As the bell fades,
Let us begin by just giving ourselves permission,
Permission to let go of the busyness of the mind.
Permission to take a break from all the mental activity,
From any plans,
Worries,
Or concerns.
To give yourself permission to take some time for some self-care,
To relax,
And to breathe.
In essence,
Permission to meditate,
To nurture yourself.
Take a moment to give yourself this permission.
And now let us take a little time to ground,
To become aware of the contact our body has with the ground,
Cushion,
Chair,
Wherever the body is in contact.
You're just becoming aware of the sensations of contact.
Let your awareness now descend into these areas of contact,
And rest there.
Just like pebbles coming to rest at the bottom of a lake,
Let your awareness settle in these areas of contact,
And rest there for just a little bit,
Just taking some time to ground.
Nowhere to go,
Nowhere to be,
Simply be aware.
And now let us take a little time to check in with our bodies,
And relax,
And release any tension or tightness that we might be experiencing.
We'll do this with a short body scan.
I invite you to bring your awareness right up to the top of your head,
Right up to the crown.
See if you can become aware of an area about the size of a quarter.
And now from the crown of your head,
Let your awareness begin to flow from the crown of the head down,
Right down to your chin.
Let your awareness become a soothing balm of awareness,
Relaxing and releasing any tension or tightness it finds along the way.
So as it flows down,
Let it relax and release any tension in your forehead.
Let your forehead be spacious and open.
Let it soften the muscles around the eyes,
Relax the cheeks,
The jaw,
Soften your lips.
And now let that soothing balm of awareness flow down into your neck and shoulders.
Now from your left shoulder,
Let your awareness just flow down your left arm,
First to the elbow,
And then from the elbow to the wrist,
And from the wrist to the fingertips,
Relaxing and releasing any tension or tightness.
And now from the right shoulder,
Down the right arm,
First to the elbow,
Then to the wrist,
And then to the fingertips.
Now let your awareness come into your upper torso.
Once again,
Just checking in with the shoulders.
Make sure they're square,
Relaxed,
Open.
And then let your awareness flow from the shoulders down to your waist and into your hips.
From your waist now,
Let your awareness,
This soothing balm,
Flow down your left leg to the knee,
Then to the ankle,
Then to the toes.
And now from the waist,
Down the right leg,
To the knee,
To the ankle,
And then to the toes.
Now let your awareness expand.
Let it fill the entirety of your body,
Right out to the edges.
Let your body be a body of awareness.
And just rest in that awareness for a few moments.
I invite you to shift your attention to the breath and let the breath now become the object of your meditation,
The anchor for your attention.
Allow the breath to be natural,
No need to interfere.
Just let your body breathe on its own and be a witness,
An observer,
Aware of the sensations of the breath as it enters and exits your body.
Each breath a new moment,
Each breath a new opportunity to be present.
If you notice that your mind has wandered,
No problem.
That's why we meditate.
Just relax,
Release the thoughts,
And return to the breath.
As we near the end of our meditation,
Let's take a few moments to prepare for this day that awaits you.
Let's begin by exploring our gratitude,
Bringing to mind just a couple of things.
People or events that you are grateful for.
Not a long list,
Just a couple.
Bring into mind this incredible opportunity of the life that you have and exploring deeply a person,
An event,
Or something that you are grateful for that gives real support to the life that you have.
As you prepare to embark upon this day that awaits you,
A day that comes only once and is filled with opportunities,
I invite you to bring to mind some qualities,
Attitudes,
Or intentions that you'd like to bring into this day,
This precious day that awaits you.
Now I invite you to set a clear intention to do your best today,
To be kind to yourself,
To be as mindful as possible,
And to bring the qualities that you want to cultivate within yourself into this day.
To be as mindful as possible.
To be gentle with yourself.
As you engage in this day,
This very precious day that comes but once.
