Let us arrive in the here and now,
Settling into this moment just as we are,
Welcoming the body.
May it begin to soften and relax into a comfortable position.
Welcoming the breath.
May it begin to slow and gently deepen,
Closing the eyes if it is safe to do so.
Welcoming the mind.
May any thoughts or concerns of the past or future fall away,
Just for the next few minutes.
There will be time for them later as needed.
Welcoming the presence of stillness.
This is not a place that you need to create or find.
It is a returning to something that is always there,
Buried below the noise.
It is an undercurrent flowing within that you can welcome by softening,
Slowing and opening.
There is no right or wrong way to do this as long as you are willing to keep coming back to the process,
Allowing yourself to ease into the stillness as much as possible.
It will become more accessible over time.
Let's take three intentional breaths together.
Breathing in,
Presence for this moment.
Breathing out,
Any lingering distractions.
Breathing in,
Letting it all settle.
And out.
Once more,
Breathing in.
Begin to consider what noise is most present in your life at this time.
Whether it's a situation,
An emotion,
A person,
An actual sound,
Or anything else.
Perhaps it is loud and chaotic.
Perhaps not.
But at this time,
When you are craving peace,
What is it that seems to rise up and overwhelm you?
Try your best to let go of any judgments around this.
Instead,
Allowing it to simply exist in your awareness,
Observing whatever arises.
Let's imagine now that the feeling of this noise,
Whatever it is,
Let's imagine that it can be represented by a line,
Similar to a seismogram,
That symbolizes the movements and strength of an earthquake.
Think of a spot on your body to draw this line.
Maybe it's a spot you are actually feeling sensation as you consider the noise.
Like in your chest or belly.
Maybe a cheek if you feel it gripping in your jaw,
For example.
And if you aren't feeling anything like that,
You can just choose any area on the body that you would like.
Now imagine that your finger becomes a pencil.
And you are going to use it to draw this line on your body in that spot,
Representing the noise and the way it wants to be expressed.
If this does not feel comfortable to you,
Please continue to envision in your mind's eye.
This line,
Representing the noise,
It could be jagged with lots of narrow ups and downs.
Or it might have larger arcs.
It could even be a different shape altogether.
However it wants to be drawn is perfect.
Breathing naturally,
Take some time to draw your noise now.
Allowing your hand to fall back into place once you are finished.
Now we will imagine that the other hand is going to become a large eraser.
Go to that same spot you were just drawing and begin to gently rub it away.
It may smudge and smear,
But that's okay because the goal is not to erase every last trace.
The noise we encounter in life,
Well it changes us and we don't need to wipe it out completely.
We need to move through it,
Beyond it.
Continue gently erasing until you feel that most of the markings are faded or gone.
Then allow that hand to relax and fall back into place.
Now we will begin to let the imagination drift into a different setting.
You are in nature.
One of your favorite places to be.
It is at the end of the day.
You are witnessing the last few moments of light as dusk transitions to darkness.
This is not a scary darkness,
But a wide,
Open,
Beautiful,
Vast darkness that is peaceful and still,
Softened by the rising of the moon and stars.
Here in this place,
You remember that the entire cosmos is out there holding us and that it is also within us,
Deep within our body and being,
Our fluids and cells,
The light in our eyes.
Breathing deeply yet gently,
You welcome the fresh night air into your lungs The scent of orange blossoms is on the breeze.
You are feeling relaxed and safe.
The time of rest and dreams is coming closer.
Bring your drawing finger to the same spot as before and simply press it against your skin,
Holding it still as you imagine that the soft,
White light coming down from the moon and stars flows from the sky into your finger,
Filling it up like a pencil would be filled with lead.
And with loving intention,
Use this white light finger to draw a line of waves,
Slow and easy,
Allowing your hand to fall back into place once you are finished.
Now take the other hand and hold it over those waves.
Feeling and receiving the ripples.
Everything moving in slowness now,
Allowing the flow,
Gently pulsing,
Releasing and softening,
Witnessing until the ripples fade.
Letting your hands effortlessly rest there or return to its place as you welcome this moment of quiet.
Moment of rest.
Of stillness.
Breathing gently and naturally for a minute or so as you do nothing but enjoy.
Begin to bring your awareness back to the here and now.
Slowly welcoming some movement and opening your eyes when ready.
