Sometimes we need to recenter and ground ourselves in what is alive and real in the present moment.
When we get lost,
Distracted,
Confused,
Fearful,
Or anxious,
We can lose sight of the peace and ease that is also available to us,
Even in the midst of life's difficulties.
This meditation will help us reconnect with our center and get grounded again through awareness of our breath and body.
Please come into a comfortable position where you can be alert and also at ease.
It may be in a sitting position with your back upright,
But it could also be standing or lying if this works better for you.
Begin by looking around you and slowly scanning your environment.
Observe your surroundings with openness,
Moving your head and eyes from one side of you to the other.
Notice the space around you,
The temperature of the air,
The quality of the air.
If you're comfortable,
You can gently allow the eyes to close,
Or you can gaze softly at a point on the floor a few feet in front of you.
Feel your body,
Where it's making contact with the seat or the floor.
Feel your buttocks on the chair,
Your feet on the floor,
Or other body parts that are in touch with the solid surface.
Allow your body to rest and give its weight up to the support of the earth.
Let the earth hold you,
Gravity holding you close to the earth.
You can release tension as you exhale.
Feel your forehead and let it soften.
Release and soften in the shoulders.
Allow the chest and belly to let go and soften.
Let your arms and hands rest,
Your legs and your feet.
Now let your whole body rest on the earth and feel the solidity of the earth supporting you.
Let yourself connect to the groundedness of your own body.
In whatever bodily position,
Feel yourself rooted in the earth like a tree,
Strong and stable.
You could even visualize yourself sending roots down into the earth from your sacrum area.
From this feeling of groundedness,
Begin to be aware of your breath.
Feel the flow of the in-breath and the flow of the out-breath.
Notice how the air comes in and how it passes out.
If you feel any discomfort or tension with the breath,
Focus instead on feeling the sensations in your body or noticing the play of sounds around you.
Otherwise allow yourself to enjoy your breathing,
To rest in your breathing.
There's no need to do anything to make the breath happen.
Notice how it comes and goes all by itself.
Notice the length of your inhale.
Its beginning,
Its middle and end,
And then the length of your exhale from start to finish.
Staying with the entire journey of your breath,
The whole way through.
Allowing the in-breath to grow deeper and the out-breath to grow a little bit longer,
Naturally without forcing.
As we sit and rest,
The breath is relaxed,
The breath also begins to rest and relax,
Lengthening and slowing down.
Now,
Feel the breath in the body.
Now feel the breath in the body as you breathe in and out,
Feeling the whole body breathing,
Noticing the sensations of breathing in the nose and throat,
And also in the chest,
Diaphragm and belly.
And then how the breath moves the back of your body as well,
The back ribs,
This movement throughout your body of expanding and retracting.
Allow yourself to be fully in your whole body as you breathe with awareness.
As you breathe in,
Opening to the feelings of the body,
And as you breathe out,
Allowing the body to rest.
Letting tension and strain with each exhale,
Letting tension,
Tightness flow out of the body with each exhale,
Releasing any striving,
Trying to make something happen.
Let that go and just rest at ease with each exhale,
Allowing the whole body to soften and release.
Letting the body releasing tension.
And notice now if there's any place in your body that feels neutral or even pleasant,
A place that feels calm,
Settled,
Comfortable,
Or relaxed,
Or even simply a place where something is not wrong.
Notice how this place feels.
Really feel into the neutralness or pleasantness of it,
And let yourself enjoy it,
This absence of something being wrong.
The absence of stress or tension or pain.
Allow it in and really appreciate it.
And once again,
Returning to the grounded feeling in the body that we began with.
Feeling the connection of your body to whatever it's making contact with.
Enjoying the way your body can rest and connect with the earth.
Now slowly,
Gently opening the eyes and taking a moment to reorient to the life around you.
Thanks for your practice.
