And this guided meditation is an invitation to open to presence through the gift of the senses.
The breath and the body have the capacity to gently guide us back to the present moment and to calm and steady us when the mind is hijacked by distractions,
Uncertainty,
Or gets hooked into worry or self-judgment.
When we find ourselves off balance and off center,
Calling back presence through the senses can serve us.
Taking a moment to land here,
Choosing a comfortable,
Intuitive posture.
Perhaps sitting in a chair or on your mat,
Perhaps you're sitting on your front steps or your porch,
Resting here in this space in stillness.
The bones are rooted to the chair,
To the mat.
The spine is lengthened and extended with this sense of lift.
The jaw is loose.
The teeth are slightly separated.
Shoulders are relaxed away from the ears.
Sensing how the body intuitively knows the alignment that supports a steady and stable presence.
Gently closing the eyes or narrowing the gaze without forcing.
Perhaps noticing a flicker of light as the lids begin to connect,
Allowing the lips to close.
Breath is flexible and fluid,
Inhaling naturally without controlling the breath in any way.
Focusing into the natural flow and wave,
The ebb and flow of the breath in the body.
On the next inhale,
Drawing in a fuller,
Deeper breath without straining.
And then exhaling,
Allowing this calming breath to disperse throughout the body.
Full inhale without forcing.
Exhaling allowing a wave of breath to disperse to all the areas of the body.
Now turning your attention to the subtle sensation of the temperature of the air and the skin.
The soft breeze perhaps gently coming into contact with the body.
The warmth of the sun.
Fasting in presence here.
Noticing the palms of the hands as they come into contact with the body.
Any vibrations or tingling.
Sensing this aliveness,
This energy,
The vibration of the whole body here.
Drawing your attention to the tip of the nostrils.
Sensing into the coolness of the temperature of the air at the nostrils as you inhale.
Perhaps noticing more of a warming sensation as the air releases.
Drawing your attention to any fragrance or smells.
Perhaps the smell of the wind.
The fragrance of a flower.
Any smell,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Just observing without layering on a story or a memory.
Just noticing what's present here.
Expanding your attention and opening to sound.
All the sound of your surroundings coming to you without a strain or forcing yourself to listen.
Just noticing the vibrations of the sounds.
Perhaps the rustling of the wind,
The leaves.
The birds.
A faraway sound in the distance.
Then drawing your attention and narrowing your focus to sounds within the body.
Perhaps noticing the subtle sound of the heart beating.
Drawing your attention back to the breath in the body.
Your breath at this moment moving through your body,
Your body breathing here.
And allowing for a relaxation and release from the inside.
And allowing for some intentional,
Intuitive,
Deeper,
Fuller breaths reconnecting and opening.
Lengthening your spine as you bring your palms together in this gesture of self-connection.
Senses fully open and relaxed,
Perhaps setting an intention to serve you throughout your day.
Opening to presence through the gift of the senses.
To calm and steady the mind.
We need to call back this sense of balance,
Of bringing a realignment to our sense of well-being.
And this concludes our meditation.
