So this is a meditation to help you clear your thoughts and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for being here.
Some of you have been with me for seven years,
Some of you seven months,
Seven days,
Seven minutes or seconds.
No matter how long you have been here and letting me be a part of your meditation practice,
Know that I am so grateful for you and I appreciate you letting me share what I love every single week.
So with that,
For the seventh year in a row,
Let's meditate.
We'll begin our practice by just finding a comfortable position for your body,
Making sure that you are lengthening your spine,
Softening your shoulders,
Releasing your jaw,
And let your abdomen be relaxed as you settle in and feel your connection between your body and the surface beneath you.
And now take a few big deep breaths,
Inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling out of your mouth through slightly pursed lips,
Filling up all the way as you inhale and as you exhale through those slightly pursed lips,
Notice a wave of softening and releasing begin to move through you.
Inhaling,
Filling up,
Exhaling,
Letting go of any physical tension,
Just signaling to your body that it's time to unwind and it can be at ease right now.
And we're going to begin with a simple breathwork technique to help bring clarity and focus to your mind while balancing your body.
We'll be practicing an ocean wave breath.
So go ahead and exhale all the air out of your lungs and then on your inhale,
Start the breath down low,
Filling up the belly,
Then fill up your chest and finally your throat.
And then exhaling,
Release the air from your throat,
Then your chest,
Then your belly.
Again,
Inhaling belly,
Chest,
Throat and exhaling throat,
Chest,
Belly.
As you continue to breathe in this way,
Imagine your breath as like the waves of the ocean,
Coming in and going out in a soothing rhythmic flow.
Inhaling,
The breath starts in the belly and exhaling,
The breath leaves at the throat.
Breath is rolling in and out like the tide.
Inhaling,
The wave of breath moves up your body from the belly up to the throat.
And as you exhale,
The wave of breath rolls back down your body from the throat down to the belly.
We'll do two more rounds of this breath,
Feeling that steady rhythm of your internal tide with every inhale and each exhale.
Now,
Release this breath pattern and let the inhales and exhales move freely through your body.
But as you continue to breathe,
Imagine now that when you inhale,
A wave of breath moves through your mind,
Washing away your thoughts.
And as you exhale,
Your mind becomes quiet and still.
And as you exhale,
Your mind becomes quiet and still.
Inhale,
A wave of clarity moves in,
And exhaling,
The wave rolls out,
Leaving your mind quiet and still.
Continuing this oceanic breath on your own,
Inhaling and exhaling as though your breath were tied to the tide.
Imagine each inhale and every exhale clearing your thoughts and bringing you to a place of mental stillness and calm.
Now release your ocean waves,
And imagine that your mind is still and calm,
Like a restful sea.
There's no wind,
Nothing is disturbing the water,
And it's so smooth and peaceful.
The water almost looks like glass.
Picture your mind like this water,
Totally at ease,
Nothing is disturbing it.
It's just clear and calm.
And if a thought pops into your mind,
That's okay.
See this thought be like a little ripple,
As if a small stone was dropped into the water.
The thought moves through,
The stone drops,
A ripple begins,
But begins to release,
And in a few moments,
The water in your mind is smooth,
Clear,
And calm once again.
Just continue breathing,
Allowing your mind to become expansive,
Calm,
And smooth,
Letting it be as still as that calm,
Effortless sea.
Your mind is clear,
Your thoughts are gone,
You just simply exist in this moment.
Your mind is quiet,
Clear,
And calm.
Allow yourself a few final moments of peace,
Resting in the spaciousness of your quiet,
Clear mind.
Now beginning to bring your awareness back to your body.
Maybe take a deep breath,
Or wiggle your fingers and toes,
Gently reawakening,
Opening the eyes,
And returning to this space and this moment.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
