Hello and welcome to my heart opening meditation.
We will start with some breathing practices just to help us focus our concentration and just fully align with our own aliveness and then we'll invite our fears into respect and open up to love and joy and peace.
So please find a comfortable seated or reclined posture and make any adjustments you feel necessary,
Any slight movements or shift things in and around or grab an extra pillow and then as you sort of settle into a posture just scan through and ask yourself is there any way I could be more comfortable and then make a few more adjustments.
This in itself is an act of kindness and compassion and the more we can practice that here within ourselves the easier it is for us to also practice it outward towards others and be open to receiving some kindness and compassion.
And then as you feel ready let your eye gaze become a little blurry or you may wish to close your eyes.
Your awareness,
Your vision begins to sort of turn inward and you can place your attention on the inflow and outflow of the breath.
We're just going to begin with counting each breath until you get to eight.
So as you inhale count one,
As you exhale count two.
When you feel your body drawing in more breath and inhale that's when you count three.
Then when the body allows,
Makes that exhale you count four and so on until you reach eight.
And then you return to number one.
As best you can let your body breathe naturally and allow your attention to follow this natural phenomenon of the breath and you can simply count.
If you lose track of the count at any time it's okay.
Just return back start at one and at best you can just observing the breath throughout this exercise allowing the breath to stay natural as you follow and count the breaths.
I'll just let you do this for another minute and I'll come back.
Keeping your eyes closed just let the numbers fade away.
Now begin to say to yourself inhale as you breathe in and exhale as you breathe out.
Continue to let the breath be natural and you're just observing the breath as it goes in and out of your body.
Really have a sense of the mind focusing and your concentration sharpening.
Continue to do this for another minute and I'll come back.
And now let the names fade away as you simply focus all of your attention on the sensations of the breath.
Follow the breath and feel each sensation as you welcome the inhale and release the exhale.
Maybe you can begin with concentrating your awareness on each nostril.
Feeling the flow of the air into the throat.
Maybe it's a little bit cooler as it flows in.
Just notice the warmth as it flows out.
That subtle expansion and contraction with the exchange of the breath.
Maybe you can feel the ribcage.
Feel it rise and fall and maybe even notice the relaxation of the muscles following the smooth exhale.
Allow your mind to become completely immersed in the feelings of the breath.
Allow the breath to be the only thing that matters.
Feel into the stillness you've created in your body,
Your mind and your energy.
Really feel the clarity in your mind and your ability to focus on any task that comes your way.
So now with focus and concentration guide your attention towards your heart space,
Your heart center.
Maybe it's your physical beating heart or maybe it's just an area within the top half of your body,
Somewhere in your chest.
Maybe it's an area that's not really defined with an outline.
It's just a space,
An open heart space that feels and absorbs the beauty of the world.
You can invite and turn fear into respect and just let your heart open to all the beauty that is here always.
And yes there is so much to be afraid of and yes sometimes your disaster mind is going to want to whisper all the things to worry about.
And you can follow the thought train of worst case scenarios and awful situations or you can choose to refrain.
You can name your fears,
Acknowledge them as fears,
As their own energies but you do not need to let them guide your actions.
When we open our heart to the wider world in wonder and magic we can hold and comfort our fears instead of letting them run wild and pollute the rivers and the forests and the air of our being.
Breathe into your open heart space.
Feel all the love,
All the joy and all the peace that lives here.
As you gently,
Smoothly breathe out let that love just flow out of your open heart.
Let it flow out of the heart space and begin to fill into the rest of your body.
Let it begin to fill into the rest of the space just around you.
Let this love fill into this room and just feel your whole inner being and outer being immersed in this magical,
Powerful,
Vulnerable feeling of being open to love,
Beauty and joy.
Please know that this is within you always.
You take it with you wherever you go.
With a few gentle,
Slow,
Smooth breaths you can share it with those around you.
Please continue to take great care of yourself as you slowly begin to let the senses back into your awareness,
The sounds,
Maybe the sight of the room as you gently blink your eyes open,
Noticing the colours and the shapes.
Welcome back.
Many,
Many blessings to your day.
