Welcome.
Find yourself a comfortable seat.
This could be on the floor or in a chair,
Or you could be lying down.
I invite you to gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you.
If you would prefer to keep your eyes open,
Try and keep your gaze soft and unfocused,
Just a few feet in front of you.
Take a nice deep inhale in through your nose and really allow this inhale to explore your body.
Make it nice and full.
And when you reach the apex of this inhale,
Give it a full exhale,
Removing the air from every nook and cranny of your body.
Let's do this one more time.
A nice full deep inhale.
And a nice complete exhale.
Notice how your body settles and finds comfort after each cycle of the breath.
Today's practice is focused on the breath.
Gently bring your attention to the quality of your in-breath.
Make note of the sensation within your body of where you feel this inhale.
Do you notice it most as the air passes through your nostrils?
Perhaps you notice how it shifts your shoulders and your upper chest.
Or do you feel it lower in your diaphragm as it expands when you inhale?
Perhaps your belly pushes out as you bring the air into your body.
Wherever you notice these sensations of perfect,
That's something that is special and unique to you.
On your exhale,
Take note of where this air leaves your body.
Perhaps it leaves a bit of space for your body to settle into as it exits your body.
Perhaps you notice your shoulders and your chest move as the air continues up and out of your body.
Perhaps you notice the sensation of relaxation and peace as you exhale.
Again,
Whatever these qualities feel like for you are unique to you.
You may find your mind wanders during the meditation.
This is totally normal and it's okay.
Our brains are designed to think.
As you notice thoughts that come by in your mind,
Now is a good opportunity to practice compassion for yourself and acknowledge that you have this thought or this feeling and allow it to drift away with no judgment and no need to change anything.
Gently bring your attention back to the qualities of your in-breath and your out-breath.
Allow yourself to sink into this rhythm.
This rhythm of your inhale and your exhale.
Allow your breath to move your body as it does naturally.
The intent is simply to draw awareness to our rhythms and our body processes as we breathe.
Because our bodies already know how to breathe.
They are born knowing how to inhale and make space and how to exhale and settle into that space.
Gently allow your mind to follow that rhythm to be aware of those qualities of your breath.
We'll sit in quiet as we explore this rhythm for just a moment.
We'll sit in quiet as we explore this rhythm for just a moment.
We'll sit in quiet as we explore this rhythm for just a moment.
On your next inhale,
See if you can imagine this inhale creating space in your body and moving throughout your body to an area that carries tension or discomfort.
And as you exhale,
See if you're able to release some of that tension from that space.
As you exhale and your body settles into the spaces.
On your next inhale,
Bring that breath back to that spot and notice if there's any additional room there,
Any extra space.
And as you exhale,
Allow any tension or discomfort to exit your body with your exhale.
Allow your natural breathing rhythm to continue.
Noticing if any qualities of your breath change throughout this meditation.
We're just creating a sense of awareness of what's going on in our bodies.
On your next inhale,
Make this inhale a full whole body inhale.
Entering your body at your nostrils and moving all throughout your body.
And imagine you can fill your body with this oxygen all the way down to your toes.
Feel your body making space to accommodate this oxygen.
And as you exhale,
Allow this exhale to leave your body fully all the way from your toes.
And slowly begin bringing your awareness back into the room itself.
Noticing any sounds there might be outside the room.
Becoming aware of any sounds you might hear coming from inside the room.
Becoming aware of the sensation of your body sitting on the floor or in the chair or on the bed in whatever position you've chosen to be in.
You begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes or bring them back into focus.
Welcome back.
Thank you for meditating with us today.
Namaste.
