Hi and welcome.
This is a nourishing centering meditation.
When we feel grounded and centered in our awareness,
We feel more equipped to deal with the ups and downs of daily life.
So this is a lovely practice for when we perhaps need a little extra time to reconnect with ourselves and allow the intelligence of life to renew us.
May this practice help you to center and steady yourself and carry on with your day feeling supported and nourished.
Please go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
Settling in for this time to nurture yourself,
You may like to begin by placing your hands somewhere on your body where you feel could use some tender attention.
If your head is aching,
Maybe placing a palm to your forehead or your hands on your head.
Maybe it's your belly or your heart that are feeling a little tender today.
Perhaps your feet are sore and tired and you could give them a little massage or gently place your palms against the soles of your feet.
Where in your body is calling for this attention?
And then spend a few moments here arriving,
Feeling this meeting with yourself.
You can take a few spacious breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth as you settle in a little more deeply for this time.
And now you can choose to leave your hands in place or rearrange them as you wish.
And allow your body to slowly unwind and relax,
Letting the dust of your day settle,
Beginning by softening your brow,
Feeling that skin of your forehead and your brow melting.
And let that softness ripple out and down to your cheekbones and your ears.
And as you soften the region in and around your ears,
Feel that softness ripple down so your jaw can soften and release a little.
Your shoulders,
A little shrug and release if you like.
Release any tension,
Any gripping,
Any holding in your belly.
Perhaps you feel your belly balloon with your inhale and relax with your exhales.
You might like to tense and then release the strong muscles of your legs,
Letting the weight of your legs and your hips get nice and heavy.
You could do that a couple of times if it feels good,
Tensing big,
Strong muscles of your legs as you inhale and holding that tension for a moment.
And then exhaling and releasing.
Welcome softness in the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.
See if you can smile with your eyes.
Rest your attention with your breath.
Find something to enjoy about breathing.
Maybe it's the rhythm,
The sound,
The movement.
Is your breath energizing,
Comforting,
Relaxing,
Or intriguing?
Explore your breath as you wish here.
This experience of your breath can be your anchor for your practice,
For your meditation,
And also for your day.
You can stay with it or you can continue to come back to this exploration of your breathing any time you wish.
Any time you feel unsettled,
Restless in your practice or in your day,
Let your breath help you to encompass all that you feel and experience and help you to tune back into what is you and what is true.
Let it help you to steady yourself and begin again.
Your breath is breathing you alive moment to moment.
When you pay special attention to it,
You can recognize and honor the support it can offer you.
So tune back in with your breathing any time.
You can begin with your breathing,
Meeting yourself right where you are,
With whatever is percolating and simmering and stirring on the inside,
In your mind and in your heart and in the sensations of your body.
You might whisper or hear in your mind the following words,
I welcome all of who I am into this space.
I welcome all of who I am to this space.
Welcome all of who I am into this space.
Taking a few thoughtful breaths,
Repeating and welcoming yourself.
With all thoughts and sensations and moods and senses,
Your awareness of your outer world and your inner world dancing together and feeling the steady earth beneath you.
And the consistency and reliability of your breath.
It can take time to feel a sense of coming into community with yourself and all that you may be experiencing at this time.
And know that there is no need to edit or delete any part of yourself here.
Give yourself all the space you need to be here,
Tending to yourself.
As you continue to welcome yourself,
Always recognize that you are in cooperation with not only the intelligence of your mind body system,
But also with the universal forces that breathe you alive.
You can tap into this feeling of support to further nourish your mind,
Your body,
Your cells.
Feel the ground beneath you supporting you.
Please take one hand to the earth or whatever surface it is that you may be resting upon.
Feel that connection to the supportive vast body of earth beneath you.
Inhale deeply and exhale with a sigh and a release into that support.
With your next exhalation,
See if you can release and relax even 5% more.
As you settle into this supported feeling,
Let it remind you of all the ways you are supported.
Feeling your sense of support.
Become aware of the space all around you.
Above you.
Behind you.
In front of you.
To both sides of you.
Feel and sense the way you expand and join with the space around you.
Where the boundary of your body meets space.
Maybe you feel a sense of spreading out into that space or recoiling from it,
Wanting to gather yourself in from that vastness.
Cozy up with yourself.
Taking that information on board.
As you feel the space around you.
Feel it as holding.
Feel the space as loving you and protecting you.
Nourishing you.
This space all around you is filled with essential nourishment for your lungs,
Organs and cells.
Breathe easily with that space and thought.
Feeling all your space,
Feeling that sense of support.
Imagine the air all around you is saturated with a renewing power.
Recognize this presence as a vital universal force that wants you to be nourished.
Taken care of.
Healthy.
Mother nature's breath surrounds you.
Her body holds you.
And you can give yourself to her for essential rest.
You may feel this renewing power and presence.
You may see it.
Does it shimmer?
Does it move?
Is there a color that you see?
When you consider the renewing presence of the air all around you.
Your inner landscape and your outer landscape dancing together now.
Each breath you are cooperating with the innate wisdom of your body.
And the intelligence of life itself to renew you.
With each inhalation,
You can gently draw in that nourishing atmosphere.
With each exhalation,
You can gently soften into the support beneath you and all around you.
For the next few minutes be as effortless as possible.
Adjusting your position and your breath as needed.
Anytime you feel restless.
Urgency to leap up into action.
Consider using this time to preserve that energy.
Take a breath.
Feel your space.
Feel your support.
Feel your breath.
Life is renewing you.
Restoring you.
Nourishing you with every breath.
May you feel held and safe here.
Poised at the center of it all.
You may continue to linger here for as long as you like.
Steadying yourself,
Centering yourself,
Nourishing yourself.
With your breath and your attention.
If you are ready to continue on with your day.
Emerge slowly so you can stay connected to yourself and carry feelings of steadiness throughout your day.
