And on your next inhale,
Let that inhale be drawn into your belly,
If it helps you to take your right hand and place it on your belly,
On your navel,
And just move it a little bit up from your navel and take an inhale through your nose and see if you can feel your hand rise as your belly expands.
And then as you exhale,
Feel your belly fall,
Directing your breath into your belly.
And now if it's comfortable for you to close down your eyes,
If they were open,
If you prefer to have your eyes open,
Just looking at a spot across the way,
A particular spot.
And if you think you've got it in the belly,
You can remove your hand,
Continuing with just a little bit of belly breathing.
As we set a bit of an intention for this practice,
I'm going to say these words,
I am willing to experience this.
It's an interesting thing to say out loud.
As always,
It's said basically two ways to be,
That is,
We're either resisting what is or we're accepting what is,
Flowing with what is,
Allowing what is.
Whatever it is that's happening.
Whatever it is that's happening as far as circumstances,
Situations,
Life,
Your response to life,
Your response to what's going on.
I am willing to experience this.
That willingness is what we're tuning into here.
Because most often,
We're wanting things to be different in some way or another,
Or in one way or another resisting,
Or protecting,
Securing.
And that's okay.
I am willing to experience this.
It's a softening within yourself.
Just take an intentional inhale and exhale through your nose.
And let the breath go.
Check in with your posture.
Make sure you're sitting comfortably.
If you're sitting in a chair,
Your feet are flat on the ground.
Sitting with a nice upright spine.
Relax your shoulders.
Place your hands on your thighs at the juncture of thighs and abdomen,
Or a little bit further forward if that's more comfortable for you.
Palms up.
Eyes are closed gently.
The eyes are soft behind the eyelids.
And we'll do a brief affirmation practice here.
Allowing yourself to tune in to the words and the feeling behind the words.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
As you begin to memorize the words,
Allowing yourself to say,
Either out loud or just in your mind,
The words of this affirmation.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
A few more times now,
Tuning into the feeling behind these words.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
I am willing to experience my life,
All of it,
As a little twig in a mountain stream,
I flow along with life.
With genuine trust,
I open my arms to all that I encounter along the way.
Letting the words of the affirmation stay for just a few moments.
Letting the affirmation go now,
Tuning into your breath.
Seeing if you can locate a spot in your nostrils,
Where you can feel the air passing.
Noticing the air cool on the inhale and warm on the exhale.
Letting yourself focus on your breath,
On that spot where you can feel it.
Relax your jaw.
Relax your face.
Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of your mouth.
When you notice yourself inhale,
Accompany your inhale with the words,
I am.
And when you notice yourself exhale,
Say in your mind,
Peace.
Beginning the I am peace mantra.
When you notice yourself inhale,
Saying in your mind,
I am.
And when you notice yourself exhale,
Saying in your mind,
Peace.
Over and over again.
As you notice the mind wander,
As it generally will.
After thoughts or trains of thought,
Notice and then come back to your breath and your mantra.
Allowing yourself to concentrate.
Using your breath as a point of concentration.
You may notice in not too long,
As you're noticing the breath,
It begins to slow down a bit.
As the breath slows down,
The mind has a chance to slow down.
As the mind slows down,
The breath can grow quiet.
As the breath grows quiet,
The mind can grow quiet.
Over and over again.
Coming back to your breath and your mantra.
Now take an intentional inhale through your nose.
And then exhale through your mouth.
Don't have to watch the breath anymore.
Don't have to say your mantra anymore.
Allow yourself to be here.
For a few moments.
Enjoying this space that you have worked to create with your concentration.
Gently draw your eyes upward toward the point between your eyebrows.
Behind your closed eyelids.
It's a gentle upward gaze.
No straining.
Allow yourself to see that mountain stream.
Upside on a beautiful day.
In springtime.
The sky is blue with some passing clouds.
The air is warm.
There's grass and rocks.
Flowers and trees.
Let yourself see that stream.
That flow.
Focus on the water.
Flowing by.
How easy it flows.
Allow yourself to be in that flow.
Letting the visual of the stream go.
But staying with that sense of flow and willingness.
Just a few moments.
Good.
Now take a normal breath in and out.
Prepare to come back to the space where you are.
And when you're ready,
Open up your eyes.
Or you can stay like this for as long as you like.
