Go ahead and take a deep breath as we begin this advanced active meditation.
You can come to a standing position if that is available to you right now.
You'll begin with your feet planted firmly on the ground beneath you.
This meditation calls upon your ever expansive self to deepen your alignment with mind,
With body,
And with soul.
Let's begin.
Begin to feel the ground beneath your feet,
Ideally outside so that the soles of your feet touch the grass or the dirt of the earth.
But inside is fine as well.
As you stand here,
Call attention to the body,
Pressing into the ground beneath you.
Let your arms sway left and right,
Or front and back.
Natural movements.
Allow your body to move freely now for a few moments here.
Allowing whatever movements to arise like a spring brings water to the earth's surface.
You may notice your mind limiting your movements out of fear of what others may think.
This is only natural.
Release that judgment and let go.
Simply notice the energy that moves throughout your body.
This place,
At this time,
In this life.
And when you feel ready,
Go ahead and close your eyes if you haven't already done so.
And allow your arms to rest at your sides.
And with a loose bend in the knees,
Press again into the feet.
Feel the inhale moving down to the root of the spine as you take a deep breath,
Extending all the way down to the belly.
And then exhale out completely through the mouth.
Bringing the belly button to the spine as you empty out the lungs.
Inhale now again through the nose.
Reaching to the soles of the feet.
And exhale all the way out,
Bringing the belly button to the spine.
And do this for a few times on your own.
Inhaling all the way in,
Extending all the way to the feet.
And then exhaling all the way out,
Bringing the belly button to the spine,
Emptying out the lungs.
Feel the natural rhythm of your breath.
And as you continue throughout this practice,
Breathe on your own with the fullness of this breath so that you stay alert and present in this moment.
Stay present to all that you are right here and right now.
And exhale all the way out completely.
And moving deeper now,
Take a big inhale and imagine roots from a tree growing beneath your feet with each and every inhale.
Reaching deep beneath the soil of the earth and exhaling when it feels natural.
And with each inhale here now,
Imagine these roots growing beneath you deeper,
Extending into the dirt below.
Feel the strength and support of the soil around you,
Anchoring you into the earth.
Imagine the roots connecting all the way down to the core of the earth,
Reaching deep within this core and tethering like a pole that's been placed in concrete.
Feel this connectedness to the natural world,
To the earth,
To your human self,
As well as your more than human self.
Rooted here in this life with purpose,
With clarity and with connection.
And as you continue to breathe,
Keep this connection to the earth's core,
Feeling rooted to the ground beneath your feet.
Let's turn the attention now to the upper part of your body.
And with each exhale,
Imagine that your spine extends like a tree trunk that reaches high up into the sky.
And just focus on this for now.
Continue to breathe on your own.
And with each exhale,
Expand your spine up through the top of your head,
Reaching high into the sky and expanding even higher than most trees can go.
Continue to breathe here on your own,
Deepening the breath,
Deepening the exhale.
And know that this can continue.
This extension can continue beyond this atmosphere in this world,
Extending higher and higher,
Reaching into space.
Feel the lightness as you breathe into this expansion of self.
And know that you can go even further.
With each breath,
Feel the spine lift,
Extending into the space above,
Ever expanding,
Ever continuing,
Ever growing.
Returning now to your body,
Take a moment and allow your body to feel your expansiveness,
Your ever growing nature,
Your constant flux and growth.
Now feel the root of the ground beneath your feet.
Then feel the pull of yourself lifting into the sky above.
Feeling yourself lifted to the ever expanding universe above.
Allow yourself to release into this duality,
This balance of polarity,
Grounded,
Present,
Alert,
Focused and lifted.
Expanding,
Widening with ever changing reality,
With flux,
With your ever changing ability to show up and be present with all that you are.
With this human body as part of this earth,
As part of this space,
And all the parts that are the more than your human self.
Return to the breath now.
And exhale out completely.
Take a deep breath,
Inhale,
Filling up your stomach,
Your back,
And hold it.
Tense your body,
Squeeze the palms,
The soles,
Your face,
Then exhale,
Release.
We'll do this two more times.
Take a big inhale,
Imagine your body filling up with light.
Tense the body,
Squeeze,
Hold the breath,
Make fists,
Squeeze your face,
And then exhale,
Release.
All the way out now.
One last big inhale now,
Inhale.
Hold it.
Squeeze the body.
Exhale,
Release.
And when you feel ready,
Go ahead and open up your eyes.
And bring you on with your day,
Feeling the fullness of all that you are here in this life,
Right here,
Right now.
And when you feel ready,
Go ahead and open up your eyes.
And when you feel ready,
Go ahead and open up your eyes.
And when you feel ready,
Go ahead and open up your eyes.
