Hi and welcome to this meditation practice.
First of all,
Take a moment to thank yourself for the courageous act of showing up,
Of opening this app and creating space or few moments to connect with yourself,
With your mind,
With your body.
My name is Tori and I'm so excited to be here with you.
First find a comfortable seat,
A position that feels supportive for your body.
If you're sitting cross-legged,
One leg out,
Both legs out or lying down and take a moment to arrive.
Just begin settling into the body by wiggling and one sit bone or the other.
Take a look at your surroundings,
Notice the color of the walls,
Items in the room,
Windows and doors.
And then if it feels comfortable and safe,
I'd invite you to either close your eyes or find a soft gaze off the tip of the nose.
When you get there,
Take a slow breath in through your nose and a long exhale sigh it away.
Another deep breath in through the nose and a long exhale to sigh it away.
You've made it.
Relaxing the brow and unclenching the jaw,
Allowing the tongue to drop away from the roof of the mouth.
Long and steady and unhurried.
Another inhale and a longer slower exhale.
Just allow yourself to land here.
Let the shoulders melt away from the ears,
The arms,
The elbows be soft,
The fingertips,
The hands can rest in your laps or by your side.
And bring your awareness like a butterfly traveling to all the sensitivities or tender places in your body,
Neck or hips,
Knees,
Ankle.
Just create that silent vow to yourself to take care of those places,
To honor the tenderness,
To hold it with love and care.
Never pushing anything down or shoving anything away.
We practice moving into a long enough breath.
A soft natural inhale followed by a longer lengthening exhale.
And a good way to track the time that you inhale and exhale is by counting.
And there's something very calming about counting.
You can't think of your to-do list or travel,
Wander away.
If you're paying attention to numbers and counting your breath.
So we'll inhale to the count of four.
We'll hold for two and then we'll exhale for six and hold for two.
And I will count with you as you breathe.
First just take a natural deep breath in through the nose and a long exhale.
And then inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 1,
2.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 1,
2.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 1,
2.
One more round.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Hold 1,
2.
Good job.
Inhale deeply.
Exhale long.
Let that exhale carry tension out of the body.
Your shoulders drop,
Your jaw softens,
A tongue rests heavy.
Maybe something has shifted.
Maybe something has changed.
The chest rising and the belly gently expanding.
No holding,
No bracing,
Just space.
Your body already knows how to do this.
There's nothing to figure out.
There's nothing to force.
All you have to do is listen and breathe.
Let each exhale be your anchor,
Each breath out a small release,
A small letting go.
Whatever you're feeling right now,
Good,
Bad,
Neutral,
Uncomfortable,
Frustration,
See if you can meet it with that loving kindness and that loving awareness.
Saying thank you mind.
I don't need that thought right now.
Come back to the breath,
Taking another deep breath in and long exhale.
Letting the exhale move through the thoughts.
It's okay if the mind drifts.
Just gently bring it back again and again.
Stay with this for a few more breaths.
Inhaling gently and exhaling slowly.
Letting everything soften.
Letting everything settle from the day,
From the week.
Trusting your body,
Trusting your breath.
Everything you need is already within you.
And when you're ready,
Begin to bring some small movement back into your body.
Rubbing your fingertips together,
Your pointer and thumb.
Wiggling the toes.
Maybe rocking the head back and forth.
Rolling the shoulders up,
Back and down.
And slowly,
Gently opening your eyes.
Thank you so much for taking this time to be with yourself.
Time spent with yourself is never wasted.
Namaste.
