So making yourself comfortable.
Bring your eyes either fully or partially.
Bringing your awareness to your breathing for a few breaths.
And if it feels right,
Putting your hand on your heart or some other place on your body that feels soothing.
A place where when you connect to your body in this way,
You are putting yourself in touch with an intention of kindness towards yourself.
You are feeling viscerally through the contact between your hand and this place on your body.
You are feeling kindness.
This is a gesture of kindness and compassion.
Not intellectually,
But in your body somatically.
And if having your hand wherever it is right now is not quite getting you in touch with this sense of kindness towards yourself.
Feeling free to try some different gestures.
Hand on the belly is one that might work.
Holding your own hand might work.
Giving yourself a hug,
A self-hug might work.
Resting a cheek in the palm of your hand.
Maybe cradling your face between the two palms of your hands.
Connecting with gestures that communicate in and of themselves soothing,
Comfort,
Kindness,
Compassion.
It might even be a go-to gesture that you often adopt intuitively,
Naturally.
And then allowing particular qualities to travel on that intention.
To travel through that connection that you're making with your body.
I'm going to offer some suggestions of some qualities.
Feeling free to invite in any qualities that you'd like to bring into your being right now.
Feeling these qualities in your body.
Either feeling them moving through your arm,
Through your hand and into your body.
Or even drawing on a memory where you felt this quality.
And remembering how it felt in your body.
So firstly,
Feeling the quality of soothing.
Of soothing.
How does it feel to feel soothed?
To feel tendered to?
Comforted?
This might mean you bring to your memory what it feels like to need soothing,
To need comfort.
And then connecting with how it feels to be soothed,
To be comforted.
Inviting,
Soothing,
Comforting,
Being tendered to,
Into your being.
Do you receive soothing in your heart area?
Do you receive soothing in your belly?
In your shoulders?
In your face?
In your head?
What is soothing land in your body?
An indication that soothing lands in a particular part of your body might be when you tune into that part of your body and you start to feel some emotion there around this sensation of soothing.
This notion of soothing.
Maybe you start to feel a little teary.
Maybe you start to feel a sense of connection.
Or a sense of joy.
Soothing.
And moving to another quality,
Quality of feeling healthy,
Healthy.
This might also be a quality of feeling strong,
Resourced,
Powerful,
Independent.
We might offer this to yourself in the same place where you offered soothing.
Maybe there's another part in your body where healthy,
Strong,
Resourced show up.
Your belly,
Your hips,
Your back,
Your arms maybe,
Your heart area.
Where does healthy resonate in your body?
Even drawing on a memory of health,
Of strength,
Of feeling fully resourced.
Where is that in your body?
Once again you might find that through tending to different parts of your body and seeing if there's an emotion that arises when you tend to that part of your body.
Do you feel a little stirring?
Either a little sadness,
A sense of connection,
Maybe joy.
Around strength.
Being resourced,
Being healthy.
Moving to one more quality,
Quality of peacefulness,
Peacefulness.
Once again exploring where you might find peacefulness,
Ease,
Rest,
Release in your body.
You might even put your hand on a few different parts of your body.
Exploring where it is that peace,
Rest,
Ease,
Release.
Where is this quality in your body?
Maybe you even notice it showing up in a place where there is a lack of peace,
A lack of ease.
Maybe it shows up as a physical release in the moment.
Maybe your diaphragm releases or you unclench the muscles in your buttocks or in your thighs.
You allow your belly to relax out.
You allow your shoulders to drop.
Maybe this is how you get in touch with peace,
Ease,
Release.
Once again maybe there's an emotion that arises to tell you that you're tuning in to peace and ease.
Maybe a little teariness,
Maybe a sense of connection,
Even a sense of spiritual connection.
Maybe a sense of joy or a lifting sensation.
Now as we're starting to move towards the completion of this practice,
Grounding your awareness in your breathing for a couple of breaths.
Allowing the breath to be uncomplicated.
To simply be sensation.
Getting your awareness to the lengths of your body,
Your arms,
Your legs,
Down to your fingertips,
The tips of your toes,
The top of your head.
Maybe starting to move your body,
Getting in touch with the physicality of your body.
When you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
Holding a soft gaze as you gently explore your environment,
Just to get yourself in touch with the space that you're in.
Maybe having a stretch,
A sip of your drink.
Tab with water.
Yup.
