Hi,
It's Julie Potichur for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.
We're going to start the meditation like we usually do by finding a comfortable seat and taking three nourishing breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
We're going to breathe in for four,
Hold for four,
Breathe out for six,
Starting now.
Okay,
Let your breath find its natural rhythm and notice where you find your breath most easily.
It could be the rise and fall of your belly or your chest or it could be the tip of your nose.
And gently relax your eyelids down,
Either all the way closed if that's comfy for you or if you feel safer,
It could be a gentle downward gaze.
Simply softening your eyelids and softening your eyes.
Seeing and feeling your breath.
Release any tension in your jaws.
You might want to relax your teeth,
Unhinge your jaws.
Then it's helpful to imagine a slight smile to the outside corners of your lips.
Just to tap into that parasympathetic nervous system that helps us tend and befriend.
Dropping that smile down,
Releasing your throat and your neck,
Relaxing,
Softening.
Letting your shoulder blades drift down your back,
Keeping your chest nice and open.
Dropping your attention down into your heart center.
Taking a few moments there to just feel into how is your precious heart today.
Do you feel your heart beating?
Any vibrating?
Pulse?
And what's the feeling tone?
How is your heart today?
However it is,
It's just fine.
Dropping your awareness down into your belly and really letting your abs release and relax.
Noticing how firm your back can be holding you up and how beautifully soft your front can be,
Allowing an opening.
And then releasing your hips into what is supporting you.
Letting your thighs and your calves soften,
Relaxing your feet.
Letting relaxation flow from your shoulders now down to the tips of your fingers and softening your hands.
You may want to place a hand or hands where you find it soothing for a moment or two.
Could be your heart or your belly or hugging your arms,
Cradling your face.
But whatever your soothing touch spot is,
Just as a reminder to yourself that you're giving yourself this time and this space to fill yourself back up.
Letting your hands get tired,
Relaxing and releasing them to your lap.
And re-resting your awareness again on your breath.
Now I invite you to choose a word that you'd like to breathe into your core right now.
Something that would really nourish you on your in-breath.
It could be ease or hope or strength or courage,
Peace.
Whatever it is on your in-breath,
Taking it right in to where you imagine your core to be and then just allowing your exhale.
And if you end up flipping words for other words,
That's perfectly fine.
The intention is that you're giving yourself what you need on your in-breath.
Now for your out-breath,
I invite you to choose a recipient.
It could be someone you know,
Who you know is suffering and could use a little love.
Or it could be more abstract,
It could be classes of people,
Groups of people.
Remembering on your in-breath you're taking in this core,
Strength,
Need and then you're bestowing a gift on your out-breath.
One for me,
One for you.
Now using your imagination on your out-breath,
I invite you to send this goodwill wish to the entire planet,
To all sentient beings.
If you've lost focus,
That's okay,
Gently coming back,
You're breathing in something that really nourishes you and you're breathing out compassion as far as you want to take it.
Now I'd like you to let the world go and continue breathing in for yourself.
Acknowledging the gift that you just gave others,
That you actually just did something helpful for humanity by making these wishes and hopes and prayers.
And right now,
Breathing in what you need and breathing out what does not serve you.
You unique,
Uniquely,
Breathing out what's not serving you.
It could be fear,
It could be frustration,
It could be uncertainty,
It could be grief,
It could be shame.
Breathing in what you need and what feels good and breathing out what you'd like to release and let go.
Now letting go of all the words and staying in the meditation,
Eyes still gently closed,
Just noticing what thoughts,
Feelings and emotions arise and allowing them to blow through like clouds in the big sky of your mind.
This open awareness allows us to notice what thoughts and feelings and emotions appear.
And if we don't attach to them and spin out on any storyline,
It allows us to notice that they pass.
If you don't identify with them.
You weigh them before they do.
Staying in the meditation now and taking in the words of this poem,
Life is Tenderness by Zach Beach.
Did we come into this world or grow out of it?
Is there life after death?
What does it mean to be a good person?
Are we good people?
I don't have all the answers,
But I do know that when your eyes open,
The world opens to you.
When you wake,
The sun awakens with you.
When your heart is heavy,
Gravity triples.
I know that life is tenderness.
I have seen the delicate balance between the nibbling caterpillar and the cradling leaf.
I have seen the spider,
Who after unintentionally trespassing on my premises,
Simply needed two cupped hands and a gentle placement on the windowsill to scuttle away.
How our own children seem to be enveloped in a soft light and are always just out of focus.
So why not hold yourself in the same way?
Carry yourself with the same gentleness.
Forgive yourself for being less than perfect.
As the desire for answers retreats into obscurity,
Allow yourself to happen.
Move through the labyrinth of time,
Guided by the lantern of one open heart.
As the dewdrop slides off the banana leaf,
As the ladybug lifts up its shell to spread its tiny wings,
As the sun tickles the bud to open,
As the winter ice pack melts into a growing river,
Allow yourself to happen,
To move into this meeting of life's calm caress.
Now wiggling your fingers and wiggling your toes,
And when you hear the sound of the chime,
Coming back into this space.
Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Julie Potichur with Balanced Mind Meditation.
