Hi,
It's Julie Potokker for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.
Let's find our comfortable meditation seat.
Losing our eyes down if it's comfortable.
Really feeling into our bodies.
And letting your body be comfortable right now.
If you have to wiggle around to make yourself comfortable,
Or you feel like laying down,
That's fine.
Anywhere where you're supported,
You're alert but you're relaxed.
Letting your mind settle.
Then let's take three breaths in for four and out for six.
Letting the heart rate slow.
Slow down.
Letting this one out with a sigh.
And letting fall away the to-do list for the rest of the day or night,
Just being here now.
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to go.
Following your easy in and easy out breaths.
Losing your forehead and your eyes and releasing your jaw.
Letting your shoulders soften.
Letting your shoulder blades move down your back.
Touching in with your heart.
Relaxing your abs and letting your hips really melt into whatever is supporting them.
Relaxing your thighs and your knees.
Your calves and your ankles and your feet.
Feeling your feet if they're on the floor.
Are they cold or warm?
Moist or dry?
Tingly or numb?
Spending a couple moments on your feet.
Now letting relaxation flow from both your shoulders,
Down your upper arms,
Your elbows,
Your lower arms,
Your wrists,
Your hands.
And then seeing if you can feel your hands from the inside out.
Really investigate your hands like you did your feet.
Your hands moist or dry,
Chilly or warm,
Tingly or numb.
You may want to place a hand or hands in a supportive or soothing touch position.
Could be your heart or your belly cradling your face or hugging your arms just for a couple breaths as a gentle reminder of what you're doing right now.
This care and love you're giving yourself.
Like a hello.
I'm so glad you're here.
And resting your hands on your lap if they get weary.
And following your breath for a few moments.
Now I'd like you to use your imagination to create your environment,
Your special,
Safe,
Magical place.
Which is anywhere that your imagination would like to go.
It could be a place that you've been,
That you've felt peace and love and awe.
Or it could be a place you create that doesn't exist.
Just take your time now.
Whether it's somewhere in the mountains or a summer camp of your youth or the ocean,
The beach,
The forest.
Or just your bedroom.
Allow your imagination to populate this image with as much detail as possible.
Now see whether you can notice the light.
Whether it's daytime or nighttime or whether it's cloudy or sunny or whether it's indoors and there's lamp light or firelight or overhead light.
Just see if you can notice.
Now how about the temperature of the air and whether it feels misty or cool or dry or warm or cold even.
See if you can notice any aromas,
Whether there's a briny smell from the seashore or a fire smell from a campfire or floral smell or no smell at all,
Which is fine.
It's all fine.
It's your safe,
Magical place that you're creating.
Now opening to sounds in your imagination,
Whether there's birds chirping or water rushing from a waterfall or waves lapping or fire crackling.
Cat purring.
Now taking in how good and safe and comfortable it feels to be dwelling here right now.
Now I'd like you to imagine yourself coming to visit you and this simulation of you.
You is fierce and gentle.
She is the embodiment of fierce compassion and wisdom and intelligence.
And of course she knows everything about you.
She is you.
So invite her in and have her be whatever distance is appropriate.
Whether she's got her hand on your shoulder or you're holding hands or hugging or just sitting a respectful distance from each other,
Whatever feels right.
This woman,
Man oh man,
She's got it going.
She's walked through it.
She's strong and mighty and fierce.
And gentle and supple and vulnerable.
You can sit in companionable silence or there might be things that you want to say,
Questions you want to ask.
And then you can just be open to listening to the answers that may come.
That's all.
You you Before she leaves she has an object she's going to give to you Something for you to contemplate and then you'll You'll need to say goodbye for now I'm sure we sometimes wish we could be two people To shoulder Everything that we shoulder as human beings on the planet as women as daughters as friends as Mothers if We have children of our own and as mothers to many other People if we don't have children of our own But just as nurturers So after she leaves spending a few moments you're still in this magical place you've created Taking some time to consider the conversation that you had The object that you received And how your body feels What thoughts or feelings or emotions?
Arise and just seeing whether you can Notice them and let them drift on by like clouds on the big sky of your mind Now Staying in the meditation But taking in the words of this poem You have become a forest by Nikita Gill One day when you wake up you will find that you have become a forest You have grown roots and found strength in them that no one thought you had You have become stronger and more beautiful full of life-giving qualities You have learned to take all the negativity around you and turn it into oxygen for easy breathing A host of wild creatures live inside you and you call them stories A variety of beautiful birds rest inside your mind and you call them memories You have become an incredible self-sustaining thing of epic proportions And you should be so proud of yourself of how far you have come from the seeds of who you used to be Now wiggling your toes Wiggling your fingers and when you hear the sounds of the chime listening all the way through to the very end before coming back into this space Wiggling your toes and when you hear the sounds of the chime listening all the way through to the very end before coming back into this space Okay give your body a stretch if it feels good Thank you for listening it's Julie Potikker from the Balanced Mind Meditation Center
