In this guided meditation,
We will be using techniques that are available to you at any time to enhance your meditation practice or wherever a piece may be needed.
Maybe it's the home.
Maybe it's work.
Maybe it's the car.
These techniques are available wherever extra peace and tranquility and relaxation is welcome.
The techniques that we'll use are release and relaxation,
Conscious relaxation,
Visualization,
Focusing on the breath,
And physical concentration.
When thoughts arise,
It's completely normal.
Just allow them to pass and choose a technique that works best for you.
Peace begins when expectation ends.
Let's begin with some release and relaxation.
Start by sitting up as straight as is comfortable.
Place your hands on your thighs.
Palms can be face up or down.
As you breathe in,
Let your shoulders roll forward and up.
And on an exhale,
Let them come back and down.
Let's keep that cycle going.
Breathe in,
Shoulders forward and up.
Exhale,
Shoulders back and down.
One more time.
Inhale,
Forward and up.
Exhale,
Back and down.
Imagine there's a beautiful golden invisible string attached to the crown of your head.
Allow it to lift and lengthen your spine.
On your next exhale,
Let your chin drop to your chest.
Feel the muscles in the back of your neck.
On an inhale,
Bring your head back to neutral and let your eyes gently close if they're not already.
Now gently turn your head to the left.
Bring back to center.
Turn your head to the right.
Bring back to center.
Head to the left.
And center.
To the right.
And center.
One more time on your own.
We'll move into conscious relaxation.
As you breathe in,
Become aware of the muscles in your forehead and your eyes.
And exhale,
Allow them to release and relax.
On an inhale,
Bring awareness to the muscles in your cheeks and jaw.
Allow them to release as you exhale.
On an inhale,
Become aware of the back of your neck and your shoulders.
And exhale,
Release and just let your muscles melt.
Inhale deeply and feel your chest opening and expanding.
And then exhale,
Feeling that release of your chest muscles.
Let that release extend into your physical heart,
Releasing anything you're holding onto deep inside your heart.
Now as you inhale,
Feel expansion in the chest.
And on your exhale,
Let that feeling flow all the way down to the base of your body.
And on your exhale,
Feeling your chest and your heart with light.
And on your exhale,
Feeling peace moving downward.
And move on to the visualization technique.
Breathe in awareness to your eyes with your eyes closed.
Imagine sitting at the beach or your favorite place in nature.
And allow your eyes to move.
With your eyes closed,
Look around.
Look at the sights.
What do you see?
Birds.
The tide.
The sun.
Allow your eyes just to wander and take in the sights of this beautiful place in nature.
And move into physical concentration.
Bring your eyes now to a point of stillness.
And with your eyes closed,
Look up.
Down.
Roll your eyes to the left.
Now to the right.
And back to center.
We'll do that two more times.
With your eyes closed,
Look up.
Down.
Roll your eyes to the left.
To the right.
Back to center.
One more time on your own.
Gaze up slightly towards the area between your eyebrows.
Your third eye.
In your mind,
Imagine the flame of a candle right in the center of your third eye.
The more imaginative,
The more your mind will be interested.
The flame can be huge or colorful,
Still,
Maybe flickering.
Shift awareness to your tongue.
Allow the tip of your tongue to touch the roof of your mouth.
You can continue to visualize or be still and aware of the contact of your tongue to your upper mouth.
Now let the tongue sink to the bottom of your mouth and let it be as still as possible.
This helps still the mind and the thoughts.
As we continue with breath awareness,
Choose what you prefer.
Tongue to the roof of your mouth or relaxing at the bottom of your mouth.
Now bring awareness to the throat,
Particularly the back of the throat.
With lips sealed,
Make a sound like you're fogging a mirror.
Your breath becomes audible to yourself.
If you're sharing space with somebody,
Maybe that person will hear your breath as well.
With your lips sealed,
Make the sound like you're fogging a mirror.
It's easier on the exhale,
But with practice,
It becomes easier on your inhale as well.
Keep this breath cycle going.
Be aware of this Ujjayi Pranayama,
The oceanic sound within yourself.
Keep your tongue still and your eyes focused.
Take this opportunity to see if you can become aware of the beating of your heart.
At the top of an inhale,
Maybe hold and see if you can feel your heart beating.
You can place your palm on your chest to feel your heart beating as well.
If and when thoughts arise,
Just know that this is normal and bring awareness back to your beating heart,
Your tongue,
Your breath,
Or your eyes gently gazing up.
Peace begins when expectation ends.
Feel,
Visualize,
Imagine deep inside yourself a beautiful light,
A vastness,
An expanse.
Use stillness of the eyes,
Feeling of breath to focus on this light deep inside yourself.
If you'd like,
You can give it an image or a feeling.
If thoughts or distractions arise,
Imagine on an inhale,
Pulling everything back into your heart.
Everything you perceive,
Every thought,
Feeling,
You can draw back to its source,
The heart.
Be mindful of your eyes,
Your breath.
Visualize a light or something or someone who inspires you.
You can repeat a mantra or an intention that you want to set.
Or you can repeat the word joy,
Peace,
Comfort,
Bliss,
Or simply the sound of om.
Now as we conclude,
Become aware of your internal landscape as it joins the external landscape again.
Bring gentle awareness and subtle movements back to your body.
Wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
Feel the connection of your body to the earth.
Take this feeling of mindfulness and the techniques that we used with you into the world.
Be aware of this feeling right now,
This feeling of peace and relaxation.
And next time you meditate,
You can draw on this feeling of relaxation and peace.
Peace begins when expectation ends.
