So just for now,
Just settle in.
Just take a moment to pause and exhale,
Inhale.
As you're nestling into this space,
This is a space for you to simply rest.
Simply rest and breathe,
To let go of any ideas of what healing should look like.
For me,
I have to remind myself that when it comes to healing,
In its deepest truth,
It's not about mending something that's broken.
It's about recognizing that nothing was ever missing in the first place.
It's about resting in the awareness that has been here all along.
That's been untouched by life's challenges.
It's always steady and whole.
So together,
We're going to ease into this space,
Not by striving,
But just by simply allowing.
Allowing ourselves to be as we are.
Allowing awareness to simply be.
So just let your body soften.
Let the breath move as it will.
You may want to close your eyes gently.
The HeartMath Institute actually did a study about how the simple act of placing our hands over our heart,
Even just for a few seconds,
Calms the nervous system immensely.
So if you'd like,
You can place your hands on your heart and just notice any sensations.
You may notice you feel more relaxed,
Or as though your body took a big sigh.
Perhaps you notice that your heart has slowed down.
Just notice.
Let your attention rest on your breath,
Not as something to control,
But just as something already happening effortlessly.
Feel the weight of the body pressing down.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Allow the jaw to unclench.
And just let your hands rest without effort,
Without tension,
Without control.
The breath flows in and out like the tide.
And with each exhale,
There's a letting go,
A surrender to this moment.
And now,
Rather than following the sensations,
Step back.
Be aware of them,
But also become aware of that which is aware.
If thoughts are arising,
That's okay.
Notice that they appear like ripples on the surface of a still lake.
And you might ask yourself,
Does this thought belong to the personal self?
Or does it simply arise,
Arise in awareness,
As awareness?
Who is this I that experiences these thoughts?
Who is this I that sees these thoughts?
What is this presence?
Does it have an edge?
A boundary?
Does this presence have a name or a history?
Or is it simply here before all ideas of self?
If a sensation is rising,
Maybe discomfort or ease,
Just allow it to appear.
Is this sensation you?
Or does it appear within you as awareness?
Where is the one who needs healing?
Where is the one who is suffering?
Let these questions just float in your awareness,
Not to be answered by the mind,
But to be felt as an opening.
An invitation to rest in the not knowing.
Let go of any effort that may be arising.
There's no need to do anything at all.
Just rest as the presence that is aware of all experience.
Let the thoughts come and let them go.
Let the sensations arise and let them dissolve.
Nothing needs to be held on to.
Can you sense the vast,
Open stillness within which everything arises and appears?
This stillness is not something you need to find.
It's what you already are.
Notice that in this moment,
You are not separate from the experience itself.
There's only this one seamless presence.
Now let's slowly bring our awareness to the awareness of the mind.
Let's bring our awareness back to the body.
Not as something separate,
But as a movement,
A gentle movement of the same presence.
Notice and feel the breath.
Notice and feel the breath as it rises and falls.
Feel the subtle aliveness within the fingertips and the soles of your feet.
And as this meditation draws to a close,
Know that nothing has really ended.
You remain as you always were,
As you always are,
Open,
Whole,
Present.
And so as you move back into your day,
I invite you to carry that knowing with you.
If you had your eyes closed,
I invite you to gently open them.
Coming back to the space in the room that you're in,
Maybe wiggling your toes a little bit more and your fingers.
Thank you for joining me.
Thank you for being here.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Namaste.
Namaste.
