We often get caught up in the business of daily life,
Whether it's work,
Our health,
Our relationships,
Or a long-held story that we just play over and over again.
All can hold us in a place of constriction and feelings of diminished self-worth.
Today I offer you the opportunity to take a pause,
Even if only for a few moments.
By pausing,
We give ourselves permission to release bodily constriction and experience our feelings and our emotions.
This helps us release and ease a bit and accept that we are able to create a space for our feelings and our emotional states as they move through us.
We are able to respond instead of react.
So let's begin by taking our seat in whatever way is most comfortable for you.
You're sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor or on a cushion on the floor.
Take a minute to connect to the earth below you.
Now look around you.
Look at your space.
Notice the colors,
The shapes,
The familiar objects.
The light.
Just take that in.
Or maybe it's the uniqueness of the environment if it's a new space for you to meditate in.
And then look at the walls and the ceiling.
And notice the space between you and the area.
And know that right now,
You are safe.
When you're ready,
Gently close down your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through your lungs,
Filling them up,
And then completely exhale through your mouth,
Just letting go.
And then take another breath in.
Fill those lungs.
And let that go.
And then take another deep breath.
And exhale completely.
And just get grounded even deeper.
Now begin to open to any sounds that enter your awareness.
Sounds that are near in the room.
Maybe even sounds from within you.
Sound of your breath.
And sounds further away from you.
And be open to sounds that come into awareness from even furthest area that you can hear.
And just receive the sounds.
Now place your attention on your body in the space that you're in.
And starting from the crown of your head,
Just begin scanning down slowly and just feel the physical sensations.
The muscles around your eyes,
Your face,
Your jaw,
Back of your head,
Moving down your neck,
Your torso as it expands and contracts with the breath.
Then move across the top of your shoulders,
Down your arms,
Into your hands,
Your fingers.
Then up your arms again and just move down your back.
Just feeling areas of tingling or warmth,
Maybe tightness,
Rise and fall of the belly.
All of this while you're breathing.
Feeling awareness into your pelvis,
Into your hips.
Feeling the pressure of your sit bones on your seat.
Then just gently moving down your leg,
Past the knees,
Lower leg,
Down your feet to your toes.
Just experiencing what's present for you in this moment.
Now,
Place your attention on your breath and continue to breathe normally,
Breathing in and out,
Knowing that you're breathing in,
Knowing you're breathing out.
Just follow the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And when thoughts come into your head,
As they will,
Just know that you're thinking and without judging,
Just let them pass by like clouds moving across the sky.
Then return back,
Breathing in and breathing out.
If it helps,
You can count your breath.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
One.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Two.
Count your breath up to ten and if you get lost,
Return to one,
Start over again.
Just continue breathing in silence for the next few minutes.
One,
Two,
Three.
One,
Two,
Three.
Now returning to your body as it breathes,
Breathing in and out,
Expanding and contracting.
So alive in this moment and in this moment.
Feel your breath,
Your body and all the sensations,
Whether they're pleasant or unpleasant or maybe neither.
Accepting all that is and all that can be present in this experience.
And thoughts as they arise and pass,
Just allowing them to move through you without attaching stories to them.
There's a space here for this as well.
Just remain curious and kind as you witness thoughts arising and passing,
All while you are here at your body breathing.
This is your inner weather.
It may be stormy with many clouds,
Some dark,
Others light and fluffy.
Or maybe the sky is clear and bright blue filled with sunshine.
All is welcome here.
No matter what the weather,
It will always change.
And the awareness of this can be a refuge.
So just pause and get a fresh perspective.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Feeling your body,
Observing your thoughts,
All held with loving awareness.
Now take a deep breath in,
Filling your belly and hold.
And then completely exhale,
Letting everything just release.
Take another deep breath in,
Holding at the top and exhale that completely.
And taking your time and maybe bringing some gentle movement in your fingers.
And carefully tilting your head to the left and then to the right if that's comfortable for you.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes and return to your space.
You can take a pause anytime just with the stillness of your body and your breath.
And in doing this,
You break the cycle of reacting and strengthen your ability to respond in a skillful manner.
Namaste.
