All right,
So go ahead and start to find your comfortable position and then eventually beginning to close the eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
And if you don't feel comfortable closing your eyes yet,
You can just bring the eyes slightly shut and then just gently begin to look down,
Maybe towards the floor or something in front of you,
Allowing the mind to begin to settle as we start to turn inward into the physical body.
And so notice when we first started thinking about even turning into the physical body,
It's a little bit hard to pull yourself in,
And that's okay if it is.
And to use the physical sensations of the body to anchor you into the present moment,
Scanning around the body,
Noticing how your jaw feels,
Noticing if you have any pressure or sensation in the center of the chest,
And maybe perhaps notice if you're gripping your belly or any other parts of the body that maybe perhaps are gripping.
And you don't necessarily need to try to soften those areas or change them right now.
In a little bit,
We'll start to relax the body.
Now all we're trying to really do is just bring the mind from outside the body towards inward.
And if you're one of those people that find the breath easier to link to,
You can always just tune into the breath.
So notice what is the most simple for you today?
What really helps bring you down into the body,
Into the present physical body?
And if you haven't moved on to the breath,
Beginning to move on to noticing your inhale and then your exhale.
We're going to do what I like to call the box breathing.
And so just listen first.
What we're going to do is we're going to inhale to the count of four.
That'll be one side of the box.
Then at the bottom of the box,
We pause for two.
And then on the other side,
We exhale for four,
Pause for two,
And then continue around again.
So inhale four,
Pause two,
Exhale four,
And pause two.
So a couple caveats of the pausing,
The holding of the breath.
If you are pregnant and that does not feel good to you,
Then just stick with the inhale and the exhale.
So you'll know whether you want to hold your breath or not.
Typically,
We don't like doing that when we're pregnant.
And the same thing to be said is if you are getting a little worked up or heightened by holding your breath.
So sometimes that causes a bit of anxiety,
Causes the body to begin to clench up.
And if that's happening for you,
You will also just stick with the inhale and the exhale.
So as we're sticking with this breath pattern,
We're trying to start to calm the nervous system and calm the body.
So do what feels the most comfortable for you this evening.
And then do one more box.
So go through the cycle one more time.
So we're going to start with the inhale.
Moving your awareness to your forehead.
Allow the forehead to relax.
Allow it to open.
Allow the cheeks to soften,
Relax.
Relaxing your jaw,
Unhinging it slightly so it's not gripping.
Relaxing the throat,
The shoulders.
Allow the upper back to melt down towards the lower back.
Relaxing the shoulders.
Relaxing the arms,
Hands and fingers.
Allowing the hands to soften and be open.
Relaxing the belly,
The mid and lower back.
Allowing the glutes to release,
The hips to soften.
Relaxing the thighs,
The shins and calves,
The ankles and the feet.
Allowing the entire body to soften,
Release,
Surrender.
Bringing your awareness now into the heart center.
And in this area,
Feeling a sense of gratitude.
Gratitude for all that has brought you to this moment.
All the gifts,
All the lovely people that surround you.
Gratitude for yourself,
Exactly where you are today.
And allowing that gratitude to radiate from the heart center through the entire body.
Remembering your awareness back into that heart center again.
And I want you to imagine as if you were standing in front of it,
Standing at a doorway,
Beginning to open that door as you start to open the cave and enter this cave of your heart.
And although maybe perhaps this walk through is dark,
You are guided by a light.
And as you make your way to the back of the cave,
The back of your heart center,
There's a beautiful lake and which grows a blossoming lotus with eight petals.
And on each of those eight petals,
There is a flame,
A flame from a radiating fire.
Start with the flame in front of you.
Extend your love and gratitude to this flame shining on the petal,
Which is the earth element.
May the earth element,
The solid matter within you and outside of you,
Be nurtured by this flame and the healing power of the flame.
Now,
Move clockwise to the next petal and see the flame shining on it.
Extend your love and gratitude to this flame shining on the petal,
Which is the water element.
May the water element within you be guided and nurtured by the healing power that flows from the flame.
Beginning to move clockwise again to the third petal and seeing a flame shining on this petal.
This flame is the fire element.
May the fire element within you and outside of you be nurtured and healed by the universal light.
Now,
Move to the fourth petal.
Petal and this flame shining on it,
Which represents the air element.
Chronic force,
Force of animation.
May the air element within you and outside be fully nurtured,
Guided and healed.
Then come to the fifth petal and the flame shining on it.
Extend your love and gratitude to this flame that is the space element.
May you experience oneness with this flame.
May the space within you and outside of you be guided and nurtured.
Then come to the flame on the sixth petal.
This flame is the sense of individuality,
The small self,
The individual self.
May the wall of duality that separates you from you dissolve.
May this flame of the I am-ness of your individual self be guided and nurtured.
Now,
Come to the seventh petal and the flame shining on it.
This is the flame of our lunar energy,
The feminine within us,
The tenderness and kindness within.
This is the forgiving,
Loving,
Embracing part of the divine.
May this tender,
Kind lunar energy within you be guided and nurtured.
Now,
Come to the eighth petal and the flame shining on it.
This is the flame of solar energy,
The masculine energy of strength,
Vitality,
Willpower,
Determination to become,
To be.
May this force within you and outside of you be guided and nurtured.
And finally,
Come to the central flame.
By this time,
All the other eight flames join each other in one big flame in the center.
This is the totality of our known world,
The totality of our existence.
May the totality of this,
Your existence,
Be composed of earth,
Water,
Fire,
Air,
Space,
Individual consciousness,
Lunar and solar energy.
May it all become one with you.
And may the central flame in the cave of the heart be nurtured,
Nourished,
And guided.
Taking a couple moments of silence.
You may offer any mantras or prayers or intentions.
Nurturing this flame so that you may walk in light,
So that you may never tumble in darkness.
Getting to bring yourself back into your body.
Allowing yourself to connect with the physical sensations yet again.
If anything had come to you during this meditation that you want to hold on to and take note of,
Imagine as if you are writing it down on a little notebook.
And then placing it somewhere where you will find it.
So maybe perhaps that is on your nightstand.
You can just place this little notebook of notes next to your nightstand.
Or if you have a meditation altar,
Or even on your toothbrush,
Because you know you'll go there later.
Just even seeing the words as you write them down.
And then placing this notebook in a location where you will find it again.
Maybe not even tonight.
Maybe in a week or so.
You'll find it when you need it.
Allowing your root chakra to open.
So that area of the perineum,
Imagining this red sphere located right here.
And from this space,
Beginning to shine down our roots into the earth.
To stable us after a meditation.
So that when we leave here,
We're able to hold in that stableness within our physical bodies.
And carry it with us through this evening and the week.
If you're lying down,
You can stack one hand on the heart center and another one on top.
If you're seated,
You can bring the hands to prayer.
From your heart space,
I want you to shine love to somebody else.
It could be someone that you love very deeply.
Someone that you think that might need to be nurtured right now.
Maybe even just the first person you meet.
Maybe even just the first person that came to you.
And with just as much thought behind it,
Send yourself a message of love and gratitude.
From my heart space to each of yours,
I'm deeply grateful that you have joined me this evening.
Namaste.
