Waiting a minute or so,
Let's just start to gather any props to make ourselves as comfortable as we possibly can.
Settle into your pose.
So take as much time as you possibly need right now to do so.
And then once you have settled down,
Beginning to close your eyes.
And as you begin to close your eyes,
I first just want you to feel the support below you or if you were seated behind you.
So noticing or looking underneath of your knees,
Just noticing each part of the body that's supported.
And then allowing the body to become really heavy so you can deepen that connection just a little bit more.
So if you're seated,
Maybe releasing the pelvis and legs so they become heavier,
Maybe even allowing the back to stay supported,
But feeling that connection behind you.
And if you're lying down,
Just allow the whole body to become heavy from the heels,
Up the legs,
All the way to the back of the head.
Everything becomes really heavy.
And as we begin,
I just want to do three audible sighs.
So we're going to inhale together.
Whenever you're ready,
You don't necessarily follow me.
And then let it out.
Let's do that two more times.
Inhaling gently.
One more.
Good.
Imagine if you can release out anything that is not serving you right now for this meditation,
But also being gentle in our head.
If there's anything we're dealing with or working through,
To just accept where we are this evening.
Each time we sit down to meditate,
We are in the present moment.
And that moment can change,
Of course,
Every single time.
So let's just meet ourselves where we are today.
If this week or today,
Specifically,
You are needing a bit of grounding,
Maybe if you've been feeling a bit anxious in your head,
What I want you to do is turn your palms to face downward and connect the pointer finger and thumb together.
This is the Jhana Mudra.
And this will help to ground the body.
And then the opposite.
So if you're feeling as though maybe you need a bit of guidance or uplifting energy,
You can turn the palms to face upward and then do the same exact thing.
You connect the pointer finger and the thumb together.
So if your hands were already doing something,
Maybe that's intuitively what you should be doing this evening.
So don't overthink it.
Just choose one and just let it go.
We're going to bring ourselves into our bodies.
First,
Start by acknowledging your breath or whether you want to internally scan the physical body.
And so all that means is what we do is we mentally travel around the body and notice how we're physically feeling.
Sometimes one is more accessible than the other.
So just choose which one is the simplest for you this evening.
And if you want,
You can stay with that one place or maybe allow the internal mind to expand as you scan a little bit more inward.
So this is your practice.
So doing whatever makes you feel the most comfortable right now.
And just a little reminder,
We're just staying simple.
We're just noticing the breath or we're just noticing that one part of the body feels really heavy or even a little tight.
And we just leave it there.
We don't need to analyze any aspect of what we're doing right now or even critique ourself.
So if you notice that you do that,
You can even just send the word love to that and then just bring it back to being simple.
And now from this point,
If you have not done so already,
I want you to come into your breath,
Belly only,
And then it'll gently fall with the exhale.
Just noticing the movement within the belly as we breathe in and as we breathe out.
And then when you exhale,
The ribs gently come back together.
So stay with this for a couple breaths now.
And then moving up to the chest,
Right underneath the collarbones,
Above that heart center.
And I want you to notice the same exact thing.
Inhaling,
You notice that your chest will expand,
Gently rise.
To exhale,
We're going to put those three parts together.
So the next time you inhale,
Inhale belly,
Ribs,
Chest.
As you exhale,
And then beginning to add on to the breath.
So the next time you inhale,
Notice the very end of the inhale.
And there's a pause right there.
And then when you exhale,
The breath travels down,
And there's this space of stillness and silence for just a moment.
Right between the inhale and the exhale.
And then releasing the attention to the breath.
So now we're going to take a moment to think about a journey out on a journey to climb a sacred mountain.
You know that it is a difficult and a long climb,
But you feel sure that you leave your hometown inexperienced.
You find it difficult to assess.
You come to an enormous lake,
A tranquil blue color.
You're in fresh,
And you stop.
And after you continue your journey,
You come to the rooftops of the houses of your town.
The sight of the town and the tiredness of your body make you feel that the journey is not over.
The ground is rocky and rugged.
All the thoughts of home have passed and have gone,
And you need to completely concentrate on climbing and keeping with your guide.
And notice the sound echo through your body and mind,
Giving you tremendous strength and energy.
Your guide releases the head of the mountain,
And you trudge along alone,
Finally reaching the top where your guide is waiting for you.
As you observe the spectacular panoramic views,
A feeling of exhilaration floods through your whole body and mind.
Your guide gives you a meaningful smile.
And you are grateful for his warmness during the climb.
You are exalted by the environment.
You are still absorbed in this exhilaration when your guide says,
Follow me,
And leaps from the peak,
Disappearing into space.
Without a further thought,
You follow along.
Allow yourself to be relaxed.
As you inhale,
Letting these words become your words.
Om Shanti Om.
And exhaling the same.
Om Shanti Om.
Continuing to stay.
Noticing if the mind has wandered.
Coming back into the inhale.
Om Shanti Om.
Exhaling Om Shanti Om.
Noticing how you physically feel.
Don't connecting to the surface.
Connecting to the surface that you're lying on.
To the heart center and stacking the other one on top.
If you're seated,
Bring your hands into prayer.
Bow to the space behind your hands.
Sending yourself a message of love,
A message of gratitude,
Of contentment.
Inviting in more love,
More gratitude,
More joy into your life.
For my heart space to yours,
I deeply thank you all for joining me this evening.
Namaste.
