As a caring human and one who works closely with others energies,
Emotions and stories,
It can sometimes be hard to leave those things behind.
In this meditation you'll be releasing what is not yours to carry and letting go of the burden.
Taking a moment now to make yourself comfortable for this meditation,
Sitting in a position to support your body,
A cushion behind your back or maybe a blanket to keep you warm,
Sitting with an elongated spine and your shoulders falling away from your ears,
Find softness in your position.
If at any time during this meditation you need to move to find more comfort or shift energy,
Please do.
Move gently to find stillness,
To go deeper and let go.
In your own time slowly inhale and exhale,
Filling your lungs and allowing your belly to expand as you inhale.
On the exhale let your shoulders drop away from your ears and your jaw release.
As you continue to inhale and exhale and feel the sensations of the breath in your body,
Know that when your mind wanders during meditation,
The breath is a wonderful anchor to the present,
An act that can allow thoughts to drift by like clouds.
Opening your senses,
Allow your eyes to take in what is around you,
Notice the colors and textures of the room,
Noticing the light,
Is it soft or bright,
Warm or cool.
If it feels right,
Gently allow your eyes to close.
From behind your closed eyes,
What can you see?
There may be colors and shapes,
Areas of light and dark.
Listen to what is around you,
What can you hear in the distance,
Wind,
Rain,
Cars,
Birds.
What can you hear closer?
Other people,
The TV,
Washing machine,
Allow your whole body to hear each sound before letting it fall away.
Notice the sounds within your body,
Your breath,
Your digestive system,
Your heartbeat.
As you inhale,
What aromas fill your nose,
Perfume,
Incense,
Oils,
Food or cooking.
Just notice what you can hear,
Rolling your tongue around in your mouth,
What can you taste,
Maybe the last thing you ate or drank,
Or the freshness of toothpaste.
Notice what you notice here,
Notice the points of contact between you and where you are seated,
Your bottom with the ground,
Chair or bed,
Your back against the cushion or chair,
What part of your feet are making connections.
Feel deeply into where you are sitting,
Notice the weight of your clothes and blanket,
The way they hang on your body,
Providing warmth and comfort.
Sense how these connect you deeper to where you are seated,
Bring your awareness to the air of the room,
What does it feel like against your skin,
Warm or cool,
What does it feel like inside your nose as you inhale and exhale.
Turn your gaze inwards,
What can you notice here,
Are there feelings and thoughts that arise,
Like the other senses,
Just observe what you can hear without judgment or the need to change the feelings and sensations.
Grounding to the present,
Observe the inner and outer sensations and feelings,
Taking in your whole being connected to the earth,
Noticing the internal feelings and thoughts,
At the same time as holding the external,
The air,
The sound,
The weight of your body grounding you here.
Bring your awareness now to the soles of your feet,
The tops of your feet,
Your heels and the length of each toe,
Noticing the sensations in your feet,
Other areas of tension or ease,
Becoming aware of your ankles and calves,
Shins,
Knees and the backs of your knees,
Noticing the sensations in the lower legs,
Taking the awareness into the thighs and hamstrings,
Allowing them to sink into the surface below you,
Be aware of the sensations present in the feet and the legs,
Noticing what is there without any judgment or resistance,
Notice how things may have shifted and changed as you brought your attention to your lower body,
Bringing awareness to your bottom,
Your hips and your pelvis,
Notice the sensations here,
Sometimes this can be an area of the body that holds much tension without our awareness,
Taking in the belly and lower back too,
Drawing the breath deep into the centre of your body and letting the breath go,
Noticing the full length of the spine,
From the base all the way up to your shoulders,
Noticing the sensations and feelings on the back and the shoulders,
Bringing awareness to the tops of your arms,
Down into your elbows,
Forearms and wrists,
Noticing the palms,
The thumbs and down into each finger,
Sensing what is here without judgment or the need to change,
Taking your attention to the neck and the base of the head,
The jaw,
Notice what you can hear,
The ears,
The mouth,
The nose,
Noticing your eyes and eyebrows,
What are you sensing here around the mouth and the eyes and into the forehead,
Is there tension or softness,
Are there things that go off as you take your attention to the very top of your head and from this point taking the whole body into your awareness,
Sensing the edges and outline,
Observe how the breath is drawn in and then let go,
Notice the tiny movements of your still body,
Deepening the connection to your body,
There may be energy or feelings or stories that are not part of you,
That are not part of you,
Emotions you have gathered over the day while working with others,
Their stories and emotions,
Things that don't belong to you,
Notice what rises up when you sit with the question,
What energy can I let go of and release,
What energy can I let go of and release,
Allow this question to resonate through your body,
You may like to repeat it in your mind a few times as the body and mind release what is not yours to carry,
Connecting back to the breath,
Allow the question to drop away,
Allow the breath to guide you to let go,
Returning to the anchor of the breath as you find stillness and silence,
From the stillness and quiet,
Allowing your senses to gently open,
As you inhale notice the aromas of the room,
Notice the tastes in your mouth,
Feel the warmth of the clothes against your skin,
Sense the world outside your room,
Listening to the sounds and movement of what is outside,
Gently stretch and move your body,
Roll your head from side to side,
Stretch your shoulders and spine,
Lastly flutter your eyes open to take in the room around you,
Your position in the room,
The space you've allowed yourself to take up in this meditation,
May you leave what is not yours and call back your own energy.
