Hello,
I'm Diana.
Welcome to the Zen meditation practice.
Begin by finding a place where you can be alone for the duration of this meditation.
A place where you can put your device down and have some earphones in or off.
A place where you can sit comfortably with your back supported and your feet flat on the floor.
Or you can decide to sit in a lotus or half lotus position,
Which would be the common way to do a Zen meditation.
Make sure that you stay warm during this meditation.
Maybe use a blanket to cover yourself when that's needed.
Please relax as much as you can and let my voice guide you through this meditation.
Gently close your eyes and start relaxing and noticing the present moment that you're experiencing right now.
Feel your body,
Be aware of your thoughts and notice your breath.
Start paying attention to your breath.
Continue to breathe in and out at a pace that feels comfortable to you.
Feel how the cold air comes into your nose when you breathe in and the warm air leaves your nose when you breathe out.
Relax your muscles as best as you can with every single breath in and every single breath out.
Focus on relaxing and welcome the feelings of relaxation as you feel them happening.
As you continue to breathe,
Your body will continue to relax more and more during our time together and when your thoughts wander off,
Ideas or memories come up during our time together,
That's perfectly okay.
Be thankful for the thought.
The thought came up for a reason.
It's trying to come in as a gift.
Feel grateful for it and just go and gently bring your attention back and focus on your breathing.
Acknowledge that it happened.
Accept that that is what sometimes happens.
Invite your mind to be present and to be here.
Invite your mind to receive,
To receive more peace,
To receive more happiness,
To receive more clarity and to receive more joy.
Bring yourself to concentrating on your breath,
On breathing in and breathing out.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Inhale.
Feel the air at the back of your throat going down into your lungs.
Hold your breath.
As you release,
Let the breath out when it's coming up from your lungs at the back of your throat,
Going through your mouth as you let go.
Take another deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the cold air going in through your nose and feel your chest expand.
Hold your breath.
When you're ready,
Let go.
Exhale.
Feel the warm air going out of your mouth and feel how your chest contracts.
Take in three more deep breaths and exhale at your own pace.
As you continue to breathe,
Notice your body.
Notice any sensations that you feel in your body.
In case you notice any discomfort,
Tightness or tension,
Focus on that area of your body and focus on the flow of your breath.
Focus on the movement of that part of your body with the flow of your breath and help the area become more relaxed and more peaceful.
Say in your mind or out loud,
I let go.
I let the sensations move.
I choose to feel relaxed and peaceful.
Take a few more deep breaths as you let your body settle into this relaxed and peaceful feeling.
Notice where your body feels relaxation,
Peacefulness and happiness.
And now we will meditate in silence for about 20 minutes.
I will use the bow to notify you every time five minutes have passed.
This may also help you get your thoughts back to focusing on meditating.
It has now been 20 minutes.
When you feel ready,
Start to gently come back to the here and now.
Come back into the room,
Into your body,
Into your consciousness,
Your awareness and into your mind.
Take your space into this world.
As you are coming back into the present moment,
Let yourself explore and say yes to the emotions that will continue to amplify.
The emotions of joy,
Of peace and of relaxation during the rest of your day and the time to come.
Know that you can decide to continue to feel this way.
Take a deep breath and let go when you are ready.
While keeping your eyes closed,
Notice the sounds around you.
Notice how your body feels.
Feel the surface you are sitting on.
Feel the surface your feet are on.
Feel the clothing on your body.
Move your fingers a little.
Wiggle your toes a little.
Gently circle your shoulders.
Gently move your head from side to side.
Become more and more present.
Welcome joy,
Peace and comfort to continue being with you on your path today and in the time to come.
Take a deep breath and let go when you are ready.
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Fully coming back to the present moment.
Stay seated for a bit more time.
Look around the room and notice a few things around you.
When you feel ready to do so,
You can sit up,
You can stand up and return to going about your day.
And know that all the good that was experienced will continue for the rest of the day and the time to come.
