Let's begin by taking a nice deep breath in,
And slowly breathing out.
Inhale deeply once again,
And exhale.
One last time together,
Deep breath in,
And with control,
Breathe out.
I invite you to continue to breathe in this way.
Just notice how your belly rises and falls with each in-breath and out-breath.
Breathe at a rhythm that is comfortable for you,
A rhythm that brings relaxation to your body and to your mind.
From time to time your attention may go elsewhere,
And that's totally fine.
Keep bringing your attention back to your breath with lots of patience and kindness,
Knowing that the mind will bounce around into the future and back into the past.
This doesn't have to be a problem,
Unless we decide that it is.
Allow the mind to do whatever it does,
And see can you observe it,
Notice its tendencies,
And just by noticing these thoughts,
These patterns,
You create space,
Enough space to affirm that you are not your thoughts,
That you are not your mind,
In the same way that you are not your body.
Feel free to let go of your control over your breath,
And to allow your body to breathe however it wants to,
But stay connected to this breath of yours.
Stay with this life force that has allowed you to be here.
Meditation is not about having no thoughts and emptying your mind,
But rather it's an opportunity to come home to yourself,
To be with yourself,
The self that is not looking to achieve anything,
Or to prove something,
Or to convince someone of something,
The self that is whole.
Meditation is an opportunity to experience the you that is not a concept,
The you beyond all labels,
All titles,
All identities.
At times during meditation there may be resistance to stillness,
Resistance to fully being here in the present moment,
But in a world that's filled with so much uncertainty,
So much chaos and division,
It's important to find spaces where we can feel supported,
Inspired,
Encouraged,
Where we can feel heard and seen,
Where we can feel loved.
For some it may be easy to find such spaces,
But I'd like to think that we all have the ability to make our inner world a safe space,
So that coming home to ourselves when we sit in this way is not something that terrifies us,
But rather something that we seek.
If it feels right to you,
I would love for you to repeat the following affirmation with your full voice or quietly to yourself.
I am at home within myself.
I am at home within myself.
Notice what feelings,
What sensations arise as you repeat the affirmation.
Come back to your breath and notice how you're breathing.
Come back to your breath and notice how you're breathing.
Notice if anything has changed.
I invite you to stay in this space for as long as you can.
Thank you for sitting with me.
Until next time,
Take care.
