Please allow yourself to get comfortable.
Be generous with yourself in taking the time to find a position that helps you to feel grounded,
Relaxed,
Present.
Feel the contact that you're making with this earth that we're on through your feet or your legs or through what you're sitting on and invite any extra effort that you don't really need right now to fall away as best you can.
You might start by getting clear in your intention that you have this time right now to practice doing something different from what we often do.
To make it a time where you aren't leaning ahead or going back over the past or drifting into fantasy but instead you can make the choice to rest in the present with your breathing and these simple phrases that we will use.
And when you realize that your mind has wandered,
You can simply smile at waking up.
Let yourself return and begin again.
I invite you to let your eyes rest and to let yourself shift gears.
So check in with your hips,
If there's any contracting in your hips that you can let go of.
Let your legs simply fall where they do naturally.
And find a simple presence through your spine,
From your tailbone,
Through the curves of your back,
All the way up between your ears.
And then letting your energy continue out through the crown of your head into the sky above you.
You can feel connected to both the earth and the sky.
Held by the earth and the sky.
Held by the space all around you.
And let your shoulders simply hang.
Feel the weight of your arms resting,
Relaxed elbows,
Wrists,
Relaxed hands and fingers.
And check in with your torso.
Just notice if your abdomen and your ribcage are free to move right now.
To move in response to the movement of your lungs,
Of your diaphragm,
That you're not holding yourself in.
Your chest can be easy.
Invite a relaxed throat,
An easy jaw.
Might allow some space between your upper and lower teeth.
Letting go of any tension in your lips,
In your cheeks.
And not needing to reach out with your eyes to discern,
To understand or to look out for anything.
Let them rest.
The outside corners of your eyes can be soft.
The space between your eyes relaxed.
An easy brow.
Easy temples.
And then bring your awareness to your ears to just listening to this moment,
Right where you are.
Whatever sounds you're hearing inside or outside,
Inviting yourself to stay in the present moment,
Connected to your body.
Now feel yourself breathing.
Let your attention stay there.
Feeling your in-breath,
Feeling your out-breath,
However it is in this moment,
Its tempo,
Its depth.
Simply letting yourself follow and enjoy following.
Right now,
You don't need to lead or control.
It can be a relief.
And now we'll work with a handful of phrases that you can coordinate with your inhale and your exhale.
The phrases give your mind something to rest on while your body can rest on the rhythm of your breathing.
You can use either the long phrase I share or the short phrase.
And we will start just simply as you breathe in,
I'm breathing in.
As you breathe out,
I'm breathing out.
I'm breathing in.
I'm breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Letting yourself enjoy the simplicity of the task right now.
That you don't need to do anything else,
But enjoy feeling yourself breathe.
This is enough.
It's enough to let yourself stop and have space to breathe.
And let the words follow your breathing so that you're not controlling your breathing.
As you feel yourself breathing in,
I'm breathing in.
As you feel yourself breathing out,
I'm breathing out.
Just this.
I'm breathing in.
I'm breathing out.
What does it feel like to breathe in,
To feel yourself expand,
To let yourself receive?
What does it feel like to let go,
To exhale,
To release?
Can you notice the transitions?
The top of the inhale,
The bottom of the exhale,
The waiting for the next breath to come.
And the next phrase,
As you breathe in,
I can go slowly.
As you breathe out,
I can breathe in.
I can be at ease.
I can go slowly.
I can be at ease.
Slow.
At ease.
Slow.
At ease.
You can enjoy not being in a hurry.
Not rushing to the next moment.
Not rushing to the next breath.
But to really experience this moment.
This full breath.
Can you let yourself be at ease?
Even if it's just for this little while.
Knowing that only we can let ourselves be at ease.
Letting go of any holding,
Contracting,
Tension.
But instead to rest here,
To relax here.
Simply breathing.
Slow.
At ease.
And the next phrase,
As you breathe in,
I can keep this moment simple.
As you breathe out,
I can be steady.
I can keep this moment simple.
I can be steady.
Simple.
Steady.
Simple.
Steady.
To keep this moment simple is to be aware of what arises without adding on.
To experience things as they are.
Following our breathing can keep us steady.
Feeling the ground underneath us can keep us steady.
You might just feel what it's like to say these words.
I can keep this moment simple.
I can be steady.
And the next phrase,
As you breathe in,
I can be open in this moment.
As you breathe out,
I can meet this moment softly.
I can be open in this moment.
I can meet this moment softly.
Open.
Soft.
We can remind ourselves that in this very moment,
Not a past moment or a future moment,
But in this moment,
We can choose to not close off.
To not guard or need to protect,
To not hide.
We can choose to be soft in our presence.
Gentle.
I can be open in this moment.
I can be soft.
I'm breathing in.
I'm breathing out.
I can go slowly.
I can be at ease.
I can keep this moment simple.
I can be steady.
I can be open.
I can meet this moment softly.
As we wind this meditation down,
I invite you to take this energy into your day or evening.
Thank you for practicing with me.
And take a moment to thank yourself for having the courage to practice.
May you go gently.
Be well.
