Healing Balm (Live)

Let your mind, body and soul bathe in the healing balm of Spring. This soothing, calming meditation will ease stress and anxiety and help you sleep. This meditation includes a body scan and time just to be. It will aid a profound release of physical, mental, emotional and energetic tension. Photograph by Shuman Dasgupta. Music by Martin Hoppé. This is a recording of a live streamed class, so the audio isn't perfect.

Transcript

Let's begin to let our nervous systems know that we are in a safe space to make the switch from all of the activation of your day to coming into this time of rest and digest,

To tend and befriend that state of our nervous system where we are tending to ourselves in a friendly way.

And so let's start that by rubbing our hands together and feeling the life force,

The energy in your palms,

The warmth,

The love that flows from your heart down through the meridians that go right down your arms and into your fingertips from your heart.

Your hands being your greatest healing tool and then let's just gently wash our face,

Our neck and our shoulders with that life force.

Like you're washing yourself clean of all of the stress,

Maybe the overthinking of your day and really slowing down.

So really take your time with this.

Touch is one of the ways that we help our nervous system to make that switch into rest and digest and notice the quality of your touch.

The quality of your touch matters.

Are you making that contact with yourself,

With loving kindness,

With softness and gentleness?

And let's pay attention to all the places in this area that get really tense and tight.

So around the eyes,

Between the eyebrows,

Just very gently massaging.

The scalp,

Whatever feels really nourishing and nurturing,

Soothing and calming for you.

And really slow it down and just moving around as and when you're ready.

So the ears,

All the places where we can stimulate the vagus nerve that lets our system know that we are safe.

To rest.

And so behind the ears and in front of the ears and inside so that nerve,

We can access it inside the ears.

And then around the jaw.

So in the busyness and the stress of life,

In the arising of challenging situations and feelings that we would rather not feel or that are difficult to feel,

Everything starts to tense up.

So it's all connected.

So as you massage out the ears,

As your ears start to relax,

That will help the jaw to let go.

As the jaw lets go,

As you massage around and behind your jaw,

That helps your shoulders.

And the clamping that is often in the shoulders to start to soften and sink down.

And so you might just want to massage the long muscles in your neck and around your shoulders.

Probably the most tense and tightest area for most of us.

As we clamp up and brace against life,

Which then tightens the ribs and we don't breathe as deeply as we should.

So start to let your breath go just that little bit deeper.

Down into your belly and wide into your chest.

But without pushing or forcing.

Just a really soft,

Gentle,

Deep,

Generous,

Soft,

Wide breath.

So let the muscles between your ribs soften as you breathe into the sides of your body.

Into the center of your back.

Noticing the places within yourself that are maybe making it challenging to receive a full and deep breath.

Places of tension and constriction.

Tightness and contraction that are preventing you from receiving that gift,

That nourishment.

And where you find those areas,

Breathe into them,

Bless those areas with your breath.

Allowing them to soften but without forcing.

Just low,

Gentle,

Soft,

Deep and really taking your time.

Blessing your internal system with your breath.

Let your breath soften.

All the parts within you that feel rigid,

Constricted,

Knowing that breath,

The air that you're breathing right now is here for you.

It's sustenance for your body.

Life force.

It's here in abundance and it's freely given.

So let yourself open to it generously.

And let every breath out be a falling away of all that's not needed from your day.

Just letting it all go.

You may want to release that breath with an audible sigh.

Because that sound is another way to let your nervous system know that it's safe to drop into a deeply healing,

Conscious rest.

And as you continue to breathe,

Just to breathe.

And as you continue to be aware of your breath,

As you breathe,

As you take as many of those low,

Slow,

Generous,

Gentle breaths as your system needs,

To really receive and feel the words of this poem that I've chosen for us this evening by the beautiful poet Dana Foulds.

The poem is called The Womb of Spring.

I am swimming in the womb of spring.

In the green unfurling,

Hope-provoking wonder of it all.

From the smallest of wildflowers to the tallest of trees.

An unstoppable wave of awakening overtakes the valley first and then the mountains.

Chlorophyll works its magic,

Giving off oxygen to breathe.

And shades of green I can't even begin to name.

Spring brings a balance of beauty and possibility to the grim cruelty that runs rampant in the world.

In nature's unfailing generosity,

I see the way I wish to live.

Rooted in love.

Drawing sustenance from the source.

And with a quiet joy that requires no outside recognition to keep on growing toward the light.

So I hope that this beautiful time of year brings that balance of beauty and possibility to your life,

To whatever difficulties you may be dealing with in your life at the moment.

Remembering nature's unfailing generosity and how it reminds us of how we aspire to live.

Rooted in love.

Drawing sustenance from the source.

And with a quiet joy that requires no outside recognition to keep on growing toward the light.

And so that's the reminder that we are absorbing together this evening.

Letting the hope-provoking wonder of spring touch us no matter what's going on.

Inside of us.

No matter how difficult or challenging.

And so let's turn our attention now to the body.

To the aliveness that's here right now.

Feeling where your body makes contact with whatever support is beneath it.

Allowing the weight of your whole body to drop into that support.

And energetically your body continuing to drop down into the earth.

By the earth herself.

Like two great arms wrapped around you.

Your whole body yielding to the love that is the source of this earth and this body.

Noticing the touch of air on the skin.

Noticing the quiet whisper of your breath.

As you just allow your body to breathe now all by itself.

The quiet coming and going of that air that you breathe.

Giving life to your body.

Moment by moment.

Welcoming the sounds that you can hear as you listen with your whole body.

A direct perceiving of those sounds with no middleman.

Getting involved.

Just wide open to each sound that comes and goes.

Noticing the subtle fragrance of the air that you're breathing.

The taste inside the mouth.

Let the inside of the mouth soften.

Let the tongue rest.

Let the jaw be loose.

The throat naturally softening.

Like a healing balm is pouring into the muscles,

The tendons,

The connective tissues.

And everything is softening in that healing balm.

The scalp softening.

The weight of your head melting just a little more into the support beneath.

Forehead at rest.

Space between eyebrows.

Softening.

Like that healing balm is pouring between the eyebrows.

Softening right into your head.

Soothing your brain.

The eyes resting right back.

And the feeling behind eyes.

Softening.

Releasing and expanding.

The ears.

Being soothed by that healing balm.

Whole face softening.

All the set,

Rigid expressions of your day.

Starting to melt.

All the muscles around the mouth softening.

The muscles in the neck releasing and letting go.

The shoulders offering up all their burdens.

The shoulders softening.

Sinking down.

Just noticing what you feel.

Noticing the gentle rise and fall of your ribcage.

As your body breathes.

Checking in with your heart.

Speaking to your heart.

Asking your heart what it knows.

What it wants you to remember.

And just being wide open.

As your heart softens.

As your heart opens.

Just being here.

Feeling what you feel.

Every feeling is welcome.

Not thinking about your body or your heart.

But feeling this area of your body directly.

As we invite the heart to soften some of the defense and the protection.

As and when it feels safe and comfortable.

But just to keep opening our hearts.

To be willing to feel what we feel.

Feeling the pulsation as your heart beats.

The rhythm as your lungs breathe.

Let there be a softening in the diaphragm.

A softening in the solar plexus,

The upper abdomen.

Just spending some time just being here.

Feeling this part of your body.

Noticing the sensations directly.

No need to figure any of it out.

Just to feel.

To notice.

To be fully present.

Feeling the whole back of the body.

Back of the heart.

Space between shoulder blades.

Expanding and softening.

A feeling sense of the whole spine.

Tailbone softening down.

That healing balm pouring down your arm.

As your arms give up their weight.

Pouring into your hands.

Noticing the sensation in your palms.

That healing balm pouring into the lower half of your body.

Into the navel.

Down into the abdomen.

Coating and blessing all of the organs.

Hips giving up their weight.

And that healing balm flowing down each leg.

Softening the muscles.

The bones.

The joints.

Coating every cell of your body.

With love.

With kindness.

The sensation in the soles of feet.

Feel the aliveness right there in the soles of feet.

See if you can stay.

See if you can be here fully.

For the simple.

Immediate feeling.

Soles of feet.

Tingling and alive.

Soles of feet.

The whole body.

The whole body bathing.

In the healing balm.

Of just being.

The body rooted in love.

Drawing sustenance from the source.

As we simply lie here together quietly.

Present and aware.

As light and air.

As life unfolds.

Moment by moment.

Wide open to each moment.

Feeling yourself deeply.

Just being.

Whole body.

Swimming in the womb of spring.

Whole body bathing in the love.

That makes the sun shine.

That grows the flowers.

The beauty and awe.

The wonder.

That we see all around us.

Let your body soak up.

That makes the birds sing.

That gives us all the shades of green.

Of a forest.

That sustenance.

From the source.

Of it all.

Feeling your whole body alive.

Pulsating.

With sensation.

Whole body.

Whole body softening a little more.

Whole body vibrating.

In tune.

With the rhythm of life.

Of the earth.

A few more of those really nourishing.

Slow and deep breaths.

Inhaling softly.

Gently.

And wide into your body.

Down into your belly.

And wide into your chest.

Letting the exhalation go.

With an audible sigh.

Through the mouth.

Really taking your time.

Feeling the immediate sensation of your breath.

The feeling in the inner passageways of your nostrils.

The expansion and softening of your ribcage.

And your abdomen.

So that your body.

Can receive that gift.

Generously.

Giving back.

That isn't in alignment.

With the harmony of nature.

With your true nature.

Just letting all of it go.

And as we continue to just breathe.

Slowly and deeply together.

Let's call forward a prayer for our lives.

So we just take some moments to check in.

What is your prayer for your life?

What is it that your heart knows?

What is it that your heart wants you to remember?

Just listening.

Feeling.

Noticing.

Paying attention.

To right now.

A deep listening.

To what your heart longs for.

And a calling forward.

Of whatever help.

You may need.

Asking for it.

Calling it in.

From the seen and unseen worlds.

Asking for what you need.

And trusting.

That that help will come.

That your prayer.

Has been heard.

As you keep growing.

Toward the light.

And then let's spend some moments friends in gratitude.

Which is so powerfully healing.

That no matter how difficult things may be.

Just recognizing what is still good.

Recognizing how your life is blessed.

Despite any challenges that may be occurring.

Noticing the good in your life.

Bowing down and giving thanks.

For whatever that may be.

And just taking these moments to thank you for your presence.

Expressing my gratitude for your commitment.

To being here.

To showing up.

For making rest and quietude a priority.

Thank you.

So grateful to share this space with you together in this way.

Just taking some moments to check in with your body.

And listening to what your body needs now.

Whether that be more rest.

Sleep.

Or maybe some gentle movement.

Some gentle stretching.

In whatever way feels good.

Going slowly.

Mindfully.

And as you move forward into the rest of your evening.

Staying rooted.

Anchored.

In love.

And being.

Continuing to draw sustenance from the source.

I hope you sleep well tonight friends.

And I hope in the coming week you are able to take time to swim in the womb of spring.

To really get a sense of that hope provoking wonder that spring can inspire.

Hoping that this season that we are enjoying brings a sense of balance and possibility to your life.

Lots of love friends.

Reviews

Dear Amanda, thank you for uploading this incredible meditation. I was only vaguely aware of how good it was the first time I heard it as I was very tired. But I knew it was special. Doing this meditation helped me a lot. I couldn't access my heart as much as I would have liked to, but the message I got was to always be courageous and fearless. That life is there to be fully lived and that all power is provided if you don't give up . I hope that whatever I do that love is my ground. This was an ideal spring meditation.
The spotted orchid was growing amongst the bluebells on Buster Hill in Hampshire. It was the only orchid this year.
Thank you for all your love and inspiration.
Love Shuman

💥💥💥💥💥!
Wow Amanda, this is another gem.
I love the somatic ventral vagal tonifying and the trauma sensitive language throughout, creating a safe and inviting space. It worked beautifully on a fine, mild Autumn day and I'm looking forward to meditating with in the 5he Spring.
So much admiration and appreciation.
Shuman's photo is delightful.
Much love dear friend 🧡
Brilliant as a morning meditation too🙏