Hello and welcome to this meditation practice.
For this practice,
Begin by taking a comfortable seat.
Once you're seated,
Allow your attention to roam over your body,
Noticing in particular any place that your body comes into contact with the floor,
With whatever surface it is you sit upon or lean against.
And as you notice those places of contact,
There's an invitation to lean into the support of them.
That might look like softening muscles,
Or sitting taller,
Maybe even adding a slight pressure into your feet if they are laying upon the floor.
From here,
You might close your eyes or direct your gaze softly downward and bring your awareness further into yourself.
Begin to notice your breath.
Observe it as it currently is,
Noticing where in your body you're most aware of it,
On the inhale and on the exhale.
Maybe your attention goes back to those places of contact and you notice if there are any shifts or adjustments you'd like to make to feel more supported.
As you're becoming more aware of your breath,
You might notice an interest in altering it in some way.
That might mean elongating the inhale.
It might mean making a more complete exhale,
Feeling everything really draw inward as you push out that last bit of stale breath.
It might even feel of interest to exaggerate these alterations,
Breathing in deeply,
Feeling the fullness of your breath.
At the top of your breath,
Maybe sipping in even more until you feel that expansion through your lungs from front to back,
Side to side,
And top to bottom.
And on your exhale,
Letting all of that go,
Being just as intentional and complete in your exhale.
From here,
You might let your breath come and go in a more natural cadence,
Finding what feels most comfortable to sustain without much effort.
And here you might let your breath go in a more natural cadence,
Bringing your awareness to your feet.
Notice any sensations there,
Any holding through your muscles that doesn't feel supportive.
Release any holding that you do not want to carry.
And then continue scanning upward through your legs until you come to the juncture of your hips.
Notice here,
Any holding again that isn't supportive,
Especially those deep core muscles on the inhale,
Can they soften to allow a more full breath in,
Knowing that they will rise and draw inward on your exhale.
And then again,
Can soften on your inhale.
Bring your awareness up along your spine,
Perhaps noticing your shoulders.
Notice there,
If there's an invitation to adjust or to alter your shoulder positioning in any way to create an easier breath.
And then scan down your arms to check if there's any holding there that could be released,
Perhaps through your fingers or your wrists.
Embody the ease and the softness of that exhale as you continue to scan upward through your neck,
Jaw,
Eyelids,
All the muscles of your face.
And again,
Notice if there's any room to soften,
To release.
Come back to your breath.
Perhaps hold in your mind's eye the fullness of your body,
Of your breath.
Settle back into those points of contact.
Let your only task be to remain present with your body and your breath for these next few moments.
If thoughts arise,
Allow yourself gentleness toward them.
Mind is designed to think thoughts.
Let them gently drift away and bring your awareness back to your body and your breath.
As we prepare to exit this moment of stillness,
Begin by gently deepening your inhale.
Noticing how much movement that alone reintroduces into your system.
Let your exhale perhaps even sigh out through your mouth or otherwise be complete.
Transitioning from there straight back into an inhale.
And maybe here you begin to gently invite in some movement,
Shoulder circles,
Tilting your head side to side,
Wiggling through your fingers or your toes.
You might blink your eyes gently open,
Letting some light filter back in.
And as you adjust to your surroundings again,
Perhaps you take a moment to look around and identify anything particularly pleasing.
It can be a texture,
A color,
Some natural element,
Perhaps even a pet or a loved one.
And that way,
Reawakening to your day with intention.
I thank you for sharing this practice with me.
Spend all the time that you need here before making the full transition back to whatever it is that awaits for you.
