This is for Janice.
Just tuning in.
If you're ready,
Close your eyes and use your ears to come into a space.
What's around you?
What's within you?
Do you hear your heartbeat?
Or your breath?
Birds outside?
Mechanical noises like cars?
Ventilation systems?
Breezes?
Through trees?
Listening.
Kindly listening.
And drawing inward,
Maybe drawing a deep breath just to expand your chest and to settle down.
And to use that oxygen to feed your body.
To support yourself.
To bring yourself and those around you comfort.
This meditation is about connection.
Maybe we start by just connecting to self in this moment.
So do you feel heavy?
Do you feel light?
Do you feel achy?
Do you feel clean?
Smooth?
Happy?
We're not judging and you don't even have to put a word to it.
Those are modest suggestions.
Just notice what's going on for you.
A lot of energy in your bones and muscles.
Tiredness in your cheeks.
Whatever you feel with words or without.
Are you leaning forward or holding back?
And listen a little more.
Maybe you hear a new bird or a new sound.
Maybe there's the smell of a coffee roaster carried on the air from a distant factory.
Maybe there's very little or a lot.
Just connect to your world outside and inside.
Deepen your breath all the way in,
Slowly out.
Do that a few times just to slow down.
Meditation can just be a slowing down,
Getting quiet,
An opening to boredom and reverie.
And no,
You can't turn off your thoughts.
You can't go blank.
That's death.
Meditation is enjoying this moment.
It can be fun.
It should be fun,
Probably.
Enjoying yourself and enjoying that you give yourself time to be and not do and not make coffee and not rush around.
So we're just going to go through 12 people in your life that you have a connection to,
Small or large,
Deep or shallow.
People who shine light toward you and then you are going to shine light and offer connection to them.
Just a little each person.
And again,
Could be your mom,
Could be a grocery cashier,
Could be your yoga teacher,
Could be someone who dropped into yoga yesterday.
It doesn't have to be someone you know well,
Just someone who give you a little light and charm you want to connect to just for a moment.
Breathe deeply.
And without thinking about it too much,
Just draw to mind one person who gives you light and with whom you feel connection.
Close or strong?
Distant or gentle?
You know the name,
Maybe you don't know their name.
Take a good deep breath,
Connecting with them and then exhale slowly with them.
And then just settle again into your own breath,
Letting them go,
Remaining connected and enlightened,
But on their own.
And go on to another person.
Pick someone else that needs your connection with whom you share light.
A deep breath in for them.
Holding them in your mind and exhaling slowly.
A third person.
Someone else in your circle,
In your orbit.
Doesn't have to be a friend,
Doesn't have to be family.
Connect with them,
Share light and life.
Breathe in deeply with them and out slowly.
A fourth person.
Draw another person to mind.
Maybe accidentally you'll think of a person you've already thought of.
I guess that's okay.
Breathe a connecting breath in deeply,
Out slowly for them.
Another person.
Someone cute,
Someone stern,
It doesn't matter.
You have a connection in your life,
You go through life with them.
Maybe they're just at the store bundling your groceries.
Could be that person.
Take a deep breath.
Breathing out slowly.
And breathe for yourself.
Just slowing down,
Returning to self.
You are always honoring yourself.
Meditation is not supposed to just keep you to yourself.
It's supposed to give you strength for the world so that you can do right.
Think of a sixth person.
Could be a baby,
Could be an aged person.
You could even try yourself.
Breathe in deeply in connection,
Sharing light.
Out slowly.
Give it to them.
Take a deep breath.
We're halfway through our sacred dozen.
Take a deep breath in.
See who comes up for number seven.
Who comes into your mind?
Maybe a neighbor,
A co-worker.
Take a deep inhale to them and exhale your connection with them,
Just letting them in.
Sharing your life with them.
Bound together.
Sit for yourself a little too.
Pick another person.
Just draw an image.
And that could be someone you know well.
Everyone needs love and connection and light.
Everyone struggles.
Breathe for them.
Deeply in,
In connection,
And slowly out in connection.
A ninth person.
Could be anyone.
Give them a good deep breath.
And a slow exhale.
And stopping with yourself for a few moments,
Just checking in.
Is this hard for you?
Is it fun?
Is it confusing?
Do you know 12 people?
Again,
It doesn't have to be someone close.
Picking another person.
Maybe you wonder how they're doing.
Maybe you're inspired to call them later.
Or not.
Just breathe in a good connection with them and breathe out a good connection with them.
Keeping them in your life with your breath.
Another person you know.
Vaguely or not.
Deeply,
Maybe.
By name or not.
It's okay.
Breathe in connection with them and breathe out connecting with them.
Settling.
Settling.
Staying quiet.
Staying still.
One last person you can draw to mind.
I wonder who it's going to be.
It comes up for you.
Breathe in with them and out for them.
Connecting and offering light.
Letting them shine back to you.
And then just settling to see how this connectedness and interconnectedness feels.
What does it do for you?
What does it alert you to?
What do you notice?
As you continue to breathe and continue to enjoy your own company.
Taking stock of a moment with generous awareness.
We are all interconnected and interpenetrating.
