Come into a seated position,
Legs crossed,
Shoulders relaxed,
Crown of your head pointed towards the ceiling,
And your hands resting gently on your knees.
Take a moment just to relax.
Let a feeling of peace and calm make its way through your entire body,
Beginning with your feet,
Your ankles,
And your calves.
Feel the tension leaving your body as your muscles begin to relax.
Allow this relaxation to extend to your knees,
Your thighs,
And your hips.
Feel this relaxation extend into your lower back and belly,
And into your chest and upper back as you become still more comfortable and at peace.
Let every part of you know that this is an opportunity to rest,
Relax,
And heal.
Feel this comfortable,
Peaceful feeling moving throughout your shoulders,
Your arms,
And your hands,
And let it flow out of your fingertips.
Feel your neck relax and allow this feeling of comfort to move into the back of your head,
Your ears,
All through your face,
Your forehead,
And the top of your head.
As you embrace this feeling of relaxation,
Bring your awareness to your stomach.
See if you can feel the expansion and contraction of your belly.
Take a few breaths just noticing this.
Move your awareness up to your chest.
As you inhale,
Tune into the expansion of the lungs and the rising of the chest.
And as you exhale,
Feel the contraction and movement.
See if you can follow the feeling of the breath from the beginning of your inhale all the way through the end of the exhale.
Now bring your attention to your nose.
The feeling of the breath here may be more subtle.
Try taking a deep breath just to see what you can feel.
You may notice a slight tickle at the tip of the nose as you breathe in,
Or you may notice the breath is slightly warmer on the exhale.
Rest your awareness on the body breathing in one of those three spots,
Your belly,
Your chest,
Or your nose.
You may pick a spot that's easy to feel,
Or maybe you pick a more challenging spot to help you focus.
Whenever your mind does wander,
Just refocus on the direct experience of the breath.
If you find it hard to retain your focus on your breathing,
Imagine you're in an empty movie theater.
Every time you breathe in,
Think inhale,
And see the word inhale appear on the screen.
Every time you breathe out,
Think exhale,
And see the word exhale appear on the screen.
After each exhale,
You can add a count,
And imagine that number on the screen.
So you'll think inhale,
Exhale one,
And then inhale,
Exhale two.
Seeing each word and number appear on the screen as you think them,
And you'll count all the way up to a count of eight,
And then back down to one.
Hold on to the peace and stillness you have cultivated through this breathing practice.
The practice helps us quiet the mind,
Which makes it easier to tap into our deepest selves.
Now that you have cultivated a little more space between your thoughts,
You can sit with a question to see if your inner wisdom will respond.
And today's deep listening question is inspired by the Hindu deity Sita.
Sita is the goddess of devotion and loyalty.
She was famously loyal to her husband Ram,
Even when she was told he was dead and another king wanted to marry her.
When she was questioned and tested by her husband after this ordeal,
She said,
If I have always been faithful to Ram,
May the earth receive me.
And then she sank into the earth,
Never to be seen again.
So take a moment to consider whether you are experiencing a situation where you have been questioned,
Criticized,
And not treated with the respect that you deserve.
Even though you may want to make that person happy,
Perhaps it's time to walk away and choose yourself.
By choosing yourself,
You choose love.
Turn your focus inward and consider where do I need to choose myself?
Sit with this question without trying to analyze or think about it and just allow any answers to come up from deep within.
Where do I need to choose myself?
When do I need to choose myself?
As you practice deep listening,
You may notice that your inner wisdom doesn't always use words.
You may have gotten images or impressions or even seemingly random thoughts or situations that came up.
All of that could hold meaning.
So take a few breaths to process what came up for you and consider if you want to act on anything that you have learned.
As we reach the end of today's practice,
Bring the palms together at heart center,
Slightly bowing your head,
And take a moment to reflect on your experience.
Were you able to connect with your inner wisdom?
Did you practice listening and being open?
Allow this experience and any insights you have gained to stay with you as you bring your awareness back to your physical surroundings.
Take your time and when you're ready,
Open your eyes and allow your body any movement that it needs.
