Hello and welcome everyone.
This is Laura of Approachable Asana.
Thank you so much for being here for today's meditation.
Today's practice is going to bring an awareness to you.
A chance to say hello to yourself.
Our health and wellness depends on internal and external environments and a great place to start.
Is with you.
Bringing an awareness to yourself.
Sending yourself some love and compassion.
Being a little gentler and kinder.
And really connecting.
Really noticing all of the subtle nuances of you and your surroundings.
So let's take a little time and become aware of ourselves.
Go ahead and find a comfortable seat.
Sitting up nice and tall.
Maybe rolling your shoulders up,
Back and down.
Letting them fall away from your ears.
Allow your hands to rest in a comfortable position.
Allow your feet to gently rest on the floor.
Spend a few moments here paying attention to all of the information that is coming to you through your senses.
Is there anything that you can smell here?
If so,
How does the smell affect you?
Is it pleasing or not?
Maybe there's a lack of smell and you just take that in.
What can you see from your seat?
Take a moment to just look around.
Take in all the colors,
Textures,
Lights and shadows.
And then take a moment to look at your own hands.
These hands are yours.
They've been with you since the start of your life.
What do you notice about your hands?
How do you feel about them?
Notice any thoughts that arise.
Now hold your hands together and feel the touch of your skin.
Thank your hands for all of the work that they have done and all of the work that they continue to do for you.
Hold your hands tightly together and feel the touch of your skin.
Now notice your throat,
Your jaw,
Your tongue inside of your mouth.
And then take a moment to notice what comes up.
Now notice your throat,
Your jaw,
Your tongue inside of your mouth.
What do you notice here?
Are you clenching or holding on?
Is there a taste that you can appreciate?
Notice all of these sensations.
Now gently unclasp your hands and bring them to your face.
Lightly touching your face,
Bring an awareness to you.
This is you,
Your wonderful being.
And here you are,
Present.
Wonderful.
Abundant.
Now gently close your eyes or soften your gaze and begin to tune into the sounds in the room where you're sitting.
What do you notice?
What can you hear?
Can you hear people talking,
The sound of pets,
The sound of distant traffic?
Or maybe you hear the sounds of your own body,
Your breath moving in and out,
The gentle gurgling of your breath.
Now take your attention a little further inside.
Place one hand over your heart and one hand on your belly.
And either saying it inside your mind's eye or say it out loud,
Tell yourself hello.
Say hello and use your name.
How does this feel?
Next,
Shift your attention to your physical body.
Notice how your body feels.
Notice how your body feels.
Notice how your body feels.
Change your attention to your physical body.
Notice how your bones and muscles support you.
Your spine helps you sit upright.
Think about how your body helps you do simple movements,
Like scratching an itch,
Reaching for something,
Walking,
Or turning the page in a book.
If you feel an ache here or there in your body,
Bring your attention to those particular muscles and see if you can soften around the edges with a few deep breaths.
Feel the strength and solidness of each of your bones.
Next,
Place both of your hands over your heart on the left side of your chest.
Are you able to tune into the beat of your own heart?
Notice this pulsation moving the blood around your body.
You can even take one hand and feel the inside of your wrist on the thumb side,
Noticing your pulse here.
Feel that rhythm,
And really pay attention to what comes up as you appreciate this circulation,
This vital life force that transports blood throughout our entire body.
Tune in closely.
Tune in closely and feel the blood pumping through you,
Giving you life and vibrance.
Next,
Tune into your breathing.
Listen to your breath.
Can you hear the sounds of your inhale,
The sounds of your exhale?
Notice that air as it enters and leaves your nose on each and every breath.
Place your hands on your upper chest with your fingertips gently touching your collarbones and your elbows resting by your sides.
As you breathe here,
Your lungs are right underneath your hands.
Notice how your chest expands and grows larger with each breath in,
And it grows smaller with each breath out.
Each breath brings us fresh oxygen,
Fresh krana or life energy into our bodies,
Into all of ourselves,
And each exhale releases that old energy,
That carbon dioxide,
And that old air.
Spend a few moments breathing in and out,
Noticing that as you breathe in,
You're bringing in new energy,
And as you breathe out,
That old energy leaves.
Tune in to the sensation of your breath.
Next,
Gently bring your hands to your belly,
And maybe you gently rub this area.
This oxygen that we breathe in is used by ourselves to get energy from the food that we eat,
To make energy for everything we need to do in our physical daily life.
Our digestive system breaks this all down so that each part can be used in its own particular way.
The tiny molecules get absorbed in our bloodstream,
And we get rid of what is no longer needed.
Take a few moments of appreciation for all of the work your vital organs do to turn nourishing food into energy that our body can use,
Keeping us healthy and well-nourished and clean.
Next,
Allow your hands to rest on your lap or on your thighs,
And once again,
Return your attention back to the breath,
Noticing the inhale,
Noticing the exhale,
Feeling that connection of your hands touching your body,
Feeling the seat beneath you,
Supporting you fully,
And your feet resting on the ground.
Take a few more breaths here,
Noticing your entire body,
Everything wonderful about you.
What have you noticed with this saying hello to yourself today?
What awareness did this practice bring?
What appreciation do you have for yourself?
Take your arms and wrap them around you,
Giving yourself a nice,
Big,
Warm,
Comforting hug.
Take a big inhale through the nose and exhale with a sigh,
And then gently allow the light to enter your eyes once again.
Take note of how this practice made you feel,
How your energy level is right now,
How your physical body feels,
And how amazing you are.
Have a wonderful day.
Take care and be well.
