Welcome to this guided meditation where we will practice raising our awareness.
Go ahead and settle yourself into a nice,
Comfortable position.
Sitting upright with your back straight,
But not too tight.
Position your body in a way that will allow you to remain relaxed,
Yet alert.
Rest your hands on your lap.
And once you have settled in comfortably,
Gently close your eyes.
Now,
Silently set an intention for yourself to be open and curious about whatever comes up during this meditation practice.
Receiving what arises without any judgment.
And as you set this intention for yourself.
Let's take a couple of deep breaths to deepen our state of relaxation.
Go ahead and take a nice,
Long,
Deep breath in through the nose and a slow,
Long breath out through the mouth.
Once again,
A nice long inhale,
Feeling your belly and chest expand upward and release the breath out slowly and gently,
Feeling your body contract back down to earth again.
A nice long inhale.
And a slow,
Gentle exhale.
As you breathe.
Stay present and connected.
While breathing in,
Assume the space around your chest is expanding.
While breathing out,
Assume the space around your chest is contracting.
One last time,
Inhale… and exhale.
Slowly allow your breath to return to its natural soothing rhythm.
There is no need to control the breath in any way,
Just allow it to flow effortlessly,
Just like a summer breeze.
And if at any point you notice yourself distracted during this meditation practice,
Simply acknowledge that your thoughts have strayed and gently bring your attention back to the sensations of your breath.
Coming in and out of your body.
Notice any thoughts that may pull your attention away and slowly come back to your breath.
Now scan your body for any areas of tension and allow those parts to soften.
Soften all the muscles in your face.
Ease the space between your eyebrows.
Loosen your jaw.
Drop your shoulders just a little deeper.
Feeling the lengthening in your spine.
Relax your arms and your fingers.
Allow your belly to become loose.
Relax your legs and your toes.
Allow your entire body to soften.
Take a moment to notice your body and any physical sensations that may stand out to you.
Notice your posture.
Notice the clothing on your skin.
Notice any points of contact between your bodies.
And the surface underneath you.
Notice the temperature of the air around your body and whether it is cool or warm.
Tune into any sounds that are present in your environment.
Maybe you can hear traffic outside.
Maybe you can hear the wind.
Maybe you can hear some birds chirping in the distance.
Just allow your awareness to expand outside of you for just a moment as you allow yourself to fall into a deeper state of relaxation.
Now,
Bring your awareness back into your internal space.
Notice how your eyes are closed and how gently they rest in this peaceful moment of pure tranquility.
See how,
Although your eyes are closed,
You can see some images arise for you.
Notice how you can see some shades of light peeking through the soothing darkness that rests behind your eyelids.
Whatever it is that you experience,
Simply observe without any judgment.
Allow yourself to become more aware as you watch whatever it is that is happening within your body.
Allow any emotions to arise for you.
But try your best to remain detached and present.
Just relax.
And allow yourself to be a witness to all that you experience.
See what is happening inside.
As you gently breathe in.
And out.
To deepen our awareness,
We will now practice a visualization technique.
Imagine yourself standing in a magnificent prairie.
You see beautiful clouds begin to form above your head and it starts to rain ever so softly.
The temperature of the rain is just perfect.
It is not too cold and not too warm.
It feels just right.
The rain smells like the most beautiful,
Refreshing scent.
Maybe this scent reminds you of the ocean breeze.
Or maybe it reminds you of flowers.
So just notice whatever arises for you in this moment.
Listen to the sound of the rain.
This beautiful sound begins to soothe your body and mind.
The sound of the raindrops as they fall upon your body sounds like a beautiful melody quietly playing.
It is lulling your body and your mind into complete relaxation.
When the raindrops fall on your body,
It caresses your skin with the perfect temperature.
The perfect sensation.
And the perfect feeling.
As the raindrops fall upon you,
It takes all of your stress and carries it down to the earth beneath you,
Away from your body.
It gently flows deep down into the earth.
Taking anything that you no longer need with it.
You feel very grateful for the rain showering you down with this peaceful relaxation.
So continue to breathe deeply.
As you experience this soothing feeling.
Breathing in and breathing out at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
Allowing this experience to wash away any thoughts you wish to release.
Allowing this experience to wash away any emotions and feelings you wish to release.
Enjoy this peaceful experience.
Just as you are.
As this practice slowly draws to an end.
Slowly begin to let go of the visualization.
At your own unhurried pace,
See if you can carry forward whatever insight you discovered into your day.
Begin to notice your surroundings.
See what you can notice as you allow your attention to return to its waking state.
Begin to wiggle your toes and your fingers.
Move your head from side to side.
And when you are ready,
You can open your eyes.
