We'll start with a bell.
You might be standing,
Seated,
Or lying down.
You might begin with your eyes open and close them when you're ready,
If that feels comfortable to you.
Maybe you're coming out of a hectic space,
A busyness,
A mental feverishness,
Mind going and going,
Thoughts and anxieties,
Excitements,
Worries.
Your body might be shivering with excitement or anticipation,
Vibrating with worry.
We're not making a statement about those things,
We're not judging them,
We're just noticing them.
How are you starting?
Is your body coiled?
Is your breath tight?
Those aren't things to evaluate or change right away,
Just check in with,
With a generous awareness.
How am I beginning this meditation?
All beginnings are difficult,
Says the Talmud.
And then,
As you can,
Slow down.
Take deeper breaths.
Become more still.
Fall into a quiet reverie.
Using your ears and your other senses,
Slow down,
Give yourself permission to relax.
Drawing inward,
And when thoughts come up,
Fantasies,
Fears,
Questions,
To-do lists,
Just be grateful to your mind that it's working.
And at the same time,
Don't hold on to those thoughts.
Just let them drift in a daydreamy way.
And if you get lost in any particular thoughts,
You can use my voice to come back to meditation.
You can just take a particularly deep breath.
Yawn.
Listen,
Notice,
Whatever cue you need to return to self and to this particular moment and the next one.
Other aspects of self that you'd like to let go of,
Not discard in a violent way or dismissive way,
Just gently sweep away.
Let your mind circulate around those ideas.
Are there parts of you,
Aspect of action or personality that no longer function,
That no longer serve a clear purpose?
Invite the question in.
Search around your body,
Yourself,
Your experience.
See if anything comes up.
Perhaps you notice something in a particular place in your body,
A particular feeling,
A word or thought arises of something you might want to begin letting go of.
The thing that is not useful now.
Imagine a little dustpan,
A little brush.
Just wipe up,
Sweep away something that is not serving you,
Some detritus,
Some dust,
Some ash.
Be not unkind to it.
It is you,
But perhaps an action or habit that no longer is useful to you.
Gently,
Sweep it up and gather it.
Kindly set it aside and come back.
Breathing deeply,
Going slowly,
Coming into quiet and stillness.
When the mind wanders,
Just invite it back,
No stress.
Observing yourself,
Wandering around your body,
Your experience,
Your psyche.
What gives you flavor?
Charm and zest.
What is a bright and wonderfully potent part of your personality?
Your laughter,
Your intellect,
Your love of the outdoors.
What is a thing that makes you intensely you?
Breathe into it and explore it.
Imagine it having a taste or a smell,
A texture,
Color.
Put it on your tongue,
Embrace it.
Embrace it.
Your most sharp flavor.
Breathe deeply into that taste.
Maybe express some gratitude for that saltiness you have.
Coming into quiet,
Using my voice and other embodied experiences just to cue you back from distant thoughts.
Learning,
Seeing what you need.
Slowing down,
Breathing deeply.
There is an internal part of you that is a richness.
Fattiness,
A joy,
The most tasty,
The most satisfying.
Look for that in words or sensations.
Could be a spirituality or a passion or a drive.
Or love,
A rich and pure sensitivity and sensibility.
Find it deep within,
Embedded in self.
Reach in,
Touch,
Taste,
Feel it,
Experience it.
A rich,
Soft part of you,
Delicious.
Embrace it,
Give it time and texture and flavor.
Taste it,
This rich and deep part of you.
Taking deep breaths into all of it.
The parts to let go,
The parts that are sharp and intense.
The parts that are rich and deep.
Love all of it,
Breathing deeply.
