So as I said,
We're going to begin either seated or lying down,
Choosing a position that feels comfortable yet supportive.
Also beginning to find a bit of balance between the right and left side of the body,
Even the upper and lower portion of the body.
So meaning if you are seated,
Ensuring that the bottom portion of the body is nice and rooted into the ground,
But then you're also balanced upright.
And even though we're upright,
We're not stagnant and gripping or relaxed,
Even though the spine is elongated.
And as we lie,
We're ensuring that we are equally weighted on our sacrum area,
So that's around the lower back,
Upper waist,
Bringing equal weight on the shoulder blades,
Allowing the head to relax as well.
And then if you haven't done so already,
Go ahead and begin to close the eyes.
And use this last minute or so to maybe perhaps re-situate the body and ensure that you are extremely comfortable in this moment.
Taking a moment or so to internally scan the physical body.
What I mean by that is just starting to bring the awareness internal noticing perhaps any parts of the body that are touching a surface,
Or maybe even feeling inward,
Noticing any pain points,
Any tightness,
But also finding balance and finding points that feel fluid and open.
And as you notice these points in the body,
Really just being really curious and seeing what may begin to pop up.
So if you have that specific place in your body that always holds tightness,
Not just saying,
Oh I feel the tightness right there.
Noticing how big of a space does that tightness occupy.
Are there edges?
And maybe perhaps you stay with one specific point of the body,
Or maybe you continue to scan and see what you might notice.
We're going to begin to move on to the breath.
Using a breath as breath as our focal point.
Specifically,
We're going to use our Sama Bhriti breath.
That just means equal parts.
The next time you inhale,
I'm going to ask you to count the length of your inhale.
And as you exhale,
Use the exact same count.
And then continuing with this pattern,
Inhaling one specific number,
And then using that exact same number as you exhale.
I think usually a good starting point is using the number three or four as you inhale and exhale.
I'm acknowledging that sometimes it takes a couple rounds to find a pace that works for your body.
You don't want to feel like you're pushing the breath out or even struggling a bit on the exhale.
I'm acknowledging that sometimes when we first begin a meditation,
When we first begin to sit down,
Sometimes acknowledging the breath might be a little bit more difficult than if we had been seated for a little bit longer.
And so if the mind does start to wander out of here,
Notice that it does maybe even allow the mind to go a little bit down the path and then redirect back to your breath.
We really want to practice this kindness for with ourselves.
And so if the mind goes somewhere,
Acknowledging it,
Allowing that to happen without feeling the need to fight or quickly pull ourselves back.
Sometimes these thought patterns need to be acknowledged and need to be addressed.
But if it's going to a unproductive place or a place of not finding clarity,
That's your sign to come back to the breath.
We're just going to do this for a little bit longer and then we're going to go into this body relaxation tonight.
We're going to move into what is considered a marmor point meditation.
Marmor points are little energy centers.
Comparable to acupressure points and acupuncture points.
They hold different types of energy within the body and we'll bring our awareness to these specific points and then we'll relax them.
You need to bring your awareness to your big toes.
As you inhale,
Gather your energy or even you can use the word attention to your big toes.
As you exhale,
Release.
The big toes are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Drawing the awareness up to the center of the ankles.
Inhale,
Gather your energy here.
Exhale,
Release.
The angles are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
The center of the calves.
Inhale,
Energy here.
As you release,
The exhale,
The calves are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Center of the knees.
Attention on the center of the knees.
Inhale,
Your energy here.
Exhale,
The knees are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Bringing the awareness to the center of the thighs.
Inhale,
Gather your energy here.
As you exhale,
Center of the thighs are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Moving up to the hips.
Inhale,
Gather your energy at the hips.
Exhale,
The hips are awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Bring your awareness to the base of the spine,
The pelvic floor.
Inhale,
Gather your energy here.
Inhale,
Energy to the pelvic floor.
Exhale,
The pelvic floor is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
To the belly button,
The center of the belly.
Inhaling,
Gather energy here.
Exhale,
Belly is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Heart center,
The center of the chest.
Inhale,
Your energy here.
Exhale,
The heart center is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Inhale,
Energy at the throat.
As you exhale,
The throat is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
The tip of the nose.
Inhaling energy to the tip of the nose.
Exhale,
The nose is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
The eyebrow center.
Inhale,
Energy to the point right between the eyebrows.
The center is awakened,
Nourished.
Relaxed.
The crown of the head.
Inhale,
Gather energy at the very tip of the head.
Exhale,
The crown of the head is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Inhaling,
As if you can inhale the entire body,
Energy within the whole body.
As you exhale,
The body is awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Stay here for a couple moments.
Feeling the breath of the whole body.
Inhaling energy,
Filling the whole body.
Exhaling,
Body settles.
It's awakened,
Nourished,
And relaxed.
Almost as if the entire body is inhaling at once,
And then exhaling.
And notice that letting go,
The relaxed sensation with the exhale.
Giving yourself permission to let go and relax.
A bit of an acknowledgement of the effort that you put in.
Allowing the body to feel the balance.
Feel the other side of that effort.
Noticing if the pace of the breath has slowed.
Awareness to sensations in the body.
And perhaps there's a shift from when we first began.
Oftentimes,
We praise ourselves for so much we do,
And the effort that we put in.
Really allowing the body and the mind to rest from that effort.
Find the balance of that release.
Reminding ourselves that we are worthy of finding this stillness.
We're worthy of this balance between effort and effortlessness.
And as I say these words,
Allow these words to become yours.
Maybe mentally reciting them after I do.
I am worthy to be loved.
I'm worthy to be prosperous.
I'm worthy to be fulfilled.
I'm worthy to be joyous.
I'm worthy to be abundant.
I am worthy to be content.
I am worthy to have a joyous life.
I am a divine being of great worth.
I like myself.
I love myself.
I accept myself.
I forgive myself.
I trust myself.
I believe in myself.
I am perfect just as I am.
I am lovable,
And I am loved.
I'll give you a moment of silence.
Just be in the energy of those words,
Allowing them to fill the space that you occupy.
Beginning to redirect the attention back into the physical body.
Maybe beginning by just feeling the breath.
Feeling the space that you occupy and the points that the body touches.
Reiterating back into this present moment.
Taking note of the physical body now.
Noticing the physical sensations.
Maybe there's some similarities when we began.
Maybe there's some similarities now.
Maybe there's some differences.
As we conclude,
Bringing your awareness to your heart center.
Center of your chest.
Whether that's just bringing the mind to that place.
Or stacking one hand on top of the other.
Or even bringing hands to prayer.
Connect with the center of love.
Your heart chakra.
And a reminder that you are worthy of finding this place between effort and releasing.
You are worthy to feel balanced and whole and content.
And from my heart center to yours,
I'm deeply grateful you joined me.
Namaste.
Thank you so very much for joining me this evening.
