This guided meditation practice is a reminder that we can bring intentional awareness and acceptance to life as it is right now.
Without grasping and clutching to what should have been or attempting to fix anything.
Just taking brief moments to release from the stories.
Giving ourselves permission to feel fully and accept ourselves as we are.
Without the layering over of the narrative.
A gentle and full acceptance of being human.
Beginning to arrive here.
Settling into a comfortable shape.
Perhaps sitting on your mat or a chair.
Or reclined with the knees bent.
Bringing comfort to the body.
Feeling relaxed,
Alert,
And energized.
Not stiff or rigid.
Soften.
Crown of the head gently lifting towards the sky.
Releasing the jaw.
Slight separation of the teeth.
Allowing the tongue to rest heavy in the lower jaw.
Softening the throat.
Allowing the shoulders to settle in away from the ears.
Softening the belly.
Allowing your hands to be comfortable resting.
Sensing the pelvis connecting with the earth beneath you.
Feet,
Legs,
Supported and held by the mat or the chair.
And beginning to draw our attention to the breath as it moves through the body.
Taking a moment to slowly draw a deeper inhale through the nostrils.
Inviting a gentle release of the breath through the mouth.
A couple of soft and steady inhales and exhales.
Taking a moment to seal the lips.
Continue to breathe in and breathe out,
Just noticing.
Noticing any tightness or constrictions in the breath.
Is the breath flowing with ease and with balance?
Just simply becoming aware.
Noticing the inhalations and the exhalations.
Inhale and release.
Inhale and release.
Releasing the shoulders.
Encouraging a softness in the belly.
As the navel rises and falls with the breath.
Bringing some ease to the body.
Releasing the area between the eyebrows.
Softening the jaw.
The throat.
Releasing any tension or strain in the neck.
Sensing into the gentle lift of the spine.
Noticing the beating of your heart.
Feeling into the area of the mid-back,
The hips,
The pelvis.
The hands.
The soles of the feet.
Perhaps if areas feel tight or contracted,
Gently guide the breath towards those areas,
Encouraging a loosening.
Can there be an investigation of the sensations in the body with a suspended judgment,
Without wanting it to feel this way or that way?
Observing and feeling into the body as it is right here,
Right now.
Many times when the body clenches and grips,
The mind will start to loop.
Weaving a negative narrative and fueling a thinking that does not serve.
Recognizing that the stories of the mind do not have to define.
The stories are not our true nature.
When stories,
Thinking or planning begin to grab the attention,
Can you gently guide your focus to where you feel the natural movement of the breath in the body?
Observing this point in the body where you can gently guide your attention when the memories or the narratives of the mind begin.
Take a moment here and intentionally shift your focus on this anchor of attention.
Focusing on a spot in the body that can shift your attention from the mind back to the body.
Any vibrations,
Rise and fall of the belly or the heart.
Practicing that here.
Using the stability of your breath to steady your focus.
Returning to presence.
When a thought persists or a memory keeps playing,
Consider labeling the thought.
Let's label it planning or a memory,
The past and then gently and kindly shift your focus back to your anchor.
Giving yourself permission to gently turn towards and hold yourself.
Cultivating a form of compassionate discipline to rest.
To allow.
To loosen the clenching.
Perhaps releasing the gripping in the body through the breath.
Can there be the slightest bit of letting go as you begin to intentionally inhale and exhale?
Calm,
Steady breathing.
Sensing the vibrations and the aliveness along with the felt sense of ease.
Bringing a lift of the heart space and an extension to the spine.
Crown of the head towards the sky.
Perhaps bringing the hands together,
Fingertips touching.
With your eyes closed,
Observe how your body feels.
Can there be a kind acceptance and an allowing without strain?
Perhaps affirming here to bring peace,
Calm,
Ease and balance towards yourself throughout your day.
This concludes our meditation.
