So for this meditation beginning to find your comfortable position,
Maybe making any last-minute adjustments to the body so that you can feel that extra bit comfortable and perhaps closing the eyes or softening the gaze.
Taking a moment to drop down into the body,
Feeling the body supported by the chair or cushions and perhaps beginning with a few deep embodied breaths.
So inhaling to fill the lungs from the bottom of the belly to the top of the chest and exhaling to release and doing that a couple more times as a way to help you to settle and arrive.
And perhaps with the out breath seeing if you can invite a softening of any tension in the body.
Maybe inviting any muscles to release a little with the out breath.
And the invitation now is to offer yourself some soothing or supportive touch.
So checking in maybe it's a hand over the heart that you need,
Feeling the gentle warm and pressure from the hand.
Maybe it's something stronger that you need today,
Perhaps a fist over the heart or a hand over the solar plexus and feeling the strength and the stability that that hand offers.
Giving yourself what you need.
And you can allow the hands to rest knowing that you can always return to offer yourself some soothing or supportive touch as a gesture of care towards yourself.
And in this meditation we'll be feeling the breath in our bodies.
But for some people focusing on the breath is uncomfortable and if that's the case for you then it's perfectly okay to return your attention to soothing or supportive touch or rather than focusing on the breath itself,
Staying with the sense of your whole body being gently rocked as you breathe.
So if it feels right beginning to notice the sensation of breathing within the body,
Feeling your body breathe in and feeling your body breathe out.
And perhaps noticing how each in breath nourishes you,
How it brings fresh energy and noticing how each out breath soothes you,
How it brings a sense of ease,
Gentle release with each out breath.
Just allowing your body to breathe you.
There is nothing else that you need to do right now.
Perhaps noticing the rhythm of your breathing as the breath flows in and as it flows out.
Taking some time to feel the rhythm of your breathing.
And perhaps inclining your attention towards your breathing as you might toward a beloved child or a dear friend.
And perhaps feeling your whole body gently moving with the breath like the movement of the sea as the waves come in and as they go out.
Maybe allowing your body to be gently rocked and caressed,
Almost like a gentle inner massage.
And when,
Not if but when the mind wanders as all minds do,
That's okay.
Just simply guiding your attention back to the breath in the body,
Almost like guiding a toddler or playful puppy that has gone off track.
Guiding the awareness back with much patience,
With kindness.
Just returning to the rhythm of your breathing.
And if you notice there's a sense of observing your breath,
Seeing if you can let that go and just be with your breath,
Feeling it.
And if you like even giving yourself over to your breathing,
Just breathing,
Being breathing.
And if you can let that go and just be with your breath,
Just be with your breath,
Feeling it.
And now gently releasing your attention to your breathing letting go of any sense of practice or effort and taking a few moments to just sit quietly in your own experience allowing yourself to feel whatever you're feeling and to be just as you are and whenever you're ready in your own time gently opening your eyes GONG!
