This is a meditation inviting you to explore swadhyaya,
One of the niyamas in yogic philosophy.
Swadhyaya translates to self-study,
And this practice invites you to bring intentional awareness to the mind-body connection.
When you are ready,
I'll invite you to come to a comfortable position for your body in this moment,
Knowing you can make adjustments at any time to honor your body's needs.
I like to practice meditation in an upright seat or a chair with my feet grounded on the earth,
But again this is your practice,
And creating space regarding your comfort is valuable and honored here.
Feel free to pause this session to collect any props or supplies you may want as you settle in.
A pillow,
A blanket,
Maybe a favorite sweatshirt or eye mask can be so nourishing.
Make any last movements,
Stretching the arms overhead in a full body stretch,
Or rolling the neck and shoulders,
Opening and closing in the jaw.
Then I invite you to soften your gaze or close the eyes if that feels safe and supportive in your practice today.
This is done to give the brains a break,
One less thing to do,
Really allowing your gaze to move internally and connect within.
Invite a deep breath in through the nose,
And welcome a long breath out through the nose or mouth.
Take a moment to notice whatever part of you might be touching the earth or touching a support beneath you.
Observe how it feels to be grounded and supported in that way.
Then begin to imagine roots extending from you into the earth below,
Holding you in space with great care,
Knowing you are exactly where you are meant to be in this moment.
Notice how it feels to be supported,
To be held,
To be honored without the need to grip or control.
You are supported here.
Invite a deep breath in and a long breath out.
With every exhale beginning to release any tension in your jaw,
Your forehead,
The neck and shoulders,
Your belly and heart space,
The back body,
Your fingers,
Legs,
And toes.
Begin to draw your awareness to your breath,
Observing how your breath feels in this moment,
Getting curious.
Try not to change anything about your breath,
Just notice.
Where do you feel the breath most present?
In your chest?
Your nostrils?
Your side or back body?
Does your breath feel short and shallow,
Long and deep,
Or somewhere in between?
Take a few moments to watch the natural rhythm of your breath.
As you continue connecting to your breath here,
I'll invite you to a pranayama practice to center your being even more into the present moment called samavritti.
I will explain this practice first,
So continue breathing naturally and keeping your attention present.
Samavritti translates to equal parts breath.
In this practice,
I will count to four as you inhale.
I will count to four as you hold your breath.
I will count to four as you exhale,
And I will count to four as you hold your breath.
It may help to visualize a box as you breathe in,
Hold,
Breathe out,
And hold.
Throughout this practice,
If at any time the count of four feels like too much or not resonant in your body,
Please feel free to adjust to a count of three or two,
Or come back to a natural rhythm of in and out,
Holding space.
When you are ready,
Take a normal breath in,
And a normal breath out.
On your next inhale,
Breathe in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
In one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
In one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
In one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
In one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Allow your breath to come back to its natural rhythm of in and out.
Release any attachment that you may have brought in to the count,
Allowing your mind to come back to your breath.
Pausing here to notice how you feel in your breath,
Your body,
And your mind.
As you continue this connection to the breath,
This natural rhythm and flow in and out of the body,
Consider the statement,
I am.
I am.
But do not rush to complete this sentence.
Instead,
Allow your mind to explore this thought.
I am.
Notice what all comes up.
For you are many things,
Both light and dark.
Both are necessary and part of your existence.
As you observe the depths of who you are,
Give yourself permission to be free of judgment or attachment to these thoughts and awarenesses.
Embrace all of who you are with kindness,
Care,
And compassion.
I am.
Invite a deep breath in and a long breath out.
I'll invite you to expand this inquiry even further.
If you gather all the I am statements together that make up who you are,
I'll invite you to one final I am statement as a mantra practice.
Again,
Invite a deep breath in through your nose and release that breath out through your mouth slowly.
One more time,
Just like that one.
Deep in and long out.
On your next natural breath in,
Repeat in your head,
I am.
I am.
And on your next natural breath out,
Repeat in your head,
Enough.
Enough.
Inhale,
I am.
Exhale,
Enough.
I am enough.
Continue with this practice.
Breathing in,
I am.
And breathing out,
Enough.
Concentrating on the breath and the mantra.
When your mind begins to wander and become distracted,
Honor that and gently and lovingly draw your attention back to your breath and mantra.
Inhale,
I am.
Exhale,
Enough.
We will pause here in practice for a minute or two.
I will invite you back into the present moment with the sound of my voice,
But for now,
Connecting to your mantra.
Inhale,
I am.
Exhale,
Enough.
When you are ready,
Invite a deep breath in through the nose and release through the mouth in three parts.
Allowing the breath to come back to its natural rhythm and releasing any attachment or connection to the mantra.
Noticing if you have held any tension in the body or are gripping,
Softening here.
And we'll pause in quiet stillness to connect and notice how you feel in the breath,
The body,
And the mind.
You are welcome to stay in quiet inquiry for as long as feels true for you.
If you are ready to begin to awaken,
Inviting soft movement into the fingers and toes.
Perhaps nodding the head gently yes and no.
And slowly beginning to draw the hands toward one another,
Rubbing the hands together to create a little friction,
A little warmth between the palms.
Moving a little faster and a little faster until you feel that warmth generating.
And when it feels true,
Bringing the hands up to the face and cupping the hands around the eyes.
Noticing this warmth,
This soft darkness.
And this is the space where you will begin to blink the eyes open,
Slowly allowing light back in,
Keeping this sense of calm that you have cultivated in the body.
Washing the hands down the face and drawing the hands together in prayer position,
Anjali Mudra,
Right at your heart space.
Invite a deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
It is with the deepest gratitude I thank you for sharing space,
For carving out this time for your practice.
We'll take one final breath in here together to seal our connection.
And exhale,
We bow,
Peace in our minds and in our hearts,
Love for self,
Love for others,
Light within,
Light throughout,
Light beyond.
