Hello and welcome to this space.
My name is Maya and I'm going to be guiding you through this meditation today.
So before we begin I invite you to just find a space where you feel safe and comfortable to relax for a few minutes,
Ideally where you won't be disturbed.
And whenever you feel ready I'm just going to invite you to either soften your gaze so you're focused on something in the distance or you can gently close your eyes.
We're just going to become aware of the body,
How you are sitting and landing in the space today.
Notice if there are any aches or pains,
Any tension that wants to bring itself to your awareness.
And you can just acknowledge that it is there.
If there are thoughts running through your mind,
If you are finding yourself ruminating on your to-do list,
Know that the tasks that you need to accomplish will also be there when you return to them after this short time that you get to spend just here with yourself.
So we're going to bring the attention to the breath,
Following the inhale and the exhale,
The natural rhythm of the breath as it is moving through your body.
There's no need to force,
To push or pull the breath stronger than it naturally wants to go.
Just follow the natural rise and fall of your inhale and exhale.
And we're going to use this focal point to help us land here in the present moment.
So when thoughts come up as they are prone to do,
You can just let them pass.
You can acknowledge them,
Let them know that you see them,
And gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
You're going to stay here for a few moments.
And anytime you feel yourself pulled away,
There's no need to judge.
You can just bring yourself back.
Inhale slowly through the nose,
And exhale,
Sigh it out through the mouth.
Inhale,
Feel the rise of the chest as you bring the breath in through the nose.
Gathering all the energy that you need to take with you into this next part of your day,
And letting go of anything that feels heavy,
That is no longer serving you.
Now I'm going to invite you to just bring one hand to the solar plexus,
Which is right beneath the sternum.
And you're going to place the other hand on your heart space,
On your chest.
We're just going to hold this position here as we continue to breathe.
So you're feeling the presence of both your heart and your solar plexus,
The center of your being,
And the part of you that exists out in the world,
The ego self,
The personality,
The inner self,
And the way you may be perceived in the world.
You're just going to feel the weight of your hands on your body,
Feel the rise and fall of your belly,
Of your chest,
As you continue to breathe.
And noticing any feelings that may come up while you are here.
What does it feel like to be held by your own love?
There is no right or wrong way to do this exercise.
We're just bringing some presence to the body,
To some places that may need a little extra attention today.
Next you're going to keep your hand on your heart space,
And move the hand that is on your belly out to your forehead.
Just acknowledging the conversation between the head and the heart,
And how much your mental faculties,
How much your brain does for you on every given day.
How you may be scanning for potential threats,
How you may be trying to perceive how the future will turn out,
And just giving love to your mind,
To your brain,
That part of you that is always on,
It's always active.
Just let it know that it's okay to take a break right now,
It's okay to rest here in this present moment,
And trust what is coming through for you.
Trust the wisdom of the heart,
Trust that you don't need to have all the answers,
But the heart knows which direction it is leading you.
Finally we're going to bring the hand that is on the heart space up to cradle the back of the head,
So you'll feel there is a ridge right at the base of your skull,
And you're just going to cradle your head between your two hands.
This position is especially supportive when you find yourself overthinking something,
When you find your thoughts looping or ruminating,
Just gently giving your head a space to rest,
Your brain a space to let go,
Letting yourself know you are safe inside this moment.
I'm going to invite you to bring both hands over your heart space,
Over your chest,
Just give yourself a hug,
Give yourself some love,
And acknowledge how you showed up for yourself today.
Acknowledge how you show up for yourself every day in ways that are big and small and hard and maybe invisible,
And acknowledge just how much you do for the people around you,
How much you do for those you love.
So often we can show up in the world and we see all the gaps,
We see all the ways we're not doing enough,
All the ways that we wish we could be better,
And while there's always room for us to grow,
It's important to acknowledge just how much we already do and just how much love we already give to the people who have the opportunity to be in our presence.
So just giving that love back to yourself in this moment.
You can take one more deep breath in through the nose and exhaling again through the nose,
Just let it out.
You can remain here as long as you need to.
When you feel ready,
You can open your eyes.
