Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
Maybe taking a deep breath.
And for this position,
You can be seated,
Standing,
Or laying down.
There's a couple of different options.
And picking whichever posture is going to best support your ability to stay alert and awake.
So not necessarily what's going to feel the best and coziest,
Although that is important.
We want to be able to actually practice too,
So it doesn't slip into a sleepitation.
Continuing to breathe.
If it's comfortable,
Taking some deep breaths in through the nose,
Out through the mouth with an audible exhale.
Allowing the eyes to close or just lowering the gaze to minimize visual distraction.
And we just begin by allowing ourselves the gift of arriving here in the present moment.
We spend so much time up in our heads thinking and strategizing.
Let's reconnect with what's below the neck.
Maybe feet on the floor or hips on the chair or back resting against a surface.
Just feeling those points of contact.
And as we pause and rest here in this position,
In this position,
Inviting the mind to release the bags of the past.
And also let go of the luggage of the future.
Just for a moment.
To allow ourselves to be fully present here and now.
And whatever is supporting us,
Allowing ourselves to be generous with our weight.
As we remember what it's like to have a physical animal body,
We might notice qualities like density,
Heaviness,
Maybe even that subtle sensation of gravity keeping us tethered to this beautiful planet.
As we continue to settle,
Noticing our current emotional state,
Naming however it is we're feeling silently with a word.
Could be relief,
Anxiety,
Joy,
Sadness,
Excitement.
Whatever version of us is here right now,
We welcome it.
We welcome all parts of us.
I'll invite us to reconnect and align with our intentions for coming and practicing today.
What is our heart's aspiration?
What is it that we're longing and yearning for?
Is it more peace?
Gratitude?
Groundedness?
Connection?
Something else?
Just taking a moment to remember our why.
And we'll trust that whatever intentions came up,
That they will continue to support us from the background of our attention.
I'll invite us to soften our body,
And I'll name some parts from
The head,
Down into the belly.
I'll just begin by opening a little bit of my chest.
I'll just begin by opening a little more space on the forehead.
Making more room between the eyebrows.
Letting the eyes nestle back into their sockets.
Unclenching the jaw.
Softening the gums.
The sides of the mouth.
The roof of the mouth.
The tongue.
Feeling the release of the neck and throat.
Giving the shoulders permission to dissolve and melt downwards.
Letting that trickle down the upper arms,
Elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists.
Hands and fingers.
Bringing ease to the belly.
Softening the chest.
And bringing tenderness to the heart.
And just for a moment,
To continue to allow our minds to settle in.
Noticing the movement of our breath and our body.
Or just noticing other sensations in the body,
Like tingling,
Heat,
Or coolness.
Whichever is more relaxing.
Comfortable.
The breath or bodily sensations.
And if the mind wanders,
Just gently bringing it back to the body.
Now we're going to transition to sending some wishes out from our own heart for ourselves.
As it relates to the qualities of the wood dragon.
There are many beautiful qualities.
We'll be focusing specifically on courage,
Creativity,
And growth.
Just for this meditation practice.
And I'll be offering phrases in the framework of,
May I have.
Insert word.
I'll leave a little bit of space for you to think about.
Insert word.
And I'll leave a little bit of space after I say each wish.
And the invitation is for you to silently repeat the phrase in your own heart and mind.
Or just rest in the reverberation of my voice.
And so we begin by tending and caring for ourselves first.
And if it's helpful to imagine looking at a mirror in your mind's eye,
You're welcome to pull that out.
May I have courage.
May I have creativity.
May I have growth.
Just noticing what it's like to wish these things for ourself.
If it's helpful,
You can place a hand on the heart.
May I have courage.
May I have creativity.
May I have growth.
May I have growth.
I'll put the mirror down.
I'm going to invite you to imagine your loved ones maybe surrounding you in a circle.
We're going to send these same wishes out to those we care dearly about.
May my loved ones have courage.
May my loved ones have creativity.
May my loved ones have growth.
Just noticing and feeling what it's like to offer these wishes out to our circle of beloved.
You might notice just a natural smile coming onto your face as you picture those you care about.
Receiving your heart's wish for them for courage,
Creativity,
And growth.
And last and certainly not least,
If it's possible,
I'd like us to invite
To open our hearts even wider to all beings.
All humans,
All animals.
May all beings have courage.
May all beings have creativity.
May all beings have growth.
So just imagining these wishes for courage,
Creativity,
And growth.
Going out to the sky,
Above,
Across the lands,
Deep into the oceans.
Maybe taking another deep breath.
Reconnecting with our physical body,
Noticing our feet,
Hips,
Back.
Noticing how we're feeling as our practice period begins to come to a close.
And beginning to bring some gentle movement to the body.
Maybe twisting or turning,
Rolling,
Stretching.
If the eyes were closed,
Allowing them to reopen.
Maybe taking one more deep breath to signal the end of this practice.
