Hi,
It's Pen here with a meditation for spring,
Connecting you externally to the world around you,
Before bringing your attention inside,
To connect with your own potential,
Just waiting to bud and blossom.
If the weather's nice,
You might want to do this meditation outside or maybe by an open window or door,
Just so you can experience spring with all your senses.
The practice will begin and end with a few moments of open awareness,
So please keep your eyes open until I invite you to close them or lower them.
There'll be a period of self-inquiry,
Followed by breath awareness,
And the repetition of the beautifully simple and resonant So Hum mantra.
So Hum translates as I am that,
And connects us with the natural vibration of our breath and of the world around us.
So make yourself comfy,
You can sit,
Stand or kneel,
And please do use cushions or a chair for support.
If your body feels uncomfortable,
You may find yourself getting distracted.
As always,
Come to this practice with an open heart,
A beginner's mind and a willingness to experience whatever arises.
Take a couple of long,
Slow deep breaths in and out through your nose.
Invite the body to soften.
Allow yourself to let go of anything that might distract you from your practice.
Start by opening your awareness to the environment all around you,
Simply observing all that is there.
Notice what you notice,
And be aware of the feelings and thoughts that might arise.
If you find yourself labelling what you notice,
See if you can let go of the words and simply experience your awareness through your senses.
Invite a little curiosity into your awareness.
Can you engage your senses with spring?
Can you see,
Hear,
Smell or feel any signs of spring?
Let any signs of spring naturally arise in your awareness and then gently fall away.
Try not to force the practice here.
Now allow your eyes to float closed or bring your gaze down to your lap.
We'll continue with a period of self-inquiry.
Like any transition,
Moving from winter to spring can be challenging.
You might have felt physically tired and mentally alert or energetic in your physical body but drained mentally and emotionally.
Contemplate for a moment if you felt any changes to your own energy levels.
Bring your awareness now to your heart space.
Can you invite a sense of softness and warmth here?
Maybe you can imagine,
Think or feel a soft golden light resting over your heart space.
In the gentle glow of that light,
Ask yourself two questions.
Can I sense any new beginnings within me or around me?
Where would I like to blossom?
So be gentle during this process of self-inquiry.
Answers may come up,
But allow yourself to be comfortable with and accepting of silence.
When you plant the seeds of questions,
You never quite know when they'll bloom.
Releasing the questions and any answers,
Bring your awareness now to your breath.
Allow the body to breathe naturally.
Don't try and change how you're breathing.
Do you notice where your attention is naturally drawn as you follow the breath in and out of the body?
Allow your attention to rest there,
Simply being aware of the body as it breathes.
Stay with this gentle state of breath awareness for the next few minutes,
Bringing your focus back to the breath every time you notice you're distracted.
It doesn't matter how many times you have to do this.
This is the practice of meditation.
On your next inhalation,
Listen for the sound of SOH.
And as you exhale,
Listen for the sound of HUM.
Keep your focus on your breath while silently repeating SOH,
HUM.
SOH as you breathe in,
HUM as you breathe out.
Be kind whenever you notice that the mind has wandered.
Gently guide it back to the SOH,
HUM sounds of the breath.
I'll keep a track of the time and will guide you into a period of open awareness to bring the practice to a close.
Allow the SOH,
HUM mantra to dissolve from your mind.
Release your focus from your breath and begin to engage with your senses again.
Gently open your eyes or raise your gaze.
Can you see the signs of spring around you?
Can you hear how the natural world has come back to life after winter?
What signs of spring can you smell or touch?
No matter how small the signs,
Rest here with the beauty of the natural world.
Stay as long as you wish.
But I'll say my goodbyes.
Thank you for practicing with me.
See you again soon.
