Just taking the time to slow down and to arrive in this space.
Making yourself comfortable in a position that you can maintain for around 30 minutes.
Just noticing your thoughts and your feelings as you come into this space and as you slow and settle down.
Setting the intention to give this time just for you.
Letting go of all of the troubles,
Worries,
Thoughts and feelings of the day to come into this moment and into this space.
And as you relax and settle,
Find yourself being supported.
Settle into a sitting position or your lying position,
Whichever feels comfortable for you.
And feeling the support of the cushion or the chair or your mat.
As you find yourself slowing down and arriving in this space and arriving in this moment.
In a relaxed space,
Ensure that your back and spine are supported.
That your head is either resting on a pillow or tilted slightly forward.
Legs uncrossed and anchored to the floor or flopped out to the side.
Arms resting comfortably away from your shoulders.
Palms facing up with your hands either resting on your thighs or in your lap or beside you.
And taking in a deep breath just to settle you.
And one more breath.
Slowing down and arriving in this space and in this moment.
Bringing your attention to your breath.
Just noticing the sensation of the air as it passes through the tip of your nose.
In through your nostrils.
Following the breath down through your throat and into your lungs.
And as you breathe out,
Feel your belly relax.
Your chest fall,
Just slowing down and arriving in this space.
Making this time just for you.
If you haven't already done so,
Gently close your eyes and bring your focus to a place just behind your eyes.
Maintaining this focus,
You might notice a bright light or maybe some colors or maybe just some darkness.
Just maintaining this focus for a while,
Just at this point,
Just behind your eyes.
And just noticing any taste that you may sense in your mouth.
You may notice some residual flavors or tastes or maybe even a metallic tang.
Just notice without engaging.
And sensing anything that you can hear,
The sound of the music playing in the room.
You may hear yourself breathing or other sounds in the room.
Just bringing your focus here and letting the sounds float to you.
Bringing your attention to sounds outside the room,
Anything that you may hear or notice.
Sounds of nature,
Birdsong,
Breeze in the trees or it may be just noises of traffic as they pass by.
Just notice without engaging.
Just letting the sounds come to you.
As you come into stillness,
Just soften your focus a little bit more.
And you may hear the subtler sounds that are in and around.
You may also notice some fragrances or smells in the room.
They may be pleasant or unpleasant.
Just taking the time to notice without engaging.
Arriving in this place and arriving in this moment.
Turning your attention to your body,
Bringing your focus to where it is being supported by the floor.
You may feel your weight being supported through your bottom,
Through your back or through the soles of your feet.
Just feeling the earth supporting your body and as you breathe in,
Just take a moment to notice the sensations of the earth supporting your body.
And as you breathe out,
Just relax into the position just a little bit more.
Arriving in this space,
Arriving in the stillness just for you.
Sensing the top of your head,
Just noticing any feelings or any sensations that you may feel there.
On your scalp or in your hair,
My fence of tingling,
Maybe even some heat or radiated heat.
Just keeping your attention there and noticing any sensations.
To your brow and to your eyes,
Maybe smiling into your eyes,
Just softening.
To your cheeks and to your mouth and gums,
Your tongue,
Your teeth,
Just noticing.
And as you breathe out,
Just relax that little bit more,
Arriving into this moment.
Bringing your attention to your shoulders and neck,
Sensing any attention you may be holding there.
You may feel some discomfort.
And as you breathe out,
Just feel that letting go,
A softening.
And feeling the tension relax and your shoulders dropping away from your neck.
To your upper arms,
To your elbows,
Your lower arms and your wrists and down into your hands.
Just noticing any tingling or sensations or any tension that's being held in your arms or in your hands.
Now feeling into your fingers,
Sensing any tingling or tension in your hands.
And taking another breath into your hands and fingers and just relaxing and letting go as you breathe out.
Breathing into your heart and chest,
Noticing any sensations and any tension that you're holding there.
Breathing into your stomach and belly,
Your lower back and your lumbar region.
Just noticing any tension or sensations.
And as you breathe out,
Just relax and letting go,
Coming into this moment and into stillness.
Noticing any sensations,
Pain or discomfort or any other tension in your pelvis and hips or in your upper legs and thighs.
Down through your knees and to your lower legs,
Into your calves,
Ankles and feet.
You may notice sensations in the heels or the soles of your feet or within your toes.
Just focusing and noticing from your big toe,
Down through all of the toes,
Down to your little toe.
One toe at a time and just noticing what's there.
Bringing your attention to your whole body,
Bringing your focus out just that little bit more and sensing your whole being.
And bringing your focus to any sensations that you can feel within the body.
A sense of calmness maybe,
A sense of stillness.
You may feel a tingling or some residual tension still in the body.
Just keeping your attention and just noticing without engaging.
Arriving into this moment,
Arriving into this space,
Arriving into stillness.
Bringing your focus to your head,
To sensing the inside of your head and your skull.
And imagine that there is a soft white light starting to emerge.
And as it brightens,
It begins to move out,
Starting to fill your head out to the top of your skull,
Hair in your scalp.
Just feeling the light radiating.
Feel it illuminating your hair,
Individual hair follicles.
You may sense it at your forehead,
At the back of your head,
Behind your eyes,
Radiating out,
Illuminating.
Sensing your eyelids,
Eyebrows,
Into your cheeks and nose and mouth.
Into your gums,
Tongue and teeth,
Just feeling this bright white light radiating out and filling your head and body.
To your ears,
To your earlobes.
To subtler sensations.
To your tear ducts behind your eyes.
To your lips and maybe some saliva in your mouth.
To your taste buds.
Just letting the light take hold and settle in calm feelings that arise.
Sensing your hands,
Breathing into your hands and as you breathe out,
Feel them soften and relax.
These hands that do so much throughout the day for you,
Now can relax.
Nothing to do for a while.
Bringing your attention to your thumbs,
To the important job that they do for you each and every day.
Letting them be at rest.
Sensing your index fingers and feeling any tension being held in your hands and as you breathe out,
Just letting go.
The middle finger offering thanks to the work that the hands do.
Allowing them to sit in stillness as your body begins to relax.
To your ring finger,
Feeling sensations at the tip of the finger as your hands relax further.
Noticing the little pinky as your hands fully relax.
Bringing your attention to the palms of your hand,
Sensing the love and kindness that emanates from them as a gentle touch or caress.
Turning your attention to your heart,
Breathing into the center of your heart space and feel the gentle rhythm of your heart.
Pumping blood and nutrients all around the body.
Just giving thanks for the tireless work that your heart does.
From your moment of birth until you take your last breath.
Sensing the flow of blood from your heart out to the lungs.
Where the blood vessels meet your lungs and carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen.
Bringing the oxygenated blood back to your heart.
Now following the blood as it leaves the heart once more.
And as it circulates to all parts of the body.
Carrying life giving energy and nutrients to the very top of your head.
Down your arms into the tips of your fingers.
And down through the body,
Pelvis and legs to the very end of your toes.
Feeling the life giving blood radiating throughout the entire body.
Relaxing fully into this space and into this moment.
Now come with me now into a valley.
A meadow.
Where the ground is soft with green grass.
Feel the grass under your feet.
Enjoy the greenness and the smell of it.
As you look up and around.
You are dazzled by the majesty of lofty mountains encircling the valley.
Several of the peaks are covered with white snow.
And you notice a trail just ahead that seems to wind its way up the mountain.
You follow the path.
The trail climbs steeply.
Then levels.
A welcome relief of plateau.
You keep moving.
Taking in the wonderful surprises of foliage and rocks along the way.
The delicate flowers in a variety of soft colors.
Nestled in the crevices of the rocks.
Making you smile.
They are untouched in their pure natural state.
Growing simply as they are supposed to.
Without being cultivated or domesticated.
Wild flowers just being natural.
Natural,
Ordinary beauty.
And you ask yourself.
What in my life has this quality of ordinary natural beauty?
Along the way you notice uncharted terrains yet to be explored.
The wilderness.
Perhaps someday someone will venture off the clear path.
Opening to the possibility of discovering new wonders.
Fresh miracles of nature.
Taking the risk of getting lost or slipping on loose rocks.
And you ask yourself.
When in my life have I taken risks?
Does fear hold me back from taking chances?
Do I think of myself as a risk taker?
You ponder these things gently.
Quietly.
As you decide to move on.
You reach the peak.
Astounded by the vista of rolling hills far away.
Meeting the hovering clouds.
In the valleys below.
You notice patches of colors.
Green,
Brown,
Yellow and auburn.
The rarefied air deepens the silence.
You look around where you were standing.
You notice small rocks idly clustered near your feet.
You were drawn to one stone in particular.
You reach down,
You pick it up.
You feel connected to it.
You start exploring it.
Using all your senses you notice its color and shape.
The feel of its texture.
It's as if this stone at the mountain peak has been waiting for you.
You sense its consciousness.
Looking around you.
Stretching your gaze into the beyond.
You sense the consciousness of these mountains.
And you sense that this stone,
These mountains,
Are part of your consciousness.
You feel the connection.
The communion.
The oneness.
Rest here a while.
Feel the flow of energy between you and your stone.
I want to ask the stone if it has a message for you.
Ask.
Wait without pressing for an answer.
And now feel the flow of energy between you and the mountains.
And as you drink in the vastness of the mountains enveloping you.
You remember the ancient proverb.
Beyond mountains,
More mountains.
Don't forget the message.
And now feel the flow of energy between you and the mountains.
And as you drink in the vastness of the mountains enveloping you.
Okay.
It is time now to descend the mountain.
You take a different passage way down.
You reach the valley more quickly than expected.
And as you look about and gaze upward to the mountain peaks,
You remember the words of the Eastern Philosopher Suzuki.
Peaks and valleys either will do.
And gently bringing your attention back to the top of your head,
To your scalp and hair.
And just noticing and gently bringing your attention back to your body.
Down across your face,
Ears,
Throat and neck.
Gradually returning your focus into this room.
Shoulders,
Upper arms,
Down your arms,
Elbow into your lower arms,
Into your wrists and hands and into your fingers.
Just slowly arriving back in this space.
Breathing into your heart space.
Expressing gratitude for the time that you've given yourself to be here,
To be present.
Feeling in sensations in your chest,
Shoulders and back,
Down to your belly,
Pelvis,
Genitals,
And into your legs.
Slowly reconnecting with the sensations in your body.
Legs,
Knees,
To your lower legs and calves,
Into your ankles and feet,
To the soles of your feet,
All the way down to your toes.
Taking in a deep breath.
One more.
Just gently bringing small movements to your hands and feet.
Maybe wiggling your toes and fingers and slowly reconnecting with this body and in this space.
You may want to start stretching just gently.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you.
