Hi there.
So let's begin this brief meditation session and as always we will start with our body.
So just notice how you're sitting.
Allow your posture to be both relaxed and uplifted,
Supported yet soft.
Noticing your spine upright,
Not too tight,
Not too loose.
Feel the weight of your body.
Notice where your butt meets the cushion or the chair or if you're lying down,
All the points of contact with the bed.
That gentle pull of gravity holding you,
Supporting you.
And now notice what's present,
Any sensations in your body,
Any points of tension.
Also notice the points of ease in your body,
What's working.
And then notice the space around you.
Allowing there to be some safety here or else you wouldn't be able to be participating in this meditation.
Notice the temperature of the room,
How it hits your skin at different points.
Notice any sounds in the room or further away.
So as we attend to the body we are simply arriving here in our body in this moment right now.
Now we're going to move on to the breath.
So just notice how you're breathing right in this moment.
You don't need to manipulate the breath.
Although once we start noticing it and being attentive to it,
It tends to deepen.
Just notice your full intake of air.
Notice the long easy exhale.
And then there's this little pause at the bottom and pause at the top.
So just see if you can be with the full round of breathing.
Inhale,
Pause.
Exhale.
And then allow the next breath to rise naturally.
Feel the rhythm of your breathing.
You're like tuning into a wave.
Your body's doing this all the time anyway but now we're kind of eavesdropping.
Really being present with the breath.
Let the breath anchor you.
It's your quiet companion,
Always bringing you home to yourself.
And now that we've noticed our bodies and our breath,
Now we turn to the mind.
Just notice where your mind has been wandering even since we started.
Maybe notice where your mind has been in the last hour.
Is your mind leaning more into the past or reaching more toward the future?
Perhaps your mind is circling around a familiar thought.
There's no need to push it away.
We're just observing kind of the landscape of our minds in this moment.
And then very kindly we're inviting our thoughts to kind of take a seat,
Just like we're taking a seat.
We're not being harsh.
We're not being punishing or being upset that we're thinking.
We are thanking our brains for thinking.
But we are not simply our thoughts.
We have thoughts but we are not our thoughts.
So now we're returning to something a little bit more immediate in the room.
Again,
How is your body set up?
How is your breath?
And noticing the movement of the mind.
We're just attending to our simple presence in this moment.
And now from this grounded place we begin.
You have been showing up for yourself,
Not just today but in so many quiet ways lately.
You've been noticing your thoughts.
You've been tending to your feelings,
Bringing kindness where once there was criticism.
You're learning what fuels you and gently releasing what drains you.
Feel the strength of that.
That quiet resilience that's always been with you.
The determination that carries you forward.
And notice the care that you offer to yourself,
To others.
The care you're giving yourself right now.
And now imagine yourself beside a gentle river.
The water glides smoothly,
Effortlessly.
There's no rush.
There's no struggle.
Just the natural flow of life moving forward.
See a single leaf resting on the surface,
Carried by the current.
Not because it's trying but because it trusts.
Now sense that you are that leaf.
Light,
Unburdened,
Held by something greater.
The steady unseen hands of the river beneath you.
Notice how the leaf doesn't grip the water.
It doesn't resist the bends and the curves ahead.
It doesn't question each twist in the journey.
It simply allows.
Feel into that allowing.
The release of needing to paddle upstream.
The softening of old habits that push and strain.
There's nothing to fight here.
Nothing to resist.
You are supported.
The river knows the way and you can just trust yourself to float with it.
Not passive,
But wisely surrendered.
Feel the gentle guidance beneath you.
The way the current carries you forward,
Even when you don't exactly know where it leads.
Let your body relax even more now.
Noticing your breath.
Feeling your body.
Notice that if there's any part of you that is still holding on.
Still trying to steer or control.
And gently,
Just in this moment,
Invite that part to loosen.
Maybe give a nice exhale here.
Loosening a bit of control.
You don't have to effort your way through this moment.
You can lean back into trust.
It's trust in yourself.
It's trust in the flow of life.
Trust that you will arrive where you're meant to.
Let yourself be carried,
Floating,
Light-hearted,
Confident in the art of letting go,
Little by little.
This is ease.
This is freedom that comes when you no longer work against the current,
But you move with it.
Calibrating as you go,
With a wink and a nod,
A sense of humor,
And a light touch of kindness toward yourself.
Now just take a moment to simply rest in this feeling,
This ease of being carried along the river,
A quiet confidence in trusting yourself,
A light touch of kindness toward whatever arises.
Again,
Notice the feeling in the room,
Some spaciousness.
Maybe your thoughts have slowed down a bit.
Some kind of allowing is happening right now.
Notice if it feels good.
And remember,
You can return to this brief meditation any time you need a reminder of who you really are.
When life feels heavy and you find yourself grasping for control over things that are beyond your reach,
Come back here.
It doesn't even have to be to these words or this exact meditation.
Just come back to yourself.
Some kind of surrender,
Breathing,
Noticing,
Allowing.
Let this be your invitation to release what isn't yours to hold and gently recall what is within your hands.
Your breath,
Your awareness,
Your response,
And definitely your care for yourself.
Thank you,
Dear one,
For taking time to slow down,
To notice,
To attend to your own heart and your own mind,
And also to lighten up.
Not by ignoring life,
But by meeting it with a softer touch and a kind awareness.
And now,
When you're ready,
Take one more nice deep breath.
Let it go and carry this sense of ease with you into whatever comes next.
Thank you so much for giving yourself this time and for participating in this with me.
I appreciate you.
Now either relax and take a little rest or open your eyes and take on your day with gentleness,
Kindness,
And a sense of humor.
Bye for now.
