Taking your seat,
Inviting a straight posture in the spine.
Resting your hands upon the lap or cupped one and another.
Softening the jaw and shoulders and allowing a gentle smile to the face.
And if it feels comfortable to do so,
Allow the eyes to close softly.
Turning the gaze inward,
Invite an inner posture of kindness and curiosity.
Noticing this body,
This mind,
And this heart as they are right now.
You don't need to fix it or change it or even judge it.
It's just like this.
And so inviting three to five deep relaxation breaths as you begin again.
Breathing in a sense of wakefulness,
Presence,
Intention,
And gratitude.
For this time you're taking towards self-care,
For this precious practice.
With every full,
Complete exhalation,
Releasing and softening any unnecessary tension.
Allowing yourself to arrive fully in this moment and in this space.
And when this feels complete,
Once again just allow the breath to find its own rate and rhythm.
Suspend any effort and breath.
And rather just observe this body sitting here breathing on its own.
As you gather the attention towards the forehead and scalp.
As we move through this body scan.
Each in-breath an opportunity to notice sensation.
To be curious about the aliveness that's here right now.
With every out-breath an opportunity to release and soften any tension.
Even a little.
In the forehead and scalp and around the eyes.
Breathing in awareness of sensation at the temples and around the ears.
And here at the jaw.
With each exhalation releasing and softening here in the jaw.
And as you do the mouth might fall open slightly,
Which is fine.
Softening and lightening in the cheeks and around the nose.
And around the mouth.
Be curious as you notice the sensation of upper lip against lower lip.
Here at the center or at the sides.
And with this next exhalation.
Softening in the teeth and gums and tongue.
And chin.
And just noticing the aliveness of this head,
Face,
Scalp.
As you continue to release and soften.
In the front,
Sides,
And back of the neck.
Letting go of any tension in the shoulders and upper arms.
In the elbows and forearms.
In the wrists,
Hands,
And fingers.
And if the attention gets carried away,
No problem.
It's just the habits of the mind.
Can you notice what visitor is here now?
Hello thinking.
Or sound.
Or sensation.
Softly noticing and naming what's actually here right now as an opportunity to practice.
Being wakeful and present.
And then without any judgment,
Just gathering the attention once again.
Coming back to this body to notice the sensation that's here in the chest and upper back.
Softening and lightening any tension in the chest and upper back.
And in the diaphragm and middle back.
In the lower back and abdomen.
Can you notice the aliveness of sensation here in the pelvis and hips?
The sensation of body,
Touching floor,
Chair.
The gentle weight of clothing against skin.
And with these next exhalations,
Can you release and soften any tension in the thighs?
And in the knees?
In the shins and calves?
Ankles?
Feet and toes?
Until the whole body is just a little softer,
Maybe a little quieter.
Holding this entire body in awareness.
Noticing the aliveness of sensation.
And noticing the movement of breath and the sensation that unfolds moment to moment.
As the breath expands and contracts,
Rises and falls.
Moves in and out.
In.
Out.
Resting the attention.
Gently and deeply.
Upon this breath.
Allowing everything else just to recede into the background.
As you follow each breath from beginning to end.
To beginning again.
Allowing everything else to recede into the background.
Allowing everything else to recede into the background.
Allowing everything else to recede into the background.
Allowing everything else to recede into the background.
And each time the attention gets carried away into the thought stream,
There's yet another opportunity to practice with this moment and what's arising here and now.
Noticing,
Naming softly within.
And then returning time and again to this breath.
Inviting a sense of awe and wonderment.
As you notice the beginning,
Middle and end of every inhalation.
Noticing the brief space between in and out.
The beginning,
Middle and end of every exhalation.
And the natural pause between out breath and in breath.
What's the middle of an inhalation like?
What's the moment prior to the birth of a new breath like?
Be curious.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Out.
Out.
Continuing to allow the breath to rise and fall of its own accord.
Transitioning now into this practice of metta meditation.
Inviting these qualities of forgiveness and loving kindness.
As you invite an image of yourself into the mind's eye.
Perhaps an image of yourself as a child or younger person.
Seeing yourself clearly,
Or else having a clear sense of you.
Inviting a hand upon the chest over the heart.
Or one upon the other.
Once again just feeling this sense of touch,
Connection,
Warmth.
Holding yourself so gently and offering forgiveness by repeating within.
I forgive myself for any harm or suffering I may have caused.
Intentionally or unintentionally.
I forgive myself for any harm or suffering I may have caused.
Intentionally or unintentionally.
I forgive myself.
As much as I am able to,
I forgive all those who may have caused me harm or suffering.
Intentionally or unintentionally.
As much as I am able to,
I forgive all those who may have caused me harm or suffering.
Intentionally or unintentionally.
I forgive you.
And,
May I be forgiven for any harm or suffering I have caused.
May I be forgiven for any harm or suffering I have caused.
Please forgive me.
And allowing these words to carry a sincere intention of surrender,
Softening even a little.
Continuing to hold yourself gently.
And inviting metta by repeating within.
May I be free from fear.
May I be safe from harm.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I take care of myself with kindness.
May I be happy.
And like a pebble dropped in a still pond,
Allowing the ripples of this practice to expand outwards.
To embrace a loved one in your life,
Whomever shows up in the mind's eye.
And holding them gently.
And offering loving kindness by repeating within.
May you be free from fear.
May you be safe from harm.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you take care of yourself with kindness.
May you be happy.
And allow this circle of metta to expand again.
And embrace someone who you feel more neutral towards,
Someone you have neither strong feelings of affection nor strong feelings of aversion towards.
And whomever shows up just holding their image clearly in the mind's eye.
And offering metta by repeating within.
May you be free from fear.
May you be safe from harm.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you take care of yourself with kindness.
May you be happy.
And allow this circle of metta to expand again.
To embrace someone who challenges you.
Recognizing that they suffer too.
And sometimes it might be easier to imagine them as a child.
Holding them gently within.
And offering metta by repeating within.
May you be free from fear.
May you be safe from harm.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you take care of yourself with kindness.
May you be happy.
And can you allow this circle of metta to continue to expand.
To embrace all who suffer.
Those in our community and those abroad.
Those whom we know and those whom we might never know.
And just inviting this sense of expanse and care.
May all beings be free from fear.
May all beings be safe from harm.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
May all beings take care of themselves with kindness.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be happy.
And really allow these words to carry a sincere intention of goodwill,
Of loving kindness.
Just noticing the experience that's present now.
Allowing this practice of open awareness.
Simply resting here.
And observing this moment as it is.
Like a vast blue sky.
Clouds may arise and pass by.
Weathers may come and go.
And yet the blue sky ever remains.
Unchanged.
Fast and expensive.
Resting in open awareness.
Allowing these clouds to come and go.
Notice the breath rising and falling.
Awareness of sensation.
Coming and going.
Thoughts arising and passing away.
Resting in the vastness of this moment.
