Welcome.
This meditation will help you to use body awareness to gently connect with emotions.
It is a normal tendency for us to walk through life,
Living in our minds,
Our worries,
Reflecting on the past,
Fearing for the future,
And all along never really feeling present in our bodies.
Our bodies can be a beautiful resource for coming back home and connecting with ourselves.
Connecting with the body can increase a sense of clarity and peace that give us a break from worry,
Looping thoughts,
Sadness,
Or overwhelm.
It is normal to want to distance from emotions at times,
Especially when they are painful.
So this is a practice that can help us connect gently and without overwhelm to increase clarity and peace.
To begin,
Find a comfortable space where you can reflect and find quiet.
You can sit comfortably and alertly,
Or perhaps lie down.
You are welcome to close your eyes or soften your gaze downward.
As we settle in,
Begin by connecting to the breath.
There is no need to change it or control it.
Just allow it to be and watch it as a loving witness.
And now let us pause for a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to practice today.
Perhaps say to yourself,
Either aloud or in your mind,
Thank you.
Thank you.
And notice as you do that,
What happens in your body.
When you offer thanks to yourself,
Where in your body does your attention float?
Thank you.
Perhaps you sense a deepening in your breath,
A warmth in your heart,
A grounding to the earth,
A lump in your throat,
A settling into your belly.
Practicing again,
Sharing gratitude with yourself for being here and noticing where you feel that gratitude in your body.
Thank you.
And next,
I welcome you to ask yourself,
How am I feeling right now?
How am I really feeling?
When you ask yourself that question,
Where in your body do you go to find the answer?
Perhaps we first go to our mind to find data.
But as we settle into the question of how we are really truly feeling,
There is another source of wisdom that we use.
Let's allow a few moments to drop in and observe where in your body your attention naturally,
Intuitively goes to find the answer to how am I feeling on my deepest level?
And perhaps,
What do you notice in your body during times of silence?
If you are noticing fidgeting or discomfort,
Where do you feel those things?
And what messages are those sensations saying to you?
You can breathe into the area where you feel sensations or the most connection,
Not forcing the feeling to go away.
You can breathe into the area where you feel sensations or the most connection,
Not forcing or needing anything to change or shift,
Simply welcoming in space for whatever is there.
Should your mind wander to thoughts?
Know that is normal and gently tune back into your body by connecting again to that source of wisdom and knowing in your belly,
Your chest,
Your throat,
Your core,
Your back,
Your sit bones,
Or perhaps even your feet.
And as you connect with that source and place of knowledge,
You're welcome to put a hand on this area to deepen the connection and notice what happens as you rest a hand there.
Allow whatever is there to simply be.
Perhaps there are emotions here and if so,
Welcome them without judgment,
Recalling gently that they are neither good nor bad.
As you deepen this awareness,
There could be insight,
Inspiration,
Hurt,
Knowing,
Or a sense of unfamiliarity.
Observe whether an image or color comes to you as you drop into this sensation and connect with your body and all that is there.
Notice if words or a sense of knowing come along with these emotions and sensations and tune into what you might be needing right now.
Maybe it's stillness,
Rest,
Tenderness,
Space,
Kindness and compassion,
Or something else.
Take another few moments absorbing any information you may have found in this area of your body.
Recall that this place of wisdom is always here for you and you can return at any time.
And finally,
Closing our practice the way we began,
Offering yourself thanks for taking the time to connect,
Tuning into the breath and slowly widening your awareness as you are ready back into the space around you.
Thank you.
