Welcome,
Welcome to this meditation.
Your body is a temple.
So the first thing you want to do is go ahead and get super comfortable.
So lie down on your back or on your side if you're pregnant or if you prefer to lie on your side.
And then take time to arrange your body so that you feel well supported.
You can place cushions or a pillow under your head.
Whatever else you need so that you feel absolutely comfortable.
Having some support under the knees can really help the lower back to settle well.
And also bear in mind that body temperature may drop during practice.
So if you feel the need,
Cover yourself with a blanket.
Put on some warm socks or a sweater to keep warm.
When you feel you're able to rest comfortably,
Then just settle into your chosen position and allow the body to become still.
Knowing that there is no need for any further movement.
You want to experience the state of zero desire for movement.
So if this state is not quite present,
Then just make whatever adjustments so that you feel super comfortable.
The ideal state for the physical body during this practice is zero desire for movement.
So if the desire to move does arise during practice,
Simply just watch.
It will probably go away and you can remain still.
And if the desire to move does return,
Then it may be a signal that you do actually need to move.
So do so with the utmost awareness and with the intention to again settle into stillness,
Returning to the state of zero desire for movement.
Now become aware very precisely of the position in which you are lying.
Know the shape and the posture of your body.
Know the shape and the arrangement of the room.
And feel the points of contact between the back of your body and the floor.
And be aware now of the gentle rhythm of the natural breath.
So feel the breath coming in and the breath going out.
And just allow the breath to move freely and easily through the nostrils.
And if it's easier to exhale through the mouth,
Then just do that.
So let whatever is most comfortable and easy way of breathing just arise naturally.
So allow the inhale to move down and into the body.
And with every exhalation,
Allow the weight of the body to sink deeper down into the points of contact with the floor.
Every exhalation is a letting go.
So be in this gentle rhythm with a natural easy breath.
With every outgoing breath,
Just allow yourself to sink deeper into Mother Earth.
Just let her carry your weight.
Taking a moment to observe the stillness,
The alignment of your body.
As the body comes into this state of deepening stillness.
Just allow the breath to become more spacious.
Listen to the sound of your own breath.
And now hear all the other sounds that might be around you right now,
The sounds in the room.
The sounds just outside the room.
And the sounds in the further environment.
And now just focus with the intimate sound of your own breath.
Coming in and going out.
This is the sound that's closest to you.
And then feeling the stillness of your body and the spaciousness of your breath.
And just know that your practice of this meditation is held safely in a place of protection and security.
And know that the boundaries of this practice are secure.
And as you enter into this state of consciousness,
You are held safely within the protected space.
And just invite the mind to follow the example of the body.
Allow the focus to become more still,
More quiet.
Just invite the mind to create a single form of consciousness.
And allow this consciousness to simply be,
My body is a temple.
My body is a temple.
My body is a temple.
And now allow the focus of the mind to accompany the breath.
And on the next exhalation,
Breathe down as if the breath could enter the space of the heart.
Just feel as if the heart herself is breathing.
And just evoke here in this centre of the heart,
A feeling of thankfulness.
A sense of gladness simply for the opportunity to practice this meditation.
And feel this gratitude as a gentle warmth that radiates from that.
And breathe into this warmth.
And be thankful for the opportunity to practice this meditation.
So as the mind enters the heart,
Can you hear the breath of the heart as if it were the voice of the heart's wisdom?
And now you can repeat your own intention for this practice,
Or if you have a positive affirmation or a heart's prayer or resolve.
And just allow this affirmation to be repeated over three times.
And now you're going to embark on a journey.
So as you lie perfectly rested and perfectly still,
In your mind's eye you're going to see your body resting as a beautiful altar.
And see or imagine or sense the essence,
The radiance,
The luminosity of a rose petal.
And as I name each part,
Placing a rose petal upon your body,
Anointing it as the temple.
Place a rose petal in the centre of your forehead,
Luminous.
Rose petal on your right shoulder,
Radiant.
Top of your right arm,
Your right elbow,
Your right forearm.
Place a rose petal on your right wrist,
Luminous.
The back of your right hand.
Place tiny rose petals on the tips of each of your fingers and your thumb of your right hand.
Place a rose petal in the palm of your right hand,
Luminous.
Your right hip.
Place a rose petal in the centre of your chest,
Your heart,
Radiant.
Your left shoulder.
Top of your left arm.
Your left elbow.
Your left wrist.
The back of your left hand.
Place tiny rose petals on the tips of each of your fingers and your thumb of your left hand.
Rose petal in the palm of your left hand,
Luminous.
Your left hip,
Radiant.
In the centre of your belly.
Your right thigh.
Right knee.
Right shin.
Place a rose petal on your right ankle.
Top of your right foot.
Place tiny rose petals on the tips of each of the toes of your right foot.
Rose petal on the sole of your right foot,
Radiant.
Rose petal in the centre of your belly,
Luminous.
Your left thigh.
Your left knee.
Your left shin.
Place a rose petal on your left ankle.
Top of your left foot.
Place tiny rose petals on the tips of each of the toes on your left foot.
A rose petal on the sole of your left foot,
Luminous.
Place a rose petal right at the base of your spine,
Your perineum,
Radiant.
Rose petal in the centre of your chest,
Your heart,
Luminous.
Place a rose petal in the centre of your forehead.
Place a rose petal in the crown of your head,
Radiant.
Now allow yourself to gaze at your own temple as an act of great beauty and devotion.
See your whole body as the temple.
Bathe your whole essence in this beauty and radiance.
My body is a temple.
My body is a temple.
My body is a temple.
And now once again,
Return the attention to the rise and the fall of the natural breath.
And just allow the breath to become a little deeper,
A little longer.
So you can hear the sound of your breath entering and leaving the body.
Just listen to the sound of your breath.
Feel your body breathing with each inhalation and exhalation.
With each inhale,
Feel the body returning to a waking state,
Full of energy and life.
And just be aware now that the body is refreshed and the mind is wide awake.
Begin to make tiny movements.
Just start with the touch of the tip of each of your fingers with the tip of your thumb.
Start to rotate the wrists and the ankles.
And then stretch and release through the muscles of the legs.
Gently turn your head from side to side.
Then bring your head back to centre.
And take a long comfortable stretch through the whole body.
The whole body.
Very gently in your own time,
Rolling to your preferred side.
Resting here,
Gently cradled in your own arms.
Wide awake.
Wide awake.
And just allow yourself to come up to a comfortable seated position in your own time.
This practice is now complete.
Safe,
