BELL So just take a moment to settle in.
Straight back,
Chin slightly tucked in.
Rest your hands on your knees.
Fold them in your lap.
Feel your shoulders relaxed.
Take a nice deep breath in.
Let that breath out with a sigh.
Just begin to fall into the rhythm of your breathing.
And start counting at the number 21.
Backwards all the way down to the number 1,
Counting each breath.
Breathing in 21.
Breathing out 21.
Breathing in 20.
Breathing out 20.
Breathing in 19.
Breathing out 19.
All the way down to the number 1,
Starting now.
Continue counting.
You lose track of the count,
No worries,
Just simply start over again at the number 21.
Continue counting.
Continue counting.
Now just let go of the counting.
Let your breath ease into a nice natural rhythm.
Take your time and really move into the wave of the breath.
And as you breathe in,
Just begin to feel the body breathing itself.
The whole body breathing.
The entire body breathing.
When you breathe in,
Expansion.
When you breathe out,
Release.
With each and every breath,
Feel yourself sinking deeper into the surface you're resting on.
Like the bellows of an accordion moving air in and out.
Allow the air to permeate and feed every nerve and cell in the body.
Feel the living body,
The breathing body,
The whole body,
The entire body breathing.
Now that you are experiencing a greater sense of the body mind,
Allow your body mind to extend out.
Expand outward like the branches and roots of a tree.
Reaching out,
Melting into the earth,
Air,
Water,
Fire,
And all of space.
Feeling every moment and becoming indistinguishable from the environment.
And begin to feel the other breathing bodies that you are slowly becoming part of.
Like a magnificent biological teeming ocean,
All floating and breathing together.
The moment becomes fuller,
Bursting with light and life,
Preparing you for engagement.
Each moment blossoming and unfolding in a spectacular display of colors,
Light,
Sensation,
And sound.
Now turn the mind towards social engagement by calling to the imagination someone whom you feel love,
Warmth,
And great affection towards.
It may be helpful if this person isn't someone for whom your feelings are complicated.
If it is helpful,
Visualize this person sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of you.
Bring your loved one's full self to the image in front of you and breathe in their presence,
Appreciating every nuance of their personality.
Feel the warmth and connectedness and let go of any fear,
Clinging,
Or aversion you may be tempted to feel.
Just dive deeply into that heartfelt,
Open love and connection.
As you breathe in,
Breathe fully their being.
Take what they have given you and bring it towards your heart.
Allow it to swirl around the heart,
Infusing it with even more warmth and love.
Then,
As you breathe out,
Send back to them this new,
Stronger,
Purer,
Deeply transformed love and watch them take it in,
Filling them with love and light and power.
Watch them grow and expand with love and light,
Becoming powerful,
Certain,
And radiant.
Experience as you become more loving,
Powerful,
And full of light,
Until you are both feeding and nurturing each other,
Growing,
Becoming more powerful and full of light,
Love,
And energy.
Now gather in the space around the loved ones sitting before you,
Along with all of those you love.
Friends,
Family members,
Chosen family members,
Those from near and far,
Extending an invitation from your heart to theirs to join you in the space before you.
Allow the heart to open up and loosen,
Breathing in and out,
Breathing in warmth and affection and breathing it back out to each of them.
Now request your community of support to move to the area behind you to provide an atmosphere of complete,
Unequivocal love.
Now to sit in front of you.
Call on an acquaintance for whom you feel very little,
Someone you know but feel neutral or even indifferent about.
It might be someone whom you see regularly but have no in-depth contact with,
Such as a bagger at the grocery store or crossing guard down the block.
Bring that person to be seated directly in front of you and breathe in their full self as much as possible.
Get a deeper sense of their presence as though you had an in-depth understanding and connection.
As you sit together,
Gather as much of their essence as you are able to,
Breathing in their warmth and compassion,
Moving through any reservations you may feel about them.
Breathe through any sense of mistrust and self-protection you may feel.
Allow them to become vulnerable,
Flawed,
And a powerful being like yourself,
A full being,
A complete and wonderful member of humanity.
Take this breath and allow it to mingle with the love and support you feel for your dear ones.
Let it swirl around at the heart and send the breath out as acceptance and goodwill,
Allowing them to take a place along with your dear ones.
Extend this out to all other strangers and beings,
Distant relatives,
Community members,
Town folk,
People in your state,
Extending out across your country,
Other continents,
Allowing beams of light to extend from the heart in a map-like network across the planet Earth.
Welcome these new community members to fill in around your sides,
Taking up the space to the right and left of you,
An ocean of support,
Breathing,
Learning,
And living together.
Now bring into your awareness someone you know who doesn't inspire hatred,
But causes irritation and some anger.
Perhaps someone who is all too happy to give you their opinion about how to live your life or how to do your work.
Extend an invitation to that person to come and sit in front of you.
Do your best not to react quickly and harshly to their presence and utilize all of the strength and warmth you've gathered from the more positive relationships in your life to see them as evenly and fairly as possible.
Breathe in deeply their strengths and weaknesses as you would your own.
Allow as much space as you are able to muster in order to breathe and grow together as human beings.
Notice any speck of beauty and warmth they may project out to you.
Once again,
With your community gathered behind you,
Your new acquaintances by your side,
You breathe in a deep and warming breath of support and extend that support to your difficult other.
Breathe out with a sigh as you let go of any animosity that may be left over.
Gather everyone around you closely,
Loved ones behind,
Acquaintances at your side,
And difficult others in front.
Breathe in unison,
All riding the wave of the breath,
All pulsing and vibrating with the environment and all beings,
Every being joining in chorus with earth,
Water,
Fire,
Air,
And vast space.
Allow all of the beings around you to dissolve into the background and just notice the body breathing,
The whole body,
The entire body,
The whole body breathing itself.
Bell?
