Welcome.
My name is Elizabeth and today I will be your guide inside.
Today's meditation we will be connecting with stillness which rests within ourselves.
Yet we often are distracted or attending to the activity in our mind,
In our hearts,
And in our lives.
When we become anxious,
Despondent,
Frenetic,
We are in a mind which is restless,
Moving with scattered thoughts,
Feeling disconnected from the world and from ourselves.
Lately I've noticed a lot of challenges within my clients and within my own experience,
So I felt that this would be a good time to offer tools to connect with the reservoir of peace and calm which lives within each of us.
We get to choose what level of life we want to live from.
It may not feel that way always,
But if we can find space which lives within us,
Then we can move from that deeper space and create a life of love.
So today what we will do to begin is connect with our breath.
So let's let go of anything that you brought in and if you don't feel like you can let go,
That's okay.
In this process of meditation and witnessing our breath and the space between breaths,
We come into contact with the space which allows us to truly let go.
So I invite you to lie down if that feels comfortable or sit in a place where you feel supported.
Allow yourself to close your eyes.
Place your hands on your belly.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Feel the flow of the breath as it moves in and out.
We can begin with gratitude for this breath.
Grateful for the trees that allow us to breathe.
Begin connecting with your hands on your belly and just notice that they move out as you breathe in and they move in as you breathe out.
Just a gentle movement as we inhale.
It's just naturally going out.
Then as we exhale,
It's just naturally moving in.
So just follow that movement here.
You may get distracted by thoughts or sounds in your environment or feelings or visual images.
That's all fine.
That's part of meditation.
Just come back to the breath,
Noticing that movement.
Then I want you to notice at the end of the exhale,
There is a still point before the breath begins again.
It's a little gap or you could call it a gone of the breath.
It could be just for a quick moment or a longer pause.
It doesn't matter how long it is.
Just notice that gone space.
You could even label it gone.
The breath is gone.
And then it will begin again.
Notice how it feels to connect with that gone space.
And you will notice that the breath will begin again.
It will rise and fall and rise and fall back into that still point,
That gone space.
I want you to experiment with trying to keep some of your awareness in that gone space as the breath begins again.
The breath is rising and falling and there is a gone.
See if you are able to keep some of your awareness in that gone space as the breath begins again.
And just like the breath rises and falls and rises and falls back into that gone space,
So do our thoughts.
Our thoughts rise and fall.
Our emotions rise and fall.
They come and they go.
Just like the days come and go.
And often people come and go.
So many things are coming and going and often we get lost in the activity of life.
Feeling lost in the drama or the pain or the suffering.
But there is also a stillness,
A spaciousness which is holding us all.
So connecting to that space.
Feeling that in life,
Whenever you feel turbulence,
Challenge,
You may simply close your eyes,
Bring your hands to your belly,
Notice the movement of the breath and notice the gone space.
And then resting your awareness in that space as the activity continues.
Allowing that space to anchor you into the calm,
The peace,
Beyond all activity.
When we move into this space,
We connect with the power of presence,
Which is a space of abundance.
We can nourish our heart,
Our spirit,
And our entire being by connecting with this depth within.
So feel free at any time to do this practice in a shorter way,
Maybe before you get out of a car or before you start a meeting or any activity so that you can move into the activities of life from your depth.
And I'm very honored to spend this time with you today.
Thank you for traveling inside with me.
Namaste,
Our friends.
