As we begin,
Go ahead and take any position that feels the best for you this evening.
If you want to be seated,
Ensuring that you're not working very hard.
So maybe that means sitting on a blanket or a pillow or a cushion,
Even sitting on a chair.
And then if you decide to lay down,
Finding this symmetry within the body.
So opening the arms up as wide as feels comfortable for you.
Allow the feet to relax.
And finding this balance,
This balance between the right and left side of the body.
Take a little note as we're first beginning how you're doing in this exact present moment.
Maybe some words,
Some descriptive words start to arise.
This is just an acknowledgement of how we're feeling right now.
And setting the intention to have an open heart and an open mind.
And to just see where this meditation may take us.
So maybe you started defining or describing how you were doing and then automatically you said,
Well,
Then I don't,
I want to feel the opposite of that.
So let's just put all those expectations away and really just be present in this moment.
We're going to begin with our breath,
Acknowledging the breath,
Awareness to the breath.
For each of us that might mean something different.
For some of us,
Imagery is very powerful and easier.
Maybe you imagine that you can watch the breath internally,
The breath traveling in the torso.
And then seeing the breath as it moves out.
Maybe that's a little different.
For some of us sticking with what we know might be a little bit more attainable.
And maybe that's just noticing the movement of the body.
And if you're having even a little bit of trouble with that you can always place hands on the body,
Whether on the chest or the belly and physically feel that the hands will rise with the inhale.
And then gently fall and relax with the exhale.
This is another opportunity to meet ourselves where we are and being really exploratory with your own breath.
Noticing whatever you might notice.
And that might mean that even your breath turns into a color and you see the color travel down and then back up.
And whether you believe that's actually happening or not,
Just stick with it.
So if your imagery takes you in a certain way.
Being open to just traveling down that path with it.
And if we're having a bit of trouble even just doing this part,
You can always even just count the breath.
Counting the length of the inhale and counting the length of the exhale.
This first portion of class is to start to come inside the body.
Start to slow down and give our busy minds something to anchor to.
And some days this is easier than other days.
Now I'm going to travel around the body.
I'm going to name a point of the body and you're going to bring your awareness to that area.
And when you're in awareness to that area,
We're going to inhale and recite internally,
I acknowledge.
And then when we exhale,
I release.
Beginning with the facial muscles.
The upper portion of the face specifically,
The eyes,
The forehead.
Inhaling,
I acknowledge.
Exhaling,
I acknowledge.
Exhale,
I release.
Moving to the lower portion of the face,
The jaw,
Even into the ears.
Doing the same exact thing.
Inhaling,
I acknowledge.
Exhaling,
I release.
This is what we do as I name every point of the body.
Moving into your shoulders.
Continue with that inhale,
I acknowledge.
And that exhale,
I release.
Into the arms.
The entirety of the arms,
The upper and lower portion of the arms.
Into your hands.
Inhaling,
I release.
Inhaling,
Acknowledging this area.
And as you exhale,
You let go,
Release.
The midsection.
All the way around.
The center of the chest,
Around the cylinder into the back region.
Inhaling.
Acknowledging and releasing.
And then moving down the lower portion,
The belly,
Wrapping all the way around into the low back.
The pelvic area.
Whether specifically your glutes or your pelvic floor or even the upper portion of the thighs.
Now the legs in the entirety,
The upper legs,
The thighs,
And the shins as well as the knees.
Moving into the feet.
Acknowledging and releasing this area.
Now the whole back of the body.
The back of the head,
Each portion of the back.
That touches a surface.
And if you're lying down,
Maybe it's your glutes as well as the heels of the soles of the feet of your seated.
The whole front of the body.
The face,
Chest,
Belly,
Fronts of the legs,
Tops of the feet.
Inhaling.
One more breath,
The entire body inhaling.
I acknowledge.
Exhale.
Release.
Moving our awareness into our heart center.
Cultivate a sense of gratitude.
Gratitude.
Gratitude for our safety.
Our dwelling.
Our food and water.
Our basic necessities.
A deep heart of gratitude.
These basic levels of life.
All that makes us stable.
Sense of gratitude now for those areas of our life where we are fluid,
Where we're able to pivot and be flexible.
Where we bend and move and grow.
A deep sense of gratitude for this fluidity.
Now a deep heart of gratitude for our confidence.
Our capabilities.
Our strength,
Our wisdom.
Believing in ourselves.
And as we continue with these hearts of gratitude,
We do acknowledge that there might be another side of it.
And they both can coexist together.
So staying with that heart of gratitude.
Heart of gratitude for ourselves.
The deep love that we share for ourselves.
The love of our friends and our family that surround us.
A love for the connection to people you might have in a community.
Your neighborhood.
A sense of gratitude for that love for those who surround you,
Who support you.
Even professional people.
Those people that love you.
And a heart of gratitude for the love of yourself.
Now heart of gratitude for those moments in which we know when to listen.
We know when to speak our truth.
When we want to stand up for ourselves.
When we're compassionate and kind with our words.
When we're supportive.
When we use our voice for good.
For mentoring,
For loving.
A heart of gratitude for your voice.
Now a heart of gratitude for our intuition.
For seeing those messages that might pop up.
For hearing those messages.
Those times where we just know something.
Deep heart of gratitude for our intuition.
Those gut feelings when we just know.
And now a deep heart of gratitude for something bigger than us.
This could be nature.
The universe.
A figure which you might believe in God or Buddha.
A deep heart of gratitude for a higher purpose.
Something above us.
Feeling the sensations of these deep hearts of gratitude for these areas.
Sensing into that heart space.
And from that heart space.
Seeing a spark of light.
Maybe the spark of light starts really small.
A golden,
Consuming,
Brilliant,
Dazzling light.
Beginning to grow from the heart center.
Almost as if you can feel the healing power associated with it.
The spark of light begins to expand.
It travels upward through the throat.
Clearing the space.
The spark of light continues to travel in through the jaw,
The ears.
The entirety of the face.
All the way up to the crown of the head.
Filling the entire space of the head.
The back portion.
All the way around.
Seeing this part of the body filling with light.
Dazzling,
Brilliant,
Healing light.
The light stays in this area and continues to travel down through the shoulders.
In the backs of the shoulders.
Traveling through the upper arms.
The elbows.
All the way into the fingertips.
Seeing this light.
Filling this area.
Acknowledging the healing power of gratitude.
These portions all stand this brilliant light.
As now from the heart center it travels downward.
Through the whole torso.
The mid portion of the torso.
Into the mid portion of the back.
Lowering into your belly and your lower back.
Filling,
Healing,
Clearing the space.
The light travels in through the pelvic region.
The hips,
The glutes.
Lowering into the legs.
The thighs.
Into the knees.
Into the entire lower portion of the legs.
Filling all the way into the feet.
Filling the whole body.
With this sparkling,
Dazzling,
Healing,
Brilliant light.
Even if those thoughts of doubt travel in.
Whether it's working or you're doing it right.
Stick with it.
See it,
Sense it.
Feel it.
Connect with it in any way that feels authentic to you.
Next time you inhale.
Feel the light traveling through the entire body.
All the way to the crown of the head.
The tips of fingers.
The soles of the feet.
The whole body breathing of this light.
As you exhale.
As you inhale.
Let out anything.
Blocking the light.
Inhaling,
I acknowledge.
Exhale.
I release.
Inhaling,
I acknowledge the light.
I feel it.
I sense it.
Inhaling.
I release.
Maybe eventually you get to a place where your release is just a releasing into the light.
Maybe you feel clear.
And this is where we'll stay.
Inhaling,
The light brightens.
I acknowledge.
Exhale.
I release.
And we'll stay here for several moments until you hear my voice again.
Inhaling.
A couple more rounds.
I'm starting to bring yourself back into the space where you're located.
Feeling the body connected to a surface,
Whether you're lying or seated.
Notice each part of the body that is touching some sort of service or prop.
Notice any physical sensations of the body noticing how you're feeling in this moment.
Noticing any similarities or differences when we first began this class into this moment.
In this present moment,
Feeling it.
And before we conclude,
Connecting to ourselves one more time in that heart space.
Whether that means just acknowledging the area,
Bringing our awareness there,
Or placing one hand on top of the other on the heart space,
Or even hands into Anjali mudra in front of it.
One more time.
A deep heart of gratitude.
A deep heart of gratitude.
Maybe one of those places those areas that we meditated on was a little bit more challenging and I invite you to sense a deep heart of gratitude for that specific area.
Whether it's the confidence in yourself.
A deep heart of gratitude of maybe just acknowledging your confidence or your intuition,
Whatever that might have been a little bit more challenging.
And from me to you a deep heart of gratitude,
A deep heart of gratitude of joining me,
Of practicing with me.
And from my heart center to each of yours.
Namaste.
