Welcome to Breathing Space for meditation,
Storytelling,
And poetry.
I'd like to invite you to use this series of meditation and readings from different storybooks and poetry books to find your own breathing space when you are looking for five in the space in our usual way just by getting ourselves centered and we'll do that by tuning into our senses.
So we'll start with looking at five individual different things,
Textures,
Colors,
And then just become aware of four things.
So your clothing on your body,
Where you're sitting,
Cushion or chair beneath you,
Souls in contact with the hair,
Maybe something outside maybe,
Your own breathing potentially,
Three things,
Two things you can smell now,
And one that you can taste,
Maybe something residual.
Now that we're fully present,
Anchored in the room,
I invite you to close your eyes and start a meditation denoted by a bell for 10 minutes to start and a bell at the end as well.
So you sit in a comfortable posture,
Softening the energy as you can.
I invite you now to close your eyes,
Take a deep breath.
Let's begin by just tuning into a natural breathing rhythm,
Just as it is,
Without changing anything at all.
As you tune into your breath,
You may begin to notice the temperature of the air.
As you exhale,
You may notice the temperature of the air is a bit warmer than the surrounding air.
Paying close attention to the breath,
Following each breath in and out,
Feeling the body getting more relaxed with each breath.
Focusing your attention now on your next breath,
Just noticing the contacts from your nostrils.
Notice if you feel any sensations on the top lip as the air rushes past.
Follow that air all the way into the body.
You may begin to notice the body rising and falling with each breath.
You may notice your stomach expanding to make sense.
Just noticing how the body is moving.
From time to time,
You may notice your mind beginning to wander.
Just gently nudge and escort the mind back to the breath,
Paying close attention to the next inhalation.
As you inhale,
Just noticing the point of change between inhalation and exhalation.
Just notice what's happening there.
Bringing the mind back to the breath,
Following each breath in through your nostrils into the lungs,
Feeling the breath.
As you exhale,
Really feeling that breath.
I'd like to invite you now to bring to mind something you are grateful for,
You feel very grateful for at this moment.
Let's bring that to mind,
Holding it in the space with each breath,
Feeling a sense of gratitude for this thing that you are grateful for.
Feeling a sense of gratitude washing your body from inside.
And as you exhale,
Noticing your body in a space for another deep breath in.
A sense of gratitude expanding inside your body.
You may notice your breath relaxation.
With your next breath in,
Tuning into that breath,
Knowing that everywhere you go,
You take your breath with you.
At any time,
You can always come down.
Okay,
You may want to wiggle your toes gently twiddle your fingers come back to the room.
Today is World Kindness Day.
I thought I would read something fitting.
A poem about kindness.
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things.
Feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand you counted and carefully saved.
All this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop.
The passengers eating maize and chicken would stare out of the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
You must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you.
He too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness at the deepest thing inside,
You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth.
Then is only kindness that makes sense anymore.
Only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread.
Only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say,
It is I you have been looking for.
And then goes with you everywhere you go like a shadow or a friend.
I'd like to invite you now to reflect on the meditation or the stories or poetry that you may have heard.
When reflecting on the meditation,
Bring a gaze of non-judgment to your experience.
If you had difficulty during the meditation,
Whether it was pain,
Discomfort or a flitting mind,
Just appreciate that.
And if it was a great meditation,
If you deem it as a pleasant experience,
Just appreciate that equally as well.
Any thoughts or ideas to contemplate on from the storytelling and poetry,
I'd like to encourage you to take that with you for the rest of the day.
And I look forward to seeing you in the next breathing space.
