Welcome to this body-based compassion meditation.
My name is Merel Maria and I will guide you through a 15-minute practice based on the principles of non-violence in the body.
So what is non-violence in the body?
Non-violence is a deep and ancient practice that has guided yogis and monks for thousands of years.
The essence of the practice is non-doing.
In this body-based compassion meditation you are invited to notice your current experience and do nothing with it.
In other words,
To step out of the way and to relax into allowing what is.
By stepping out of the way we create space for the ancient wisdom of the body and life itself to bring balance,
Health and self-connection at a deeper level.
So let's start by making ourselves comfortable.
How would your body like to sit?
Make any adjustments that your body enjoys?
Perhaps you would even like to lie down.
And then once you find your comfortable position you can close your eyes.
And now you start feeling your body.
Notice your breath.
Let's breathe a few times deeply in and out.
So breathing in and breathing out through the mouth.
In your own rhythm two more times.
Breathing all the way in and all the way out.
One more time.
Then we'll do a short body check where we will be moving our attention through the body.
And just notice what you feel in each body part.
Just welcoming the sensations.
Welcoming yourself just as you are in this moment.
Let's start with the face.
And relax the muscles around the eyes.
And around the mouth.
Relax your cheeks and your jaw.
And then feel the areas around your ears.
Notice your skull,
Your head.
And feel your neck.
And invite the muscles in the neck to gently relax.
It's just an invitation.
So just see how the body responds.
If the muscles don't relax,
That's alright.
Just bringing our attention with an invitation to the body.
And then move to the throat.
Feel your throat.
Feel your shoulders.
And feel your arms.
Allow your shoulders and your arms to sink towards the ground.
Just drop them in gravity.
Just the chest.
Gently breathe into the chest.
Making space on your in-breath.
Relaxing on your out-breath.
Feeling whatever sensations are here to feel for you in the chest.
Just welcoming them as they are.
You don't have to do anything with it right now.
Moving to the lower belly.
Breathe into the lower belly.
On an in-breath the navel comes up.
On an out-breath it sinks down.
Slow and gentle breath into the belly.
Relax the muscles in your belly.
Move to the upper back where the shoulder blades are and just relax this area.
Invite the tissues in the muscles here also to soften.
To relax and just see what happens when you bring that invitation.
Moving down to the middle back and the lower back.
Just a gentle expansion on your in-breath in the middle and lower back.
And on out-breath just rest into the feelings and sensations that are there.
Feeling the hips.
Allow the hips to sink into the ground.
Make them heavy.
On an out-breath relax the whole hip area into the ground.
Feel your legs.
Make your legs heavy as well.
Sink them into the ground.
And finally feel your feet.
And invite the soles of the feet to soften.
Now feel your entire body as one.
Feel your whole body.
If you notice any tension then welcome that tension with an in-breath you make space.
And with an out-breath you're just simply resting with your current experience just as it is.
Welcoming both the pleasant and the unpleasant.
Feel your whole body and just feel how you are.
How are you in this moment?
Is there any feeling in the body that asks most of your attention right now?
Any place or maybe a general sensation that is asking most of your attention right now?
Come bring your attention there.
Just gently breathe with it.
So remember you don't have to change anything or heal it or fix it.
The practice is to do nothing.
Just notice.
On the in-breath you make space for your direct experience.
And on the out-breath you rest.
Feel the body.
It could be that the feelings and sensations change by themselves,
If that happens just follow it.
Follow it with your attention.
Every in-breath making space for the life as it moves inside of you now.
Every out-breath resting.
A few more breaths like this.
How are you right now?
What can you feel?
Gently welcoming it.
Now slowly place one hand on the heart and one on your belly.
Breathe a few times deeply in and out of the hands.
Welcoming yourself just as you are right now.
Breathing in making space.
Breathing out resting into yourself.
One more breath like this.
And then slowly bring the hands together.
Place the hands over the eyes.
Feel your face.
Move the hands from your face and slowly come back to your environment.
Thank you for joining this body-based compassion meditation.
I wish you a wonderful day.
Namaste.
