Thank you for joining me and for taking the next few moments to honor and care for yourself.
If you are new to this form of practice and may feel a little awkward or even uncomfortable at times,
Please respect your process and go at your own pace.
Do only what feels healthy and affirming to you.
For this practice,
Please find a comfortable seated position.
Feel free to use supports or to sit with a straight back.
We will be utilizing elements of self massage,
Focusing on the head,
So you may wish to leave your hair down for this meditation.
I invite you to take a moment to settle into your space,
Allowing your eyes to close if that feels comfortable to you.
Facing the temperature of the air around you,
Feeling the support of the surface beneath you,
Sensing the quality of the space enveloping you,
Holding you,
Opening you to yourself.
Perhaps you find yourself taking a deep breath and as you exhale,
You find your shoulders easing down away from your ears.
Perhaps you find yourself alleviating tension in your neck,
Rolling your head or turning it side to side.
Finding whatever movement feels good to you at this moment in time.
Let's begin with a counted breath to find stillness.
Inhaling to the count of three,
Holding the breath for three and exhaling for five.
Ready?
Inhale one,
Two,
Three.
Hold one,
Two,
Three.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Good.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three.
Hold one,
Two,
Three.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Last one.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three.
Hold one,
Two,
Three.
And exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Beautifully done.
I invite you to bring your fingers to your hairline with your pinky fingers touching.
Spread the fingers wide so they are evenly spaced.
Using as much or as little pressure as you like,
Run your fingers through your hair or along your scalp as far back as you can comfortably reach.
Continue with this movement a few more times.
How does that feel?
Let's try placing the fingers along the hairline just above the ears.
Again,
Using your desired pressure,
Comb the fingers to a comfortable spot at the back of the head.
Continuing with this movement a few more times.
Good.
How about placing the fingers just behind the ears and through to the back of the head a few more times now.
Finally,
Running the fingers from the base of the skull up the back of the head.
Continue as you like.
So nice,
Isn't it?
I invite you to return to any or all of these spots again,
Noticing what feels soothing and comfortable.
As you run your fingers along your scalp,
Take a moment to appreciate the amazing sensation on your scalp,
In your fingers,
And your hands.
Listen to the sound this motion creates.
See if you can find that feeling resonating deep within your chest,
In your heart center.
Now I invite you to bring the fingertips to the spot in between your eyebrows.
Slowly,
And using the amount of pressure that is pleasing to you,
Work the fingers up the forehead and around to your temples.
Upon reaching the temples,
You may wish to make a little circle with your finger on the temple.
I invite you to pair this movement with breath.
Beginning between the eyes,
Inhale as you draw the fingertips up and around to the temples.
Good.
Now exhale and create tiny circles on the temples.
Replacing the fingers between the eyes,
Inhale up and around and exhale,
Making circles.
Last time,
Inhale up and around and exhale circles.
Beautifully done.
Now I invite you to find the bone just below your temple.
With your thumbprint,
Using the pressure and speed most pleasing to you,
Press and lift the thumb along the bone just below the eye,
All the way to the side of the nose,
Massaging your sinuses.
Continue this motion back and forth for about five breaths.
As you do this,
You may wish to send a little gratitude to your eyes,
Thinking of beautiful things that they have beheld for you.
Your thumb may decide to take a dip into the notch in the jaw,
Allowing your thumbs to linger here,
Finding the movement that is pleasing to you.
Perhaps opening and closing the jaw feels nice.
Finally,
Running the thumb down and across the lower jaw.
How does that feel?
For the next minute or so,
We are going to return to the spots that have felt nice so far,
Where you may wish to explore new areas.
Go at your own pace,
Exploring what feels good.
As you do this,
I invite you to repeat a few affirming statements.
I will provide the first couple of words and you may complete the statement with what feels authentic and speaks to you.
Ready?
I am.
I love.
I experience.
I feel.
I am.
I invite you now to bring the palms of the hands together and place the back of the thumbs on your forehead.
Slowly draw the thumbs down the forehead,
Between the eyes,
Down the top of the nose and the underside of the nose,
Down the lips and chin,
Continuing down the neck,
Over the notch in your collarbone,
Down the chest and all the way down to your navel.
Then parting the hands,
Allow them to rest comfortably on your lap or knees.
We will close this session with a three-part breathing practice.
As we inhale,
First the belly rises,
Followed by the ribs and finally the breath reaches all the way up to the collarbones.
As we exhale,
The collarbones fall,
Followed by the ribs and finally the belly.
Once again,
Inhale belly,
Ribs,
Collarbones.
Exhale collarbones,
Ribs,
Belly.
Then one more inhale belly,
Ribs,
Collarbones and exhale collarbones,
Ribs and belly.
As we close the practice,
Allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm and perhaps scan the body to notice how your sensations or emotions may have changed in the course of this practice.
Thank you for taking the time to show yourself some appreciation.
Remember to return to this or any self-love practice daily in order to improve your relationship with yourself.
