Sit in a comfortable,
Upright posture and slowly close down your eyes.
With your eyes closed,
Sense into your body,
Bringing yourself into the present moment by feeling the touch of your body against whatever you're sitting on,
A chair,
The floor,
Your bed,
Allowing whatever it is to fully support you in this moment.
To settle into the present moment even deeper,
We're going to do some deep breathing.
Taking a deep breath in through the nose,
Down into your belly,
And holding for a few moments,
And releasing through your mouth.
Let's do this together again,
Taking a deep breath in through the nose,
Down into your belly,
Holding for a few moments,
And releasing through the mouth.
Continue breathing like this for another few cycles.
Just focus on your breath.
Now let your awareness drop into the centre of your chest.
Breathe naturally,
And imagine your breath coming in and out through your heart.
Become aware of a golden flame in the centre of your chest.
You might like to visualise it,
Or simply feel its warm,
Glowing presence.
There's no right or wrong,
Just allow yourself to notice the golden flame in whatever way feels natural.
With each inhale,
The flame glows,
And with each exhale,
It radiates light through the heart,
The front,
The sides,
And the back.
Rest your awareness gently on the flame.
Inhale and it glows,
Exhale and it radiates.
Keep softening and relaxing the inner heart,
Spreading the glow of your inner flame throughout your body and out into the room.
With this mindful awareness,
Bring to your mind thoughts of the holiday season you're entering or currently experiencing.
Bring to your mind some of the expectations and stresses that are present for you today.
What thoughts do you notice?
Simply be aware of them coming and going,
You don't need to do anything about them right now or follow them,
Just be aware of them as mental events.
Let them arise,
Acknowledge them and let them go,
Like leaves on a stream drifting away downstream.
What emotions do you notice?
What mood is present when you bring this up?
Again,
Simply be aware of them coming and going,
You don't need to do anything about them now,
Just be aware.
Let them arise,
Acknowledge them and let them go.
Your thoughts and feelings are like scenes on a movie screen,
Coming and going.
You can sit back and let them come and go and know you don't have to get caught up in the storyline or the plot.
Now what body sensations are present?
Do a quick scan and notice places of tightness or tension.
Just feel it,
Know that it's here and it's okay.
Stay with it for a bit and be curious about it.
Now if it feels good to you,
You can breathe into this area of tension to clear it out.
And on the out breath,
Let go of the tension and let it drain away.
Continue breathing into the tension and exhaling and releasing it.
Inhaling into the tension,
Exhaling to clear it out.
Imagine this stress or tension flowing away and draining out of your fingers and feet.
Take a moment to notice what this feels like.
What sensations do you feel or notice?
Now notice what areas are relaxed and at peace,
Allowing yourself to rest in this.
Now let your breath return to its natural,
Easy rhythm.
We'll just follow our breathing for a few moments here.
There's no place to go,
Nothing to do,
Just resting in the breath.
Following and feeling the sensations of your breathing.
Let the breath breathe itself,
No pressure at all.
When you notice your mind wandering away from the breath awareness,
Without giving yourself a hard time,
Gently redirect your focus back to the breath.
Letting the breath be an anchor to the present moment.
Consider an anchor that you can use anytime you need or want to center and calm yourself when needed during the holiday season.
Following the breath,
Breathing in.
Giving yourself permission to relax and enjoy this moment.
Now return to the image of the flame.
Once again,
Become aware of the golden flame in the center of your chest.
With each inhale,
The flame glows.
With each exhale,
It radiates light through your heart.
Rest your awareness gently on the flame.
Keep softening and relaxing the inner heart.
Spreading the glow of your inner flame throughout your body and out into the room.
As you do this,
Know in your heart that you are doing the best you can these holidays.
Know that there may be situations that you have no control over and you can let it go and let it be.
You can't control the situation or other people but you can control your response to it mindfully.
And you can learn to accept things that you can't control by being mindfully present,
Using the breath whenever you need to pause and reflect.
Send yourself some compassion and caring by repeating after me.
May I experience peace and happiness these holidays.
May my family,
Friends and loved ones experience peace and happiness these holidays.
Allow yourself to rest in this love and kindness.
Remember and be in touch with the true reasons for the holidays.
Your own special values that are important and not to get caught up in the messages from external sources.
Make an intention for yourself to bring these mindful holiday messages with you.
To actively choose to be at peace,
Calm,
Balance and loving kindness with you through the holiday season.
Taking one final deep breath in and out.
