Stepping into this meditation practice just as you are today.
Taking a moment to observe the body in whichever position it is in.
Taking a moment to arrive.
Feeling the sensations in your body,
The messages of pain,
Tension,
Discomfort.
Noticing the areas of softness,
Ease,
Peace.
Acknowledge each note from your body.
Feeling the temperature of your body,
Adding or removing layers as you'd like.
If your mind feels busy today,
Maybe having a hand resting on the belly and a hand resting on the heart.
Or choosing one,
A hand on the belly or a hand on the heart,
To keep your awareness with the breath.
Awareness to focus just on the breath.
Feeling the inhales arriving within the body,
Meeting the body where it's at.
Feeling the exhales gently leaving the body.
And as the exhale leaves the body,
Even saying,
I will return.
And beginning to scan your awareness through the body,
Beginning with the crown of the head.
And as we scan through the body,
I invite to have a sense of softness,
A sense of embrace and a sense of empathy.
Sense of holding,
Holding the hand of your experience.
Bringing your awareness down through the forehead,
The sides of the temples,
The back of the head.
Pausing with your awareness here and holding this area of the body.
Gently having your awareness rest without any expectations or judgments.
Holding this space for what it's been through your recovery.
Just being present with this space and energy of the body.
The face,
As you take note of the changes that may have taken place with your stroke recovery,
Having a sense of softness.
And holding those areas with that softness.
Those areas that will welcome the tenderness and the acceptance.
Moving down from the energy and the space within your face,
Your head,
Your mind to your shoulders.
And bringing your awareness down through the length of both arms.
And here too,
As you guide your awareness through the length of both arms,
Checking in and being receptive to the sensations that may be present here.
The differences that may be present here.
The changes that may have occurred here.
To the next.
Those changes may feel heavy.
Maybe one side has a different range of movement from the way it used to be,
The days past.
Making space to acknowledge the differences between the sides.
Making space to acknowledge the effort that both side is putting in.
Even if that effort looks significantly different.
Keeping your awareness through the length of the arms for one more breath.
Then bringing your awareness back up to the front body.
The chest.
And resting your awareness here in this space.
Carrying again that sense of softness with the breath.
As you notice any judgments or expectations that may be coming up.
Also pausing and holding the hand of your heart.
The heart that has been with you through this stroke recovery.
Every day.
Every moment.
Every step.
That has been with you through this stroke recovery.
Every challenge.
Every success.
Every night.
Gently guiding your awareness down through the lower body.
The legs.
And embracing this part of your body.
With the next few breaths.
Having your awareness rest here.
And embracing where each side is at.
The strength of each side.
The ability of each side.
Meeting each leg where it's at.
And then moving your awareness carefully down to rest with the feet.
And here with a gentle softness also embracing the feet.
The differences between each side.
Here too as we have differences between each side.
Also recognizing and acknowledging the efforts of each side.
The efforts of the affected side.
The effort of the side that has stayed in the condition that it is in.
And acknowledging the steps that both feet have taken through the stroke recovery.
How the feet have been with you through each step regardless of how that looks.
And on your next inhale we'll move to have the awareness through the full length of the body.
Staying here for a few breaths to recognize and acknowledge any differences that might be there from side to side.
Recognizing where each side is at.
Wherever each side is at.
You are here.
If the hands have come off the front body.
We'll take one hand to rest again on the heart and the belly.
Or a hand resting on the heart.
Or a hand resting on the belly.
Taking one nice slow deep breath to close.
The light in me sees,
Honors and reflects the light in you.
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