Settle in and come to a natural and comfortable place.
You may need to fidget just to get your seat just right,
Or reclining,
Lying down.
However you find yourself,
And whatever you need for this meditation.
Notice your skin,
The container for all that is you.
Dry,
Thick,
Moisturized,
A shade of brown,
Warm.
You don't have to name it,
But you can just notice and respect and enjoy the safety and security that your skin provides.
All that's inside contributing to your mass.
And you might,
In this,
Sense the tug of gravity.
You don't need to resist gravity during this meditation,
As you might have to when you're walking or striving.
Let yourself sink in.
Listen for the quiet that drifts around you,
That is not silent,
But can be soothing.
The rhythms of the world and space that you are in.
How's your breathing?
Complicated?
Restrained?
Simple?
Delicate?
All in all poetic?
You can just notice it,
Maybe with an awareness of gratitude that your breathing provides so much motive force,
Energy,
And nutrition to your cells.
Brings in and lets out what you need,
What you don't need,
In a nearly magical system.
See if you can bring your breath in a little deeper,
And exhale a little slower,
And just increase that a few times.
In deeper,
Out slower,
Perhaps in deeper again,
And out slower once more.
Reclining,
Using your breath to settle in,
And release any stiffness.
What a blessing.
Continuing to breathe,
And when you get distracted,
When your mind wanders,
You can return to the sound of my voice,
The volume and weight of your body,
Even the simple rhythm of your breath,
And an enjoyment and respect for all that you are embodied.
Breathing.
What's your physical state at this moment?
Energized?
Stiff?
Uncomfortable?
Perhaps agitated?
Notice,
With a generous awareness,
Maybe you want to attend specifically to any joints or spaces of discomfort.
Be curious about yourself.
And then from body to spirit,
What's your emotional state?
How are you feeling?
Are there words or images or just sensations that convey your experience,
An emotional state at this moment?
Are those emotional feelings tied into physical feelings and expressions?
Just be curious,
Almost dispassionately scientific and aware,
Observing.
Let's try a small change.
Notice the edges of your mouth and see if you can bring them up fractionally into the beginnings of a smile.
What do you notice when you give yourself a little smile?
Does it expand into your cheeks,
Around your eyes,
Through your forehead,
Up,
Outwards,
Or down?
Do you notice any resistance to smiling?
Is it a positive experience?
We're just trying it out,
As though making a laboratory of our face.
What do we notice?
Maybe it's pleasant.
Maybe it's just awkward.
You can just take notes,
Without a judgment,
Without analysis,
A curious and generous awareness of the experience of giving yourself a smile.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Draw to mind someone or something that amuses you,
That brings you joy.
A loved one,
A pet,
A kind clerk at your grocer's,
A beautiful vista,
A special book,
Something that makes you happy.
Bring it to your mind's eye.
When you think about this object or person of joy,
What do you experience?
Is your emotional state altered?
Do you notice any physiological changes in reflecting on this beautiful person or thing?
Does your breathing change?
Take stock.
Don't rush yourself.
Don't rush to judgment.
You're breathing in deeply.
You're breathing out slowly.
And continually returning to the moment and the space you are in when you become distracted.
As we all inevitably become distracted.
That's good.
It's a sign of a healthy and functioning mind.
You can use my voice as a focus to bring yourself back.
And in your healthy and vibrant mind,
We're going to allow fantasy.
We're going to envision a joyful fantasy.
Perhaps you're a space captain.
Maybe you're of a different gender.
A trumpet player.
A scholar in some area not yet discovered.
Dressed in glittering robes.
Let your mind take you to distant,
Exciting,
And celebratory places.
What's it like to enter a magical world of farce or fantasy?
And deep joy and laughter?
You wouldn't want to stay there in a magical fantasy during the day,
But for this moment,
Enjoy it.
What do you notice about yourself and your body when you allow yourself to enter fantasy?
Mindfully,
As though lucid dreaming,
Intentionally cultivating a fantasy image that surprises you and gives you excitement and joy.
What do you see?
How do you feel?
Still smiling?
Did it come and go?
As we enter the closing period of this meditation,
Return to that gentle facial expression,
Rising through the edges of your lips and your cheekbones like a breeze.
Stay there.
