For this meditation,
You may choose to sit or lie down on your back.
Be comfortable,
Warm,
And in a quiet space.
Gently close your eyes and give yourself a few moments just to settle in.
Become aware of the sensation of clothing against skin.
The hard or soft surfaces that hold your physical body.
The space above,
Below,
All around you.
You in the very center of all this space.
Withdraw from the world of sound.
Feel and sense into your right outer ear.
Right inner ear.
Left outer ear.
Left inner ear.
As if cocooning your sense of hearing with a warm blanket.
Let all distant sounds become dampened and muffled.
Listen for the closer sounds.
The coming and going of your own breath.
Feel your body begin to soften through your next exhale.
And once you're empty,
Generously fill your belly and lungs with air.
Then part the lips,
Exhale the breath out your mouth from the back of the throat.
Relax the scalp and forehead.
Then through the nostrils,
Feel an expansion of your rib cage outward,
Upward,
Fill up your lungs,
Then stream the breath out parted lips.
Relax the eyes and cheeks.
A third time,
Inhale steadily through the nose.
Exhale from the mouth.
Relax the tongue and jaw completely.
Release any control of the breath.
Let the body be breathed and relax any tension and grip from your shoulders.
Relax the arms.
Relax the hands.
Let go of tension in the chest.
Relax the upper back.
Relax the abdomen.
Release any feeling of tension in the lower back.
Relax the hips.
Relax the legs.
Relax the feet.
Now lightly touch your thumb and index fingers together on both hands.
With the palms facing upward,
Bring tender attention to the meeting point of the fingers,
The gentlest of pressure.
Get very quiet and feel the heartbeat in the fingertips.
A pulsation,
An aliveness from within.
Release your pulse in the fingertips.
Feeling the gentle rhythm of the fingertip pulse as your guide,
Inhale through the nose to a count of six.
Then spill the breath out of the nose for a count of eight.
Inhale six,
Exhale eight.
Relax all tension from the breath.
Simply fill up with a smooth,
Continuous,
Quiet breath and feel the inhalation pouring into the exhalation,
Steady,
Slow,
Following along with the pulse in the fingertips.
Exactly the same thing.
You you you now let go of the count of the breath let go of the fingertips touching relax the hands release any control of the breath sense the breath moving you from the inside out feel the touch of air as a vital continuous connection to creation the earth and all its beings as you breathe in recognize that there are beings who are breathing out and as you breathe out know that there are beings who are breathing in plants animals people all together feel your whole self breathing and being every emotion that you have wrapped with tender breath every cell being breathed into aliveness bathe your thoughts your brain your heart in the quiet stream of collective breath let these words become your own I choose peace over panic I choose stillness over productivity I choose compassion over judgment let these words ride on the waves of your breath let go of any doing and rest in what remains you you observe the changes in your breathing rate the quality of your mind any sensations you notice in the body place your left palm on your heart with the right hand on top connect again with the heartbeat beneath your hands may you give yourself permission to feel everything and remember that no feeling is final relax your arms down and open your eyes when you're ready
