We all have this idea of what our body needs based on our mind and the things that we've learned and the things that we know about our body.
So we know that certain diets work best for our body.
We know that we need a certain amount of sleep in order to feel mentally clear.
We know that certain places and people and things make us tired or excited.
We have this ongoing list in our minds of what our body needs.
And I think that's a beautiful thing.
We all need that mental component,
That list,
That schedule,
That routine that we've created with our mind in order to take care of our bodies.
But I also think that a lot of us are missing a component and that is Asking our body what it needs.
Because more than the mind,
Our physical body has an innate intelligence.
It knows in any given moment what is going to benefit us,
What is going to support us best.
And what we truly need.
And so in today's meditation,
I want to guide us through a body scan and asking our body,
Our emotions,
Our heart,
What it needs right now.
Listen to the response,
And then your homework after your meditation today is to make one of those things that your body asked for a reality using your mind.
And so that's the mind's role,
Is taking that knowledge,
That innate intelligence from your physical body and turning it into a reality.
And so let's begin our meditation today with some gentle,
Intuitive movement.
Just take a moment and stretch.
Or move,
Or adjust your seat.
Or whatever it is that feels good in your body today.
If you want to just be still,
You can be still.
But I often find that just like a little bit of movement is enough to show me where my body is feeling like particularly tight or tense.
So just take an opportunity maybe to feel into your body.
It doesn't have to be a pretty stretch.
Which is feeling.
And you might want to close your eyes.
Or might feel better to keep your eyes open for now,
That's fine too.
And then as it feels natural and good to you,
You can just gently slow down your movement and come into a comfortable position.
Seated,
Standing,
Laying down.
Whatever feels right to you today.
And just wherever you are,
Take a moment to find a nice long straight spine.
So really reaching down through your tailbone and up through the top of your head to create space in your vertebrae,
Space in your spine.
And then as you find that length,
You can just gently let go of any holding in your muscles and just settle into your spine.
Just let it hold that length you created in its own natural curve,
Its own natural way.
Leaning in and allowing your spine to hold you.
And if you haven't already,
You can just gently begin to close your eyes.
And soften the muscles around your eyes.
And as you do that,
As you soften all those little muscles in your cheeks and in your forehead,
Maybe you can just feel the rest of your body softening in response.
Gentle ripple softness moving down.
Face,
The neck.
Shoulders.
The heart.
Space between your shoulder blades.
Softening all the way down your spine.
Your pelvis,
Your belly.
Softening your legs.
Quads,
Shins,
Calves.
Ankles and feet.
And here.
Right at the beginning of our meditation.
I just want you to take a moment.
And be with your body.
Before we've changed the breath,
Before we've.
.
.
Done anything with our minds.
Notice how your body feels.
Maybe you notice any tight or tense areas.
Maybe you notice if you're feeling tired,
Sleepy.
Energized,
Excited.
What emotions?
Currently shifting through your body.
Frustration,
Happiness,
Anger,
Contentment.
What's here?
In this moment.
Notice your mind,
Your thoughts.
Are they taking up a lot of space?
Are the thoughts coming thick and fast?
Are you thinking about the past?
Of the present or the future.
And there's no right or wrong answer to any of these questions.
We're just getting her baseline.
How your body is feeling.
Finally.
Notice your breath.
How are you breathing right now?
And it's okay if the second you turn your attention to your breath it changes.
You can learn a lot from that too.
But just noticing.
Your breath.
Sleepy,
Energized.
Soft.
Baths.
Can you feel it all the way into your belly?
Or does it stop somewhere in your chest?
Just getting.
.
.
A little snapshot of your breath.
Here and now.
And then in your own time.
We're just gonna gently invite our breath deeper.
And we're going to follow it.
Inward.
So taking a few deep belly breaths,
Nice long inhales in.
And long breath out,
Really try to empty your belly.
Deep breaths,
Filling up.
And emptying out.
And with each deep inhale.
And a huge,
Long exhale.
We're just gonna unbite.
Body to relax a little bit more,
To soften a little bit more.
We're going to allow our motions to just be and move as they will.
And we're gonna allow our thoughts to continue flowing.
Just in the background of our breath.
It's all still there.
Not pushing anything away.
Just allowing the breath to move to the forefront of our attention.
Nice deep and even breaths And as you continue to breathe nice and deep.
I want you to also invite back that awareness of your physical body.
And that information that you gathered with your mind.
Sleepiness or the tightness or the the things that are moving through your body.
This morning,
This moment.
And as you breathe deeply into your belly,
I just want you to ask your body,
Your physical body,
What you can do to support it today.
And your mind might want to jump in and say,
What you have on the docket.
What's on your list.
And you can listen and hear that.
But also let your body speak.
And it might come,
Your body's message might come as an image,
As a feeling.
I was just knowing that this is what I need.
You might feel a sensation in some part of your body that's asking you for attention.
We're just gonna take a moment here in silence to breathe.
And allow our body's messages to come through.
In whatever form or shape.
None.
Just in your own time.
Take a deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
Just gently thank your physical body.
And if for some reason you didn't get any answers from your physical body,
That's okay too.
I may speak to you a bit later.
And just set the intention to be open and willing to receive that information as it comes.
And then we're going to turn our tension.
Back to the breath.
And allow the physical body to kind of fade into the background.
And our motions to rise a little bit closer to the surface.
And all those emotions that were present.
Are present.
And just maybe allow yourself to get a sense.
Of the flow,
The push,
The pull of your emotional body.
And in the same way,
We're just going to ask.
Our emotional body what it needs.
What can I do to settle this anger?
What can I do or what should I do to ask in this contentment?
What is fueling that frustration and how can I support myself through it?
Just asking.
And with curiosity listening to whatever your body,
Whatever your emotions.
Have to say to you.
And once more.
Just taking a deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
Just take a moment to think.
Your emotional body for any guidance it may have given you.
And again,
If the answers didn't come in this moment,
That's okay.
Or just be open to them at a later time.
And we're going to go one final layer asking ourselves what we need.
Coming back to the breath.
And allowing your motions,
Whatever's still there to fade into the background a little bit.
As you begin to feel into your heart.
And if you want a physical anchor,
You might place one or both hands over your heart.
And just feel your heartbeat.
You might not even need the hand to feel.
That gentle pulsing.
In your chest.
And more than just a physical organ,
Our heart.
As an internal guide.
She doesn't care about the mind's to-do list.
It's going to tell it to you straight.
Exactly what it needs from you.
In order to grow.
In order to change.
In order to let go.
Move on,
Upgrade.
See the mind keeps us steady.
And steadiness is important.
The heart is what pushes us to become all that we are and all that we can be.
And so we're just gonna take a moment to ask our heart.
What it needs from us.
What is that one thing?
Or those many things.
Actions it needs for us to take in order for us to become all that we need to be.
The one thing we've been avoiding.
Or that one secret desire in our heart that we've just been nursing.
Or maybe it's something brand new to you.
To this moment.
Just ask your heart.
What it needs.
And listen.
Begin to take a final deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
And take a moment to think.
Your heart.
Any insight or any guidance.
That it offers in this moment or at any point.
During your day or during your week.
And take a moment to thank your breath.
For guiding you through.
Your body,
Your emotions,
And your heart.
That steady rhythm.
In and out.
And just a gentle reminder as we end our meditation today,
If you received guidance from your body.
From your emotions and from your heart.
Use your mind to bring that guidance into your day,
To take action on it.
To bring it to life.
Because that's how we build trust.
And build a relationship with our physical body,
Not just listening.
But taking action.
Following through.
And in your own time,
And in your own way,
Just gently begin to Wake your body back up.
Maybe you wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Your wrists,
Your ankles.
Becoming more aware of the space that you're in any noises or sounds or light in your environment Feel the press of the floor below you.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you so much for being here with me this morning.
Hopefully we'll practice again together soon.
