Main Stop Find a comfortable position to begin practice can be seated or lying down or even standing up if you feel the need to bring energy to the body.
Connecting first with whatever is grounded,
Whatever is touching the earth and allowing yourself to feel connected to the earth.
That might happen through awareness of sensation or sending breath to those places of connection,
Those places of grounding.
Find stability,
Find structure in the body.
Use the skeleton as your guide to build alignment,
Build a frame for everything else to soften around and with an exhale just soften one percent more.
Soften around the eyes,
The jaw,
The whole head and face.
Soften through the throat,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Down the arms.
Let the arms be heavy,
Hands resting in the lap.
Fingers relaxed.
Release any need for grasping,
Doing,
Holding.
Just be here with body and breath.
Feel the natural curvature of the spine.
Feel as the sits bones ground,
The pelvis stable,
Belly soft and open.
Release any tension lingering in the legs,
The feet,
The soles of the feet,
The toes.
And offer appreciation for this body,
This physical vessel.
Offer appreciation for the breath flowing in and out.
Offer appreciation,
Kind appreciation to the mind for always doing its job.
Maybe sometimes more than we would like.
Just noting that thought and mood and movement of the mind is the mind's best attribute and it often does it quite well.
Offer appreciation for the nervous system.
Offer appreciation for the nervous system.
This vibrant,
Far-reaching communication highway running throughout the entire body.
Continually keeping the body safe.
Continually regulating.
Returning again and again to rest.
So once again softening the edges of the body.
Release.
Let go.
Just 1% more.
And as you do connect a bit more deeply with the breath as it moves around the area of the nose.
Feel the breath flowing in.
And flowing out a little bit warmer on exhale.
You might pay close attention to the rim of the nostrils,
The slight sensation of breath as it moves in and out.
Attention might be on the upper lip.
Feeling the slight movement of breath there.
Or sensation around the tip of the nose.
Notice how breath moves.
How sensation responds and is created by breath.
You can focus on one of these points or all of them at once or move between them.
Hold in your mind and in your heart the intention to sustain your awareness on the breath.
No force needed.
Just holding gentle intention,
Creating the conditions for sustained awareness.
Forhat Uthina is Pikel Essentially Maintain a kind,
Loving awareness.
On the breath.
And whenever the mind wanders with just as much kindness,
Just as much care,
Gently draw yourself back.
And then begin again,
Offering yourself appreciation.
Offering yourself your own kind attention.
And in turn also receiving your own kind attention.
Sustaining focus.
And then begin again.
And then begin again.
And begin again.
Holding yourself in that kindness,
That care,
And that loving attention.
Begin to repeat these phrases to yourself.
Feel free to change the phrases as feels right to you.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
Breathing it in.
And you can continue offering these same phrases to yourself.
Or if you feel ready,
If you feel open to offering these phrases to a loved one.
Maybe someone who has supported you recently.
Someone who has been on your mind.
Or someone who needs a little extra love.
Offering these phrases as it feels right to you.
Always feel free to shift the words.
Really envisioning this person in your mind's eye,
In your heart's eye.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
Notice how it feels to let this outpouring happen from your own heart.
And really see this person,
Feel this person receiving.
Receiving this metta,
This loving kindness.
This wave of care and ease.
And then finally,
Bring to mind community.
Community that you are a part of.
So that might be your family,
Your coworkers,
Your friends,
Or maybe a community as a whole.
Queer community,
Yoga community.
Any group that you also identify with in some way.
And then offering these phrases from your heart.
Feeling this broad sweep,
This widening of the embrace of the heart.
May we be filled with loving kindness.
May we be well.
May we be peaceful and at ease.
May we be happy.
May we be filled with loving kindness.
May we be well.
May we be peaceful and at ease.
May we be happy.
May we be filled with loving kindness.
May we be well.
May we be peaceful and at ease.
May we be happy.
Let yourself settle for a few moments here.
Return to your awareness of breath.
Return to your awareness of breath.
Return to your awareness of breath.
Return to your awareness of breath.
