could add some kind of side to side pendulating motion to that.
Perhaps simply sitting and swaying.
Or if you're lying,
Rocking your hips from side to side.
And feeling the support of the earth underneath you.
And your hand somewhere on your body or close to you.
Bathing in the afterglow of these words.
And imagining them and the energy of welcome and acceptance they carry filling every place in you.
That they're deeply reaching down into every cell and pulsing inside them.
That they are flowing in your blood.
And in the oxygen you're breathing inside your body.
And that they're soothing any weary or constricted parts.
And that they're showing a welcome to the unseen parts that still may be hidden to you.
Those parts can also feel these currents of energy.
They're filling you everywhere as you bathe and rest here.
The whole unique you belongs and is welcome.
Receive that blessing.
Drink it in with every breath.
And now perhaps sending that blessing out to all the other humans who walk their paths alongside you on this sacred earth.
Saying,
I offer this blessing to all my fellow humans.
May we all feel accepted and welcome.
And then whenever you are ready,
Bringing yourself back and spending a little time with how you feel now.
After having had this practice and with any interesting reflections that arise.
