Hello,
My name is Catherine Cook-Coutone.
Let's get started with the presence as a pathway to positive embodiment meditation.
Begin this practice by taking a moment and settling yourself into a comfortable position where you can be both alert and relaxed.
Take time to ground below you.
Press your feet or your legs,
Your sitting bones into the chair or floor.
Take time to notice,
Do I feel supported?
Do I feel grounded?
If you need more connection,
More grounding,
Take a moment to make adjustments.
Perhaps you add a cushion,
A pillow,
A blanket for additional support.
Secure what you need for your work to come from a supported and well-grounded place.
Now if it feels right,
Allow your eyes to close or settle your gaze,
Gently allowing your eyes to soften.
As you sit grounded and supported,
Begin noticing your breath,
The flow of your breath in and the flow of your breath out.
There is no need to change your breath.
Simply notice it,
All of your tension releasing,
Your focus on your breath,
Your inhale and your exhale,
Just your breath.
If your mind is active,
Can you allow it to gently settle as well?
Maybe the thoughts can fade into the background.
I promise you can come back to them later.
For now,
Focus on the breath,
The breath in and the breath out,
Feeling the support of the seat upon which you are resting,
Feeling your entire body ground and connect as you rest here,
Just breathing.
Perhaps you add a thought to your breath.
This aligns the breath and the thoughts,
Your presence.
Perhaps thinking,
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
I'm breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Notice what is present in this moment and see if you can let go of a need for it to be a certain way.
As you breathe,
Consider the possibility of presence in this moment,
In your breath and in your own body.
Presence in your own body in a way that makes personal agency,
Acting on your own behalf possible.
This is called embodiment.
When we have an experience,
Something difficult,
Something challenging in our lives happen.
Sometimes we can lose a sense of this embodiment,
This presence.
We might feel like we live in our thoughts or perhaps even outside of our bodies.
Some of us feel cut off from our bodies and struggles.
It's hard to feel anything,
Emotions and even cues like hunger and feeling full.
Sometimes we no longer have access to that gut feeling that helps protect us from danger.
Getting back,
Working toward presence in your own body can give you access to important life experiences such as feelings and hunger and fullness cues and gut feelings that serve to keep you safe and let you know if something feels okay or not okay.
Here,
We open to the possibility of regaining presence in our own bodies.
Perhaps you can consider that it will be okay,
Maybe even helpful to work toward presence in your body.
This is done slowly and thoughtfully,
Moving at the speed of trust,
Allowing little moments of discomfort as you work through noticing your toes,
Your feet and your ankles.
Breathe here.
Breathing and feeling the earth below,
Noticing your calves and your knees and your upper legs.
Breathe here as you consider bringing your awareness to the feeling of the air or clothes on your skin,
The feeling of muscle tensions and softnesses.
It can be helpful to have a thought that feels like a safe refuge as you do this work.
Maybe you can keep the thought right at the center of your forehead.
Maybe something like,
I am present and breathing.
I am doing the work that's important to me.
Or maybe I can work toward presence in my own body.
As you feel okay,
Consider bringing your awareness back to your body again.
Maybe,
Maybe you can bring your awareness to your hips and the muscles around your sitting bones and your belly,
Your low back,
Your upper back,
Noticing your shoulders and your arms.
Breathing as you notice and become aware of your own body.
And then let's bring your awareness back to your comfort and supportive thoughts.
I am present and breathing.
I am doing the work that is important to me.
I can work toward presence in my own body.
Breathe here.
Next,
Bring your awareness up through your heart center,
Your chest and your shoulders,
Through your neck and up through the crown of your head.
Breathe as you move your awareness.
Here,
Consider softening your jaw,
Your cheeks,
Your eyes,
Maybe even soften the muscles all through your scalp.
And then,
As a bit of a refuge,
Bring your awareness back to the comfort of your thoughts.
I am present and breathing.
I am doing work that is important to me,
That is important for me.
I can work toward presence in my own body.
As you breathe,
Bring your awareness through your body again,
Back through your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your arms,
Belly,
Around your sitting bones,
Through your legs,
Into your feet.
Consider breathing in a breath that fills your whole body,
From your feet to your hands to the crown of your head.
And here,
Breathe in whole body,
Breathe in and then breathe out whole body breath out.
Again,
Consider breathing in a breath that fills your whole body from feet to hands to crown of your head.
Breathing in,
Breathing in,
Whole body breath in,
And then letting it go,
Breathing out a whole body breath out.
Very good.
Place a hand on your belly and a hand on your heart and say,
I can work toward presence in my own body.
I can work toward presence in my own body.
Bring your awareness back to only your breath,
Feeling your entire body as you rest here,
Breathing.
Maybe you add,
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in,
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Notice what is present in this moment,
Perhaps letting go of the need for your body,
Your emotions,
Your thoughts,
Or this moment to be any certain way.
Now,
Let's complete this meditation with three breaths,
Each of them with their own gentle exhale.
And here,
Pause for a moment to take in a little more of any part of this meditation that nourished or supported you.
Allow your eyes to gently open if they're closed and reorient yourself to your surroundings.
Maybe choose one thing upon which you can anchor your gaze.
Again,
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in,
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Take a moment to consider what this meditation means to you,
Maybe for you,
And take a moment to thank yourself for remembering that you are worth the effort,
You are worth presence.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I look forward to practicing with you again.
