Welcome to this introduction meditation.
For this meditation,
I'll be guiding you through the basic meditation.
I'll be meditating with you today.
So beginning to find yourself in a comfortable seated position,
Gently taking some size out of the mouth,
Lengthening the breath,
An inhale,
And then an exhale out the mouth.
This allows the body to settle into its parasympathetic nervous system,
Gently releasing threats from the mind and the awareness from the external environment.
Making sure the spine is tall and straight,
This will allow the body to remain awake through the meditation.
Well,
Sometimes we can think that meditation is a relaxation exercise.
What we can also try to find is balance in our day.
Maybe we're feeling sluggish or maybe we're feeling too agitated.
Meditation can be an exercise for both.
As we find our comfortable position,
Allowing the body to relax into any props,
Or if we're leaning up against the wall,
Surrendering to the wall,
Allowing the wall or the chair to support us as we begin our meditation.
And gently move the arms and the shoulders and the neck to release any hidden muscle tension in the shoulders and the neck or in the chest or the spine.
We'll wanna try to find as many parts of the hidden tension before the meditation that we can.
This will allow us to remain undisturbed for the rest of the meditation.
Gently connecting back to the breath,
We can notice the natural flow of the breath.
If it's available to you,
Seeing if we can bring the breath in and out of the nose with the mouth closed,
Maybe being aware of where the tongue is in the mouth,
If the tongue is still resting on the roof of the mouth,
Seeing if we can relax the tongue as well.
As we connect,
Trying to lengthen the breath in and out of the nose,
Seeing if we can feel the gentle breeze in and out of the nose,
Lengthening the breath and feeling the air coming down the windpipe and into the lungs,
Nourishing the body and then exhaling,
Allowing the air to leave the body and make room for the next inhale.
Connecting with the breath through the meditation helps us guide our inner awareness back towards ourselves.
When there's so much of our day that's focused on the external world.
The breath can be a powerful meditation tool because it's both something that we can control and something that is done automatically.
And it can be a powerful meditation tool because it's both something that is done automatically.
By mindfully slowing down the breath,
We tell the body that it's okay to relax or it's time to wake up,
Depending on where we're at in the day.
As we focus the inner awareness,
We can begin to guide it with our eyes closed.
We can begin to be aware that we can focus our awareness on different parts of the body.
This can help find any other hidden muscle tension in the body.
If we can begin to guide the inner awareness to the left foot,
Seeing if we can feel our left foot,
Not necessarily focusing too hard on the left foot,
We may find that it's restless or falling asleep.
If so,
It's okay to move and try to relax.
If so,
It's okay to move and try to find a more comfortable position.
But trying to remain still and finding that place of stillness,
You can begin to guide the awareness of the leg to the shin and the calf,
Relaxing the shin and the calf of the left leg,
Moving the awareness up the calf to the knee of the left leg,
Relaxing any muscles in and around the knee.
In and around the knee.
We can move the awareness up the leg to the left thigh and the hip,
Relaxing the muscles of the thigh and the entire left leg,
Moving to the hips,
We can move our attention to the right side of the body,
Releasing any tension in the hips,
Remaining aware and awake,
Bringing the attention to the right thigh,
Relaxing the muscles,
Creating space for the right leg,
The right thigh,
Relaxed,
Remaining aware,
We begin to relax the right knee,
Moving down the leg,
The right calf,
And shin,
Allowing to relax the muscles and the joints in the right leg,
And finally moving down to the foot,
The right foot relaxed,
All the muscles and the joints in the right leg,
Relaxing the muscles and the joints in the right leg,
Allowing the body to relax,
But remaining aware and awake,
Can then guide the attention and the awareness to the spine,
The spine either gently relaxing into the chair or against the wall,
The spine providing support to the entire body,
Providing a pathway of our nervous system,
Which we can control with our breath,
We can control the breath,
We can control the breath,
We can come back into the natural flow of the breath,
Not changing it,
But just simply observing the pace and the depth of the breath.
A powerful technique here is to bring the attention to the tip of the nose,
Don't ask me why,
But the tip of the nose provides a very relaxation based point of awareness.
Just as the air comes in and out of the nose,
We can begin to find balance in our day through the breath.
Flowing in and out of the body,
Seeing if we can just focus in on the natural flow of the breath,
Remaining aware of the body,
Making sure that we're not searching over too much,
And that we're not feeling too much,
Making sure that we're not searching over too much,
But also not straining the body.
We allow the body to become relaxed,
But not focus too much of our attention on keeping the body stiff.
We want the body to be able to hold itself in the position.
This may take practice,
But just like we work with the muscle of the mind,
The muscles of the body also follow suit with practice.
As the body begins to relax,
Then becomes balanced,
We can begin to focus into the stillness of the mind and the body.
In our parasympathetic nervous system,
Through the breath and the breathing,
We allow the mind to also become still,
Becoming aware of the increased stillness of the mind of the mind,
Relaxing in here,
Trying to find a level of effortless concentration where the mind seems to move at a slower pace,
The thoughts begin to slow down because in meditation,
We aren't looking to stop the thoughts,
But attain a level of effortless concentration.
This is sometimes called the flow state.
In this meditation,
We'll use this place of effortless concentration to begin to set an intention,
A simple I am statement,
Something that we want to embody,
Something that we are.
An example is I am strong,
Or I am wise,
Or I am love.
By setting the simple intention in our meditation,
We can allow the mind to carry this through our day,
Gently repeating the I am statement,
Our intention,
Our intention,
Just silently to yourself.
And then letting the intention go,
Surrendering it back to the world,
Allowing the attention to focus back in on the breath,
The breath being our anchor between the body and the awareness.
We can bring our attention back to the breath,
Gently allowing the breath to become a little bit deeper,
Breathing in the awareness and the awakeness in the body,
Feeling the breath,
Providing energy and life throughout the entire body,
Out the arms and out the legs,
And up the spine.
With every breath,
Feeling the small muscle movements in the torso and the diaphragm,
The gentle rise and fall of the chest,
The body becoming awake with each breath.
And then bringing deeper and deeper breaths,
Maybe bringing small movements into the body,
The fingers and the toes,
Maybe moving the shoulders,
Just small movements.
And then once we feel ready,
Gently letting the eyes flutter open,
Allowing ourselves to come back to the external world very gently,
Taking any more small movements in the body,
Preparing ourselves for the rest of the day.
Thank you,
Everyone.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
