Let's begin our practice.
Teddling into a comfortable position,
Whether seated or lying down.
Gently closing the eyes if you feel comfortable,
Or the alternative is to have a soft gaze at the floor in front of you.
For this practice,
You want to be as comfortable as possible while still remaining awake and present.
We begin by bringing our awareness to our bodies,
Mindfully scanning the body,
Allowing your awareness to gently wash over your body.
Observing without judgment how you are feeling in this moment in your body.
Your body works hard,
Taking on energy,
And this is a time to bring our caring attention and awareness to the body.
If we find areas calling out for extra attention,
Possibly tension,
Holding,
Discomfort,
Or pain,
We can breathe in deeply,
And we can sigh out,
Envisioning as we let go of the breath.
We are letting go of anything that is not supporting the body,
Scanning the body for the next few seconds.
Now let us bring our awareness to our heart.
If you feel inspired,
You can bring your hands to your heart,
Holding your heart,
Holding yourself,
Noticing sensations in the heart.
The beating of your heart,
And your own unique connection with your heart.
Taking a few more breaths,
Deeply in,
And sighing out.
Bringing the hands back down,
And let us now bring our attention back to the breath.
Now let the breath be natural,
Simply breathing in and breathing out.
Allow the breath to be like the ocean waves on a gentle day at the beach,
Moving in and moving out.
Breath of awareness,
Resting in presence,
Simply breathing,
Simply being,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Everything if the mind has wandered,
Has moved back into a space of doing.
The past,
The future.
And simply,
Gently,
Compassionately,
Come back to the breath,
And back to the here and the now.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now,
The invitation is to add a silent phrase to accompany your breath.
Breathing in,
Silently we repeat,
Breathing in,
I am here.
And as we exhale,
Breathing out,
I am alive.
Breathing in again,
Breathing in,
I am here.
And this time,
Breathing out,
I am resting,
Continuing to follow the breath.
Slowly,
Beginning to drop the phrases,
And just resting as you are.
Breathing is alright,
Right here and right now.
Before we complete our practice,
Offering yourself some gratitude for taking this time for you.
For all you are,
And the gifts seen and unseen you bring to the world.
Thank you for self-care and these practices that nurture our own true nature.
