Go ahead and find your seat.
You can be seated on a cushion with your legs crossed loosely in front of you,
Your knees below your hips,
Your hands resting gently on your thighs,
Or seated on a chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground and your hands resting on your thighs.
Depending on how you're feeling today,
Your palms can be face down so that you're working more towards keeping the energy within you,
Or you can have your hands,
Palms up.
This is a signifier of receiving,
Open to community connection.
You can close your eyes or they can be capped open a little bit with the gaze a few inches in front of you,
Not focusing on anything in particular,
But being able to see everything.
Start by taking a few long,
Slow,
Deep breaths,
Inhaling slowly and fully through your nostrils,
And exhaling slowly and fully through your nostrils.
This sends a signal to your body to relax even more deeply.
Let your breathing return now to its natural rhythm and depth.
There's no need to try to control or regulate it.
Just let it be natural and easy breath.
As I call your attention to various places,
Say to yourself,
Relax.
Relax your forehead,
Your eyes,
Relax your cheeks,
Relax your ears,
Relax your mouth,
Your tongue.
Relax your jaw.
Relax the muscles of your neck.
Roll your shoulders back and down.
See if you can find the sensation of your shoulders melting down away from your ears.
Relax your chest,
Your diaphragm.
Let go of your belly.
Just start to tap into the sensations that are present.
Feel yourself supported on the cushion or the chair.
Just really drop into that feeling of support and being held.
Relax your right leg from hip to toes.
Relax your left leg from hip to toes.
Let your arms hang loosely,
Relaxing your hands and your fingers.
Notice your whole body relaxed and still.
I want you now to take your right hand and put it toward your heart.
Put it on your heart,
Your chest,
And silently say to yourself or aloud,
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I be light in body.
May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I be light in body.
May I be light in body.
May I be safe and free from injury.
May I be safe.
May I be light in body.
May I be light in body.
May I be light in body.
May I be light in body.
May I be free from afflictions.
May I be free from fear.
May I be free from anxiety.
May I be free from anger.
May I be free from afflictions.
May I be free from fear.
May I be free from anxiety.
You can release your hand down now,
Back to your lap,
Your thighs.
And I want you to see yourself in front of you,
In your mind's eye,
A picture of yourself in front of you.
And you can silently say or say out loud,
May you be free from anxiety.
May you be free from fear.
May you be free from anxiety.
May you be free from fear.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
Let this image go.
Bring your hand back to your heart.
And silently say or you can say aloud,
I give myself permission to release this anxiety.
I give myself permission to release this fear.
I give myself permission to release this anxiety.
I give myself permission to release this fear.
May I know love.
May I know joy.
May I be free from suffering.
And may I live with ease.
Bring your hand down now to your lap and just start to take some deeper breaths.
And letting go of the mantras,
The phrases.
Just sit in the stillness.
And when you're ready,
You can start to circle your wrists.
Roll your shoulders.
Re-circle your ankles.
And stretch out into the space.
Coming slowly out of meditation.
And when you're ready,
You can start to blink your eyes open,
Noticing the colors and the shapes around you.
And when you're ready,
Moving back into activity slowly.
