Welcome to this meditative space we'll be sharing for the next little while.
Today we'll practice gently withdrawing the senses inward for the purpose of finding inner silence and peace.
Practicing retreating into this inner sanctum can help us rest and reset the nervous system.
In addition,
We might learn to cultivate this neutral calm during our everyday routine,
Pausing when we become overloaded.
Getting settled,
Come to a comfortable posture,
Either sitting or lying down,
Whatever feels best for you in this moment.
Begin by rubbing your hands together and then cover your eyes with your palms cupped.
Just giving the eyes a break,
Feeling the warmth or coolness of the hands and allowing the eyes to be nourished by that.
Let the eyes rest and let go of the effort of looking and seeing.
Allow yourself a moment to arrive.
With your eyes closed or gaze lowered,
Release your hands down.
Begin to tune in to the breath,
Breathing into the base of your spine and the support below you.
Taking an easy breath in and an easy breath out.
Another easy breath in,
Opening.
Easy breath out,
Resting.
Remaining open to your experience and allowing yourself to rest,
Flowing with the breath.
Start to bring your awareness to the fabric of sounds all around you,
As if tuning in to pick up a distant radio frequency.
Find the sounds that are farthest away,
Picking up a faraway sound and just receiving.
If you can't find a sound,
Imagine one,
Such as an airplane overhead or a church bell ringing.
Now turning the dial to the sounds that are just a little bit closer,
Picking up those sounds with an attitude of detachment.
Just be an observer to your gift of hearing.
Finally,
Locating those sounds closest to you,
Even the sound of your own breath.
Just becoming aware of these sounds without attaching any significance to them.
Now slowly pull your gift of hearing inward,
Like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.
Rest inside this quiet space all your own,
Resting comfortably in this inner silence.
Become aware of any scents in your environment,
Just noticing any aromas.
If there are none present,
Imagine a favorite scent filling the air.
Allow yourself to breathe it in.
Observe yourself experiencing this scent.
As you let go of the breath,
Slowly reel your gift of smell inward,
Once again withdrawing into the inner space,
Resting in this neutral space all your own.
Become aware of any tastes on the tongue,
However faint.
Again,
If there's a lack of taste,
You can recall a favorite one and allow it to fill your mouth.
Adopting the attitude of the witness to your own experience.
As you let the taste dissolve,
Draw your gift of taste inward,
Resting comfortably.
Now bring your awareness to any sensations of touch.
The touch of the air on your skin,
The feeling of a piece of clothing or blanket on your body,
Sensation of gravity,
The places of the body that are touching support below.
If you cannot notice these things right now,
You can imagine them along the front of the body,
Sides of the body,
And back of the body.
Observing these sensations from a distance,
Slowly allowing them to fade away.
As you withdraw your gift of touch inward,
Let yourself rest in this refreshed space,
This neutral space.
You can begin to observe the mind space at the center of the eyebrows,
Observing the mind space like a room in your mind or a movie screen.
Just relaxing and staying present,
Noticing anything there,
Playing on the screen,
Noticing any colors,
Any images,
Just staying present with the mind space,
Witnessing anything here in your inner sanctum.
Saying hello to your inner observer,
That self behind the curtain watching the show.
Just relaxing into this open neutral quiet within.
Now begin to gently emerge from your inner sanctum,
Coming back into your body,
Noticing any sensations in the body,
The air on the skin,
Gravity,
Opening back up to a taste in your mouth,
Any smells wafting by,
Noticing any sounds that are close to you like your breath,
Opening up to receiving sounds in the room all around you,
Sounds that are far away.
Breathing in,
Receiving these sensations.
Breathing out,
Remain connected to that neutral calm within.
Take another few breaths,
Receiving,
Remaining connected.
Breathing in,
Receiving these sensations.
Breathing out,
Just remaining connected to that neutral calm.
Now rub your hands together once again and place them over your eyes,
Feeling the warmth or coolness of your hands,
Receiving the warmth or coolness of your hands.
Slowly begin to blink your eyes open,
Widening your fingers to allow for some light to enter and receiving that light,
Releasing the hands down with the eyes fully open.
Taking one more breath in with me and one more breath out,
Taking this sense of inner calm with you into the rest of your day or evening.
Thank you so much for your practice.
