Let's begin this meditation by finding a comfortable position.
Sitting.
Or lying down.
Allow your body to settle.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze and let's just take a moment to arrive.
Let's bring a gentle attention to our breath.
No need to change it.
Just notice the natural rhythm of breathing in.
And breathing out.
Let your breath be the anchor.
Now as you inhale,
Feel the breath entering the body.
And as you exhale,
Imagine the breath flowing down through your body and into the ground beneath you.
In.
Down and out as if you're breathing into your roots like a tree.
Each exhale.
Softly extending downward,
Rooting,
Settling.
You might imagine roots growing from your body deep into the earth.
Steady,
Quiet,
Supportive,
Nourishing.
Let your body be held by these roots.
Breathing in nourishment.
Breathing out stability.
With each breath out,
Feel a steadiness of those roots.
Even if there's movement in your body or mind,
Emotions flowing.
Your roots remain.
Steady like a tree and changing weather.
Winds may come.
Storms pass through.
Rain falls.
We can feel blown around sometimes.
What if we tune in to our stability?
During the storms.
Now gently shifting as you inhale.
Feel the breath rise up through the body.
And as you exhale,
Imagine the breath expanding outward,
Up through the chest,
Through the arms,
Through the crown of the head.
Like branches growing and reaching into the sky.
And.
.
.
And out.
The breath dissolving into the vastness of the sky.
Let awareness be open.
Your roots supporting you.
The breath coming in and expanding.
Nothing to hold tightly,
Nothing to push away.
Just openness.
Held in steadiness.
Imagine your awareness is like a lantern,
Gently illuminating everything around you and within you.
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Emotions,
Stimulation from the external world.
Rooted below.
Open above.
Stable.
And spacious.
We can hold it all.
Create room for it all.
All the thoughts,
Emotions and energy held in the field of awareness.
Notice it.
Bring a soft spotlight to things when they need attention.
So often we shine a flashlight beam.
Onto the thought of the moment or the experience of the moment and we lose sight of the bigger picture,
Even of our own steadiness and openness.
If something's calling your attention,
A thought,
A feeling,
Notice it.
What is it showing you?
What matters to you in this moment.
Be present with what's happening in the moment.
While also holding your steadiness.
Whatever's here,
Let's practice holding it,
Making space for it.
Letting it be held within your awareness.
Breathing in.
Aware.
Breathing out.
Allowing.
In this place of steadiness and openness.
What can we learn?
What matters to me in these moments?
How can I respond?
Let these questions be gentle.
When the storms come in,
How can we support ourselves?
Maybe there can be a softening,
A breath of kindness.
Patience,
Compassion.
Breathing in.
Breathing out,
Rooting into the earth.
What shifts when we hold them in this way?
As we close this practice,
Let's take a few final breaths together.
Tuning into our present experience.
Notice how you're feeling.
Notice what you're feeling.
Perhaps a little more grounded.
A little more spacious.
Perhaps more resourced for the day ahead.
Let's rest in this place for a few more breaths.
When you're ready,
You can gently begin bringing your awareness back into the room.
Wiggling your fingers and toes,
Softly opening your eyes,
Coming back to the room.
In a moment,
I'll ring a bell.
That will be an invitation to carry this sense of rooted presence and open awareness with you into the rest of your day.
