I invite you to find a comfortable seat,
A comfortable position that allows your body to rest and relax,
To feel grounded yet alert.
Maybe you're sitting,
Maybe you're standing,
Maybe you're lying down.
Wherever you are,
Take a few moments to settle into this space,
To settle into this moment.
And as you arrive,
Begin to notice and feel the parts of your body that are making contact with the floor or the piece of furniture that you're on.
Notice any sensations here,
Any warmth or coolness,
If it feels hard or soft.
And if there are any shifts that you want to make to help yourself be a little bit more comfortable,
Please do.
And then invite your body to arrive.
Maybe that means taking in a few slow,
Deeper breaths,
Really filling your belly and chest up with air.
And then when you exhale,
Making space to let go.
Release into the earth.
Feeling this earth,
Feeling the ground support you,
Relaxing into that support and feeling supported.
And take a moment to check in with your energy level.
How awake or tired or groggy are you right now?
Try to notice with acceptance for whatever's here.
Taking a moment to check in with the body.
How is the physical body feeling at this moment?
No expectations,
No judgment,
Just what's here.
And checking in with the mind,
With the thoughts,
With the brain.
Is the mind active or quiet or somewhere in between?
Nothing to do or change about it.
Just noticing.
And checking in with your emotional state,
Your heart space.
How is the heart feeling?
What emotions are present?
Do you notice where you feel these emotions in your physical body?
And now you can connect and check in with your spirit,
With your soul,
With your higher self,
With your deeper self,
Your inner knowing,
Whatever name you use to call this deep,
Wise place within yourself.
Maybe just ask for connection and see what happens.
Or notice what happens when you try to connect.
What's present for this deeper,
Wiser self.
And I invite you to just take a break from that for a moment.
Maybe take another slow,
Deep breath.
And invite your body to relax,
To settle,
To slow down.
Bringing your attention to your heart space.
You can place one or two hands on your heart.
You can experiment with first placing down your non-dominant hand on your heart space.
Maybe giving your heart a little gentle rub.
And invite yourself to say to yourself,
I love you.
Notice what that experience is like.
There's no expectations,
No judgments,
Nothing right or wrong.
Just invite in a few I love yous and see what happens.
Notice what happens in your body.
Notice what happens in your mind when you offer yourself these words.
And check in and notice if you can feel maybe your heart beating.
Or your chest rising and falling as you breathe.
Notice what sensations are present in the heart space.
And begin to keep your attention on these physical sensations in your heart space.
Maybe it's your breath moving,
Maybe it's your heart beating.
Really notice this physical experience of your breathing in your heart space.
You can breathe at your natural rhythm or you could slow down your breath,
Whatever feels best for you.
And when your mind wanders and whenever you notice that you're no longer present with your heart space,
Say to yourself,
I love you.
And then return back to that feeling at your heart space.
And when the mind drifts,
It's simply a wonderful opportunity for self-love,
For acceptance and compassion.
So taking some time to practice that.
And you might begin to notice all the experiences that happen as you catch your mind wandering,
As you offer yourself some love.
What is that experience like?
And can you love that experience too?
Noticing the attention on that beautiful heart,
Noticing your experience with your heart space,
Inviting your body and your mind to relax with this experience.
And there's always the opportunity to notice this present moment,
To offer yourself some love and come back.
No big deal.
And nothing is wrong when the mind wanders.
It's just doing its mind thing,
Trying its best.
And when we catch it,
Just love it.
No matter what thoughts are happening,
What ideas are percolating.
All self-love.
The mind wandering is actually a benefit to us because it gives us another opportunity to love ourselves a little bit more.
And can you make space for that,
For that love,
For that acceptance,
For that softness?
And we'll practice for a few moments in silence,
Just continuing to offer ourselves some self-love.
And we'll practice for a few moments in silence,
Just continuing to offer ourselves some self-love.
Wherever you are in your practice,
Taking a moment just to notice your experience again,
Ground in to this moment.
Notice what sounds you might be hearing.
Notice the feeling of your body.
Noticing the air on your skin or the feeling of your clothes on your skin.
Noticing your mind,
Your thoughts.
Checking in with that heart space,
Your emotions.
Noticing what,
If anything,
Has shifted.
And checking in with your deeper self,
Your soul,
Your spirit,
Your higher self.
Noticing this experience in its fullness.
Noticing this experience in your wholeness.
Offering yourself some gratitude for practicing self-love no matter what the experience was like.
It's all part of the practice and for cultivating some self-compassion.
And whenever you feel ready,
Beginning to open your eyes slowly,
Letting sights and colors and shapes come into your eyes,
Looking around the room,
Giving your body a little stretch,
And finishing the meditation whenever you feel ready with lots of gratitude.
