Taking a moment to find a comfortable position,
Either standing,
Sitting or even lying down.
The most important thing is that you feel relaxed and alert,
Perhaps rolling your shoulders up and back.
Or if you're lying down,
Just allowing your shoulders to really relax into the bed or the floor.
If you're sitting,
Lengthening the spine a little without being rigid or stiff,
Inviting the muscles in your face to soften,
Relaxing your jaw,
Dropping your shoulders and allowing the belly to be soft.
Being both relaxed and alert,
Noticing how the body is feeling in this moment,
Not needing to change anything about the mind,
Your thoughts,
Your emotions,
The body or any sensations.
Just simply allowing what's happening to be in your awareness.
How does your body feel right now?
Feeling what's going on physically or mentally?
What sensations are you experiencing?
Noticing where there may be tightness or tension in the body and where there is ease or relaxation.
Just noticing what's here as you continue to settle into this embodied awareness.
You can allow your eyes to close if you'd like or just lowering your gaze as you continue to rest your awareness on the body.
Just noticing what's present and allowing what's happening.
Maybe there are thoughts or emotions coming up.
Just letting everything be here.
Now I'm going to invite you to take a deep breath in through the nose and as you exhale,
You can even make a sighing sound,
Releasing any tension in the body as you breathe in and out.
Do this a few times on your own as you breathe in,
Opening the front of the body and as you breathe out,
Really softening and relaxing,
Allowing the breath to come to its natural rhythm and just taking a moment in silence to notice your bodily sensations.
So not thinking about the body but really feeling any sensations or vibrations.
Now seeing if you can feel the contact with what's supporting your body right now.
It could be a chair,
A cushion,
A bed or the floor beneath you.
Just really sensing into your feet or seat,
Allowing yourself to feel grounded.
Continuing to sense the connection with what's underneath you,
Bringing awareness to the pressure or the weight of the body.
What is that sensation like?
If you notice your mind has wandered off into thinking,
That's okay.
The mind thinks about the past or the future and comments on the present.
That's what it does often but the body is always in the present moment and if thinking happens,
Just allowing your awareness to rest back into an awareness of the body.
Now bringing your awareness to the breath as it flows in and out of the body.
You might like to take one or two deep breaths in and out through the nose to connect you to this process that's always happening.
Perhaps you can notice the belly rising and falling as you breathe in and out.
If you're having trouble connecting to the sensation,
You can place one or both hands over your belly button to feel the belly rising on the inhale and falling on the exhale.
If the breath is hard for you to follow,
You can rest your awareness on the body's contact with what's underneath you or on any part of the body that brings you a sense of ease and connection.
If you're staying with the breath,
Continue to notice the inhale and the exhale.
Embodied awareness is a way for us to stay with our experience by using the body,
The breath or any sensory experience as a way to connect to the present moment.
Not by pushing away thoughts or emotions but by allowing the body to be the ground for our awareness.
Just taking a moment in silence now to rest in this embodied awareness.
As we end this meditation,
Taking a moment to express gratitude toward yourself for taking the time to cultivate this practice and knowing that in any moment you can connect to the body,
The breath as a way to ground yourself and create spaciousness and ease.
Allowing your eyes to open now and beginning to move your hands and feet,
Letting yourself reconnect to your surroundings as we finish this meditation.
