If you're seated on a chair,
Uncross your legs and place your feet on the floor.
If you're seated on a pillow or a cushion,
Cross your legs or straighten your legs,
But position your body so it's quiet and comfortable and relaxed.
Feel your seat,
Whatever seat you've chosen.
Feel how it feels and feel the connection to the earth with this seat.
And with that connection,
Begin to get longer in the spine by lifting the belly,
Lifting the center of the chest,
Lifting the roof of the mouth and the crown of the head.
Feel as if you're drawing down into the earth with your seat and up into the heavens with your crown growing long and tall and spacious in the torso.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Send the heads of the arms back.
Soften the shoulders down the back.
Relax your jaw and the tongue in your mouth.
Relax your cheeks and your brow and your eyes.
Close your eyes.
Bring your attention to the breath and how the breath is breathing naturally right now.
Feel the rise and the fall of your breath in the chest.
As you inhale,
Feeling the chest lift and expand.
As you exhale,
Gently fall and soften.
Notice that sensation of rising and falling that goes along with your breath.
In this meditation we ask the question,
Who am I?
Who am I?
If I am not my roles in life.
Who am I if I am not my job,
My gender,
My identity?
Who am I?
Who am I really?
Who is my essence?
What is my essence?
So like a mantra,
We will ask this question into the silence of our minds and listen.
For an answer,
There is no answer.
But we keep asking the question,
Who am I?
And listening to the silence that is the response.
Simply repeating that question sweetly,
Slowly and quietly.
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Noticing the thoughts that may happen in response to that question.
Observing them for just thoughts.
They are not real.
They are not the answer.
Who am I?
The answer can only be found in the silence.
So listen to the silence that follows this question,
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
As your mind becomes more quiet,
You begin to sense your consciousness expand beyond the boundaries of your body.
Stay with that awareness and continue to ask that question,
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
The answer to that question can't be found in words or thinking.
The answer to that question isn't knowing.
It's a sense.
It's an awareness.
It's a feeling.
It's a feeling.
The answer to this question,
Who am I?
Who am I?
Can not be answered by anyone but you.
You are the only one who knows who you are.
Underneath all the minds labels and stories and identities.
Continue to ask that question,
Who am I?
Who am I?
And observe and experience the flower of that awareness blossom.
Place your hands over your heart.
Tapping into the awareness of the light within you,
The lightness.
And thank yourself for this time you've given yourself.
And we'll dedicate this time to all beings everywhere,
All beings.
Whether big or small,
Near or far,
Seen or unseen.
May all beings everywhere be well.
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May all beings everywhere be free from suffering.
Take a nice deep breath in.
And a complete breath out.
Namaste.
Namaste.