Thank you for sitting with me today as we mindfully connect our breath,
Body,
And mind.
Leaving behind whatever you are just doing,
Shift around and get a little more comfortable where you are.
With your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed,
Close down your eyes or rest your gaze on an object in the distance,
Allowing your eyes to rest.
See if you can notice them soften.
All the muscles around your eyes.
Finding some ease.
Relax your jaw.
Check back in with your shoulders.
Make sure they didn't sneak back up.
And on your next inhale,
Notice where the air is flowing.
Is it up high in your chest?
Is it halfway down in your ribcage?
And if it isn't traveling all the way to your belly,
I invite you to relax your diaphragm and let the air make its way down into a softening belly.
And take a breath or two at your own pace,
Just like this.
And from this settled state,
I invite you to notice your posture.
Is your back straight and strong?
Can you lengthen your spine?
Notice its sturdiness from top to bottom.
And see if you can go back to watching your breath enter a soft belly.
And as you exhale,
Feeling the strength of your back.
Soft belly.
Strong back.
Soft belly.
Strong back.
And for your next few breaths,
Repeat this to yourself as a bit of a mantra.
To have a soft belly,
An open heart,
Approaching life from a place of kindness and well-wishing,
Balanced with a strong back.
Holding to your boundaries,
Staying true to your needs,
Your knowings.
Both can be true.
We can be vulnerable and open and strong at the same time.
I once heard this referred to as,
Do no harm,
Take no shit.
And if we can remember this more often,
If we can align ourselves to this stance,
What a gift to ourselves and others.
The gift of openness and of sturdiness,
Of kindness and courage.
A soft belly.
A strong back.
Thank you for meditating with me and taking some time to build a new resource or practice an old one.
Maybe you've done this before.
Creating a well of stability and kindness that you can tap into at any time and reconnect to your balanced and beautiful nature.
Taking all the time that you need.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Roll your shoulders,
Giving your back some thanks for its strength and its sturdiness.
May you move through the rest of your day,
Balancing your caring nature and your innate strength.
Do no harm,
Take no shit.
Wishing you well.
