And then just beginning to settle into your position,
Settling into the support either behind you or underneath of you,
Lying down.
Making any final adjustments.
And then as you slowly start to bring your awareness inside your body,
We're going to begin with the forehead.
Relaxing your forehead,
Allowing it to become open and soft.
Relaxing your cheeks.
Relaxing your jaw,
Starting with the upper portion of the jaw and then the lower jaw.
Noticing if you're clenching,
Can you begin to gently unhinge?
Relaxing your throat,
The shoulders,
Allowing your shoulders to settle and your arms to become heavy.
Starting from the upper portion of the shoulders all the way down the arms and the hands.
Really allowing them to feel the support either underneath of them or below them if you're seated.
Relaxing the hands and the fingers.
Relaxing the entire back,
Starting from the upper portion,
Middle and lower.
Softening your belly.
Relaxing your hips.
Unclenching your glutes.
Relaxing the thighs,
The legs and the feet.
Relaxing the entire body.
You need to bring a little bit more weight into the body so that you are deeply connected to the surface below you.
Bringing your awareness into your breath.
Specifically bringing your awareness into the nostrils.
Noticing these two flows,
Like two channels going in the right and in the left simultaneously.
And then beginning to start our ultimate nostril breathing.
So just by using your imagery,
Inhaling through the left side,
The left nostril,
And then exhaling right.
Inhaling right,
And then exhaling left.
And continuing to stay through this pattern,
Going from each side back and forth again.
And then I want you to do one more full cycle through both sides and ending with an exhale on the left side.
We're going to begin to work with opposing sensations in the body.
So beginning to locate within the body a certain type of sensation.
That could be tightness,
It could be warmth.
And so just choosing the first one that works for you this evening.
And exploring all parts of the body that feel that certain way.
So if you chose warmth,
Noticing all the parts of the body that are warm.
And can you feel within the body how large those areas are?
Knowing where their edges are located.
And now moving to the opposite sensation within the body.
And so if it was tightness,
Maybe finding areas that are open and fluid.
Or if you did warmth,
Maybe an area now that feels cold.
And if you chose something else,
What is the opposite sensation in the body?
Locating where it is internally.
Feeling it.
Sensing its space,
The physical parts that it occupies.
And now going back to that original sensation that we just felt moments ago.
Noticing if it changed or shifted.
And then titrating back into the other sensation,
The opposite of that.
And with full body awareness,
Can you now feel both of those sensations within the body?
Using the example of warmth and cold,
Can you feel both areas?
Or if there's multiple areas,
Can you feel all of them?
And then gently releasing those sensations.
I want you to now call to mind a negative thought that you perpetually have about yourself.
An example might be,
I am not good enough.
Or I don't live up to my expectation.
And when you say that to yourself,
Notice the effects it has on the physical body.
Feeling it.
Noticing the areas where it occupies.
Maybe it's tension.
Maybe it's a bit of heaviness or pain associated.
And now saying to yourself the opposite,
Knowing that that is true.
I am enough.
I am content.
And feel it.
As you say that phrase again to yourself,
Feel where it's located in the physical body.
And then beginning to place that affirmation or mantra inside your heart center,
The center of your chest.
Letting it penetrate this area and radiate in this space.
And with your awareness in your heart centers,
Saying it again to yourself and feeling it.
Feel the joy and the gratitude behind it.
Feel the peace and calmness associated when you say this phrase.
And beginning to imagine as if it is a light radiating from this space,
This joy,
This gratitude and peace and calmness.
And allowing this light to radiate upward,
Flowing through the shoulders all the way down the arms into the tips of the fingers.
This light continues to radiate up towards the crown of the head,
Filling the entire space,
Healing the cells of the body,
Feeling the joy,
The gratitude.
And this light also begins to lower down through the torso,
Filling the entire space,
Lowering down,
Making its way to the hips,
Filling this whole area,
Feeling the energy and strength,
Calmness and joy behind it.
It continues to lower down through the legs,
All the way down to the soles of your feet.
And sit for a moment in this light,
In this joy,
In this gratitude,
In this peace.
Knowing that energy follows your thoughts.
And so by just saying this and seeing the light,
You are healing the depth of the body all the way into the deepest layer of cells.
Feeling the calmness that exudes over the body and the mind.
And you can stay in that light.
If that's where you find you need to be right now.
Or if you need a focal point,
You can always go back to the alternate nostril breathing,
Going from the left to the right side,
And then back through again.
We'll take a couple moments of silence.
Allowing yourself to sit in peace and joy.
Whatever focal point that works for you right now.
If you've traveled off,
Bringing yourself back into the physical body.
Being to feel the physical sensations of the body again.
Noticing any shifts or changes.
Feeling the body in the space that you occupy.
The area which supports you.
Noticing each body part that is connected to that surface.
Being aware that different parts of the body are a little bit more connected.
Maybe the back of the head if you're lying down,
Or the heels.
Or if you're seated,
Maybe the hips and the sit bones.
Feeling the grounding sensation of the body.
The areas where you feel settled.
Stable.
If you're lying down,
Stacking one hand on the heart center,
The other hand on top.
If you're seated,
Bringing your hands to prayer.
Bringing awareness to that space behind your hands.
Beginning to maybe recite that affirmation that you had said to yourself during the meditation.
Maybe you don't remember it,
So just send yourself a loving message.
Feeling the physical body as you mentally recite that to yourself.
And maybe throughout your week,
Keeping it in this space and tuning into it.
And you can gently even just place a hand right in this space and say it to yourself whenever you might need it.
And from this loving space in your heart center,
Sending a message out to someone you might love,
Who might need it right now.
It could be a broader community.
Anyone you want to share your love with.
And from my heart space,
I send my love to each of you.
I am deeply grateful that you have all joined me this evening.
Namaste.
