Before we begin though,
So whether you want to do this seated or lying down,
I just want to show you what we're going to do in the beginning because we're going to use our hand for a mudra.
So a hand or excuse me a mudra just means hand gesture.
And then so even if you're lying down you can still do it.
We're going to do a version of alternate nostril breathing.
So what we're going to do is we're going to take our right hand.
So I'm not mirroring,
This is actually my right hand so it's going to probably look like my left to you guys.
And I'm going to drop my pointer and my middle finger and then I turn the palm to face towards me.
So usually this thumb is going to plug the right side but actually we're not going to do that today.
It's going to kind of,
Excuse me,
We're not going to use the left side,
The ring finger.
We're actually going to use the right side.
So what it's going to look like is we're going to inhale through both the nostrils.
So you could even just rest it right here.
I'll do it on the side so you just even rest it on your cheeks.
We'll inhale through both the nostrils.
We'll plug the right side so we'll just close it off and then we exhale out the left side only.
And so again it's just going to be inhale both and then you close off right and then you exhale out the left only.
So if you want to go ahead now and just find a position like I said if you're even if you're lying down you can still do this.
I just wanted to show you before people started to lie down or get into their position.
So take some time to make sure that you are extremely comfortable whether seated or lying down.
If you're lying down sometimes it's nice to have a pillow or a blanket underneath of your knees,
Maybe perhaps a pillow,
Something supporting your head.
And if you're seated a wall is always nice or sitting on a cushion.
I'll give you guys a minute or so to just get really comfortable.
Let's just first start by taking a gentle inhale and then letting out with an audible sigh.
Let's just do that one more time.
Inhaling,
Let out anything from your week or your day.
And then ensure that you are really nicely settled.
Close the eyes if that's comfortable or bring your eyes to a soft gaze.
So that mudra again is the first finger,
The pointer,
And the middle lower down and they're going to touch a little bit closer towards the palm of your hand.
So go ahead and just bring the hand then up towards the face.
You can just relax the pinky and the ring finger on your left cheek and then even just for now you can relax the thumb on the right cheek.
We're going to begin to inhale through both of the nostrils on both sides,
The right and left.
And then exhale out the left side only.
Close your right side with the thumb and then exhale out the left side only.
And then keep doing this.
So then release the thumb,
Inhale both sides.
When you're ready to exhale,
You close the thumb off on the right and then exhale the left.
If for any reason you do not like using the hand,
If it's uncomfortable or it's you find that it's making your mind busier,
I would invite you to try a little bit and if you don't settle into it,
You can always just release the hand and then just use imagery to do the same thing.
Why we are doing this,
So for those of you who have practiced alternate nostril breathing when you go right to left,
That's for balancing out the hemispheres of the brain,
Balancing out the sides energetically.
And when we just exhale out the left side only,
That is our calm,
Our relaxing,
Our intuitive side.
So for purposes of relaxation tonight,
We're actually just going to use the left side only.
Now I want you to add on by counting the breath.
The next time you inhale,
Count to a five.
Exhale,
Count to six.
And then we're going to stay with this for a moment and we'll add on one more little thing,
But just stay with this pattern of inhaling five.
And then it's still exhaling out the left only,
But this is for a count of six.
And then the one thing that we're going to add on is continue with the inhale five,
Continue with the exhale six,
But at the end of the exhale,
Hold for two and then go ahead and inhale five again.
So the only thing that we've added on is just that pause for two.
So again,
The count is inhale five,
Exhale six,
Hold two,
And then you repeat that cycle again.
And for some of us holding the breath at any point does not feel good,
Then just skip that part and just keep going through the circle if you will.
And the next time you exhale on the left,
You can go ahead and release your hand and just feel.
Noticing how you physically might be feeling,
Noticing if there was any shifting of the mind from when you first began.
And now I invite you to transport yourself to a beach.
So maybe perhaps you have a favorite beach location that you love,
And this could be a place that you have gone before,
Or maybe you have this place that you would love to travel to.
And so bring yourself to any of those places.
And I invite you to either sit or lie down on this beach.
So what I would invite you to also do is whatever position you're doing this meditation,
Do the same thing at the beach.
So if you're lying presently,
Do the same thing.
If you're seated presently,
Do the same thing at the beach.
And whether you are seated or lying down,
I want you to imagine the body is supported by the sand.
Knowing that every little hill or valley is perfectly contouring.
And knowing that the sand is even rising up next to the sides of the body.
Almost as if you can't even feel the difference between the body and where the sand begins or ends.
And take a moment right here,
Just being still and just noticing your breath.
Feel that you are supported by the ground.
And in this exact moment,
You have nothing to do.
You have nowhere to be.
You don't need to even have any expectations.
Just let anything go.
And even with your eyes closed,
You know that the bright sun is above you.
You can feel the warmth from its rays.
Almost as if these rays of light are touching your skin.
And even with your eyes closed,
You can imagine the warmth of the sun.
The sun is this beautiful golden color,
Almost as if it is sparkling.
And even just like a little child would draw a picture of a sun,
These rays extend from that beautiful ball in the sky,
All the way down,
Shining down to where you're located.
And these rays from the sun are healing.
They are cleansing.
They are nurturing you in every way that you need.
Imagine as if these sun rays are traveling down towards your body,
Even traveling into your energy field,
And shining through you,
Healing you and cleansing you.
Removing any of that darkness or emotions that are not serving you in this moment.
And just sit here breathing with the sun on you.
And as you're lying here,
You're noticing now the sounds that you might hear.
Perhaps you can hear as the water travels in gently.
And then the water travels back out to the sea again.
And the ocean today in this space supporting you is calm,
Almost as if the ocean is breathing.
And you begin to sync up your breath with the ocean.
As you inhale,
The water travels out from the sea towards you.
And as you exhale,
It travels back out to that vast ocean.
Inviting in as you inhale,
The same characteristics of that ocean to be within you.
Fluid and calm,
Open.
And as you exhale,
Releasing any rigidness,
Anything that is holding you back.
From being free and fluid.
You are perfectly at ease,
Supported.
Yet you can feel the breath moving in this fluid,
Beautiful pattern.
And if at any point the mind begins to wander outside of this place,
Just let it kind of like a cloud.
Let it even travel to that place.
And when you feel like you're done there,
Just gently bring yourself back in to that inhale with the ocean,
That fluidity,
And that exhale,
Letting go of anything that's holding you back right now.
And perhaps as one more anchor,
You could even just say,
Inhale,
I flow.
Exhale,
I release.
And this is the practice of meditation.
Using these anchors to be here in this present moment.
And acknowledging that sometimes it's a little bit harder.
And that's why we practice.
Inhaling,
I flow.
Exhaling,
I release.
And whether you are seated or whether you are lying down,
All of a sudden you feel the need to begin to gently stand.
And you go slowly,
As if you were sleepwalking in this meditation.
And you stand at the ocean's edge and feel the sand below you.
It is supportive yet soft.
You can feel how steady your feet are,
The strength from the soles of your feet all the way up through your legs.
You stand proudly in your chest,
Your shoulders are relaxing.
And you tilt your head up slightly as you feel the sun shining on your body yet again.
Knowing that this whole space here is healing and cleansing and lifting.
And in the same way that you stood up,
You gently begin to walk a little bit deeper into the center of your body.
And you begin to walk deeper into the water.
First,
It's just the ankles.
And then making your way to the shins,
The knees.
And the water is perfectly warm.
Continuing,
The water rises up to your thighs and your hips.
All of a sudden,
You feel safe and secure.
And know that what you need right now is to just dive in.
The salty water has healing powers that cleanse us and our energy fields.
And so almost as if you are dancing with the water and being fluid just like the water.
Fully immerse yourself here and just clear anything that you don't need.
And when you feel ready,
You then begin to float up at the top of the water.
You take up as much space as you need.
Your arms are wide.
Your legs are open.
And you are supported by the sea behind you.
And it is calm.
And just gently as if your body is moving just forwards and backwards.
Or even perhaps side to side.
Feeling at peace and reset.
Feeling at home in your body.
Coming back to the true nature of yourself.
And just take these last several moments of just breathing here with the ocean,
With the sun,
With this space.
And take any several moments here,
These last couple moments right here.
And slowly start to bring yourself back into the space where you're located.
Feeling your body either lying on your floor or your bed.
Or feeling yourself seated on a chair or wherever perhaps you might be.
Noticing any sounds you might hear in the room where you're located.
Maybe there are people talking outside this space.
Maybe you're near a window and you can hear activity outside.
Or even just a fan in your room.
And take note of how you feel right now.
And I hope that even if today you had to keep reminding yourself to come back in.
At least acknowledging that you practiced today and you started and you tried.
Noticing how you feel now from when you first began.
What's different about you today?
What's the same?
And before we conclude,
We will connect to our heart centers where our heart chakra is located.
Maybe you just draw your awareness to that space.
Or if you're lying down,
Maybe you want to just stack one hand on top of the other there.
Or even bring your hands to prayer if you're seated or lying.
And if you don't feel like moving,
You can just draw your awareness there.
And if you're sitting,
You can just draw your awareness there.
Let's first begin by sending love from this space to somebody else.
It could be someone you love dearly.
It could be a stranger.
It could be someone who needs it.
It could even be a couple people if you want.
And with just the same amount of meaning and love and passion behind it,
I want you to do the same for yourself.
Sending pride or gratitude.
Whatever that message is that you might need to hear right now.
From my heart space to yours,
I am deeply grateful.
That you joined me this evening.
Namaste.
