So go ahead and find a comfortable seat.
Whatever is comfortable for you.
Taking whatever support you need for your back.
For underneath your feet if you need layers.
For warmth,
Make sure you have a blanket.
Or something nearby and go ahead and.
Put the blanket on or have it closed if you need it.
And before we begin,
Let's take three breaths.
We're going to inhale through the nose.
We're going to exhale out of the mouth and nice big sigh.
Alright,
So here we go.
Inhale.
Good,
Again.
One more time,
Inhale.
Just take a moment to skin,
Your body.
Starting with the toes.
Relaxing and releasing any tension in the feet and the ankles.
Coming up the calves and shins to the knees and the back of the knees,
Softening any tension you may be feeling there.
Then inhaling up the thighs and the back of the thighs to the hips,
Softening and relaxing.
The pelvic floor,
Your sexual organs.
Softening the low back.
The mid back and then the upper back.
Relaxing the arms,
Elbows,
Wrists,
Fingers.
Breathing up the front of the body softening and expanding the abdomen for the organs of digestion.
Up to your heart center.
Relaxing the muscles around the throat.
The jaw,
The face.
And then begin to take very long,
Slow breaths.
Letting the breath gently stretch you open and expand.
All the way to your tailbone.
Let the breath be full.
Yet gentle.
The slower and longer you breathe,
The more you can fill.
And the more your nervous system feels safe and able to relax.
A good way to let your mind relax is to simply focus on relaxing your forehead.
Eyebrows and eyes.
You'll be amazed at how well this works.
You can visualize your whole body opening to presence.
And light.
As it expands with the in-breath.
Let your out breath be a long,
Slow,
Gentle release.
You are not trying to get rid of anything.
You are simply letting it go.
Bring all your awareness to the physical sensation of expansion.
And contraction.
In your body.
Filling with fresh new energy and releasing the old stale energy.
As you take these calm yet full breaths.
Let the breath.
Fuel.
Very kind.
Compassionate.
And tender.
You are literally bringing in the vibrational frequency of these qualities.
Life is tough and the very cells of our bodies are crying out for kindness.
Compassion.
And a sense of safety.
Remember,
Everything in your mind is in every cell of your body.
Send the message that you are safe.
Protected,
And cared for.
There is a basic primal program.
Running in all of us that says we aren't safe.
In order to do this deep work.
The first thing.
We need to do is to feel safe.
Protected.
And not judged.
Otherwise,
It isn't safe to open up.
Much of what we need to heal is the result of being forced,
In some way,
To do or feel what someone else says we should.
So in order to heal,
What force caused.
We need to first feel safe.
And this is a gentle,
Subtle.
Yet powerful way.
To do that.
There's a fine line.
Between force and determination.
Continue to breathe.
Long,
Deep breaths.
There's a basic fear program in all of humanity that approval equals safety.
The origin of this.
Are from the earliest times on the planet.
When an animal or early hominid was born defective in some way.
It was put out of the den or cave to starve or freeze.
Now we can see how it plays.
In more sophisticated ways.
With parents and teachers and friends and bosses and lovers.
So in order to feel safe and fit in,
We monitor ourselves.
Are actions,
Choices,
And words.
To what we think will be approved of.
You can begin to shed the layers of programming.
That can make you feel that we are living in a suit of armor.
While temporarily giving us protection.
When you start to feel that armor.
It's a signal from your soul.
To shed the armor.
Using the breath to connect with our higher selves.
Focus on connecting with our consciousness.
Breathing in.
Invite the divine essence.
Into your body.
And the in-breath.
It's a nonverbal,
Yes.
And show me to the universe.
Visualize a column of white light coming from the higher realms down through the top of your head.
From the crown chakra all the way down through the body.
And then down into the very heart and soul of the earth.
Let's do that again.
As we inhale,
Connect.
With that light.
Down from the crown chakra all the way through the body.
The center of the body through all the chakras,
All the way through the soles of your feet.
Down deep into the earth.
Feel the strong,
Centered connection and stability that brings.
With this connection.
And now allow the column of light to expand outward through the body.
Into the arms.
All the way around the aura of the body.
Feel yourself creating a cocoon of light.
Around your entire body,
The sides,
The front,
The top,
Below.
And now allow this light to expand even further.
To the entire room that you are in.
Find your breath.
And notice what it feels like to imagine this light.
Bending beyond your aura.
To include the entire room that you're in.
It's important for this light to come from the heart.
From the universe,
Down through the crown,
Into the heart center,
Up from the earth,
The center of the body to the heart,
Expand that light.
Now allow your inner focus to drop down into your heart once again.
Give your mind the job of paying attention down there.
Into the heart and gut.
And then focus on breathing deeply.
Yet gently.
Deep into the whole body.
Where our attention goes,
Energy flows.
When we put our attention down into the body.
It's usually in response to pain or discomfort.
We're worried about what's going on.
Sometimes it's because the body isn't doing what we want it to.
Or it doesn't look the way we want it to.
So the quality of that attention and therefore the energy is fear-based.
And negative.
So let's try simply bringing attention to the body.
Scanning it with appreciation.
For all it has allowed you to do.
Bringing loving kindness.
And perhaps soothing to those parts that are struggling.
Let your attention float through your body,
Bringing peaceful attention.
Maybe thinking about how you look at a cute puppy or kitten.
Maybe even a baby.
Can you bring that kind of attention to your own body?
Taking another few conscious breaths.
And then maybe smiling.
At your body.
Offering gratitude.
And then take another nice,
Long,
Deep breath in and slowly bring yourself back into this time and space.
You can start to wiggle fingers and toes.
And then gently bring your hands together at your heart center.
Bowing into your heart.
You're welcome to join me in chanting Aum.
To close our practice.
Take a breath in.
You with my gratitude and the light that shines within my heart to yours.
I bow.
Namaste.
Thank you so much.
