To begin this meditation,
I invite you to find a position that supports your body,
Either seated or laying down,
Making sure that whichever position you choose,
You don't fall asleep in it.
Settle in with a nice long spine,
Lengthening the space between the top of your head and the base of your tailbone.
Relax the shoulders,
Soften the eyes by closing them or relaxing your gaze about 45 degrees in front of you.
Place your palms softly on your lap,
Or you can stack the right palm on top of the left and bring the thumbs together in a seal of contemplation,
This hand gesture,
Also known as Dhyani Mudra.
Take one full deep breath as you land in your meditation position,
Inhaling deeply through the nose,
Filling up the belly,
And fully exhaling all the air out of your mouth,
Sighing it out,
Just clearing out any energy.
Feel your body begin to soften into the support beneath you,
Knowing that you are here for yourself.
Anything that is lingering in your mind from the day before you,
Or anything you may be anticipating from the day ahead of you,
Give yourself a moment to acknowledge any of those distracting thoughts.
Allow the exhale to melt them away,
Dissolving them so you can fully arrive here in the present moment.
As you deepen your awareness with your breath,
Begin to become aware of just your left nostril.
Now become aware of just your right nostril.
For our next three breaths,
We're going to take them deeply only through the left nostril.
So start by taking a deep exhale,
Clearing all the air from your lungs.
Take a deep inhale,
Focusing the air in just through the left nostril.
Again,
Fill up the belly.
Then exhale out only through the left nostril.
We'll take two more through the left just like that.
Inhale deeply through the left.
Exhale,
Clearing the left side of your body.
One final deep breath in through the left nostril.
And exhale,
Clearing out the left nostril.
On your next inhale,
Breathe in only through the right nostril.
Inhale deeply through the right.
Fill up the belly.
And exhale fully out just the right nostril.
Inhale deeply,
Bringing lots of air only through the right.
And exhale,
Clearing out the right side of your body.
Another breath in.
Last one on this right side.
Breathe in deep.
Hold the air at the top.
And big exhale to release,
Direct all of that air out just the right nostril.
Begin to breathe in evenly through both of your nostrils.
Just noticing how your body feels.
Sitting with any sensations that may arise.
Any emotions or even if there are any distracting thoughts.
Guiding your awareness back to your breath evenly through both nostrils.
And begin to shift your awareness into your body.
By beginning to draw a line down the center of your body.
This line traces through your forehead,
Your nose,
All the way down the midline of your body.
Ending at the natural separation of your legs.
Then begin to bring awareness to the left side of this line.
The left side of your body.
Notice every part on the left side of your body.
The left side of your face.
Left side of your neck.
Your left shoulder,
Arms,
And fingertips.
Left side chest.
Left hip.
And left leg.
Become fully aware of the left side of your body.
And observe what arises.
No judgment,
No stories.
Just witnessing the left side of your body.
Now shift your awareness to the right side of your body.
Feel every part on the right side as well.
The right side of your face.
Right side of your neck.
Your right shoulder.
And fingertips.
Right side chest.
Right hip.
And right leg.
Fully immerse in the presence and sensations of the right side of your body.
Notice what comes up on this side of your body.
Now starting from the top and working your way down,
Scan through the left side of your body again.
Once you hit your left feet,
Begin to scan your awareness on your way up.
Turning your awareness at the sole of the right foot.
Scanning the right side of your body,
Starting at the right leg,
And working your way up.
Once you made it all the way to the top,
Continue to scan each side in this way.
Working your way down the left side of your body.
And working your way up the right side.
Almost as if your awareness is creating an infinite loop between both sides of your body.
Now become aware of both sides of your body at the same time.
Simply observe if there happen to be any imbalances between each side.
Use the breath to settle each side into stillness.
As each side relaxes further into meditation.
Align your awareness with your breath,
Breathing into the physical borders in the space you take up.
Close your meditation by placing your palms over your heart and bowing in gratitude for your practice.
When you are ready,
Gently flutter the eyes open.
Take your time as you come back into this space and journal on any insight you received.
Thank you for joining me in this practice.
