Coming Home.
So this is a short meditation that you can practice at any time of day,
But particularly nourishing at the end of the day when you're coming home,
Either if you're on the train or when you've parked your car before you enter the house.
So it takes about five minutes and yeah just beginning by just shifting it to a more upright posture.
Having your feet on the floor.
You can do this either sitting or standing.
And then when you're ready allowing your eyes to close or lowering your gaze.
And after what's probably been a busy day for many of us just taking some time now.
Just to pause.
Nothing that you need to do.
We're just taking a break from any activity.
As you pause in this way,
It's a gentle invitation just to allow your senses to begin to open.
So opening to any sounds that are here in the environment around you.
Sounds from near or far.
Opening also to any sensations that are here in the body right now.
Perhaps having a sense of the temperature of the air around you.
A feel of your feet on the floor.
Maybe you're sitting down,
Whatever chair is supporting you.
And you might find it supportive to really give up the weight of your body into your feet or your buttocks if you're sitting down.
Really letting the weight of your body drain down into the well of gravity.
So here we are arriving here in the body.
Arriving here in this location.
For many of us we might have had a challenging or difficult day today in some way.
And when that's the case,
Often we might find that we're kind of tensing and bracing in the body.
It's a sort of instinctive sense of protecting ourselves.
And this can be quite tiring.
The body can become quite tired.
So let's maybe just check in with the body.
Notice anywhere where we're holding tension.
Noticing if there's any clenching or tightness in the jaw.
Perhaps allowing the jaw to soften and drop a little bit.
Allowing the shoulders to drop and release,
Dropping away from the ears.
Giving up the weight of the arms to gravity.
Noticing any subtle gripping in the hands,
Maybe bags that we never really let go of.
Just gently allowing the palms and the fingers to unfurl,
To unfold and soften.
And at the end of the day our fizzy frazzled brains might be producing a lot of thoughts and images.
Memories of the day,
Thoughts about the future.
And just allowing the mind to do its thing.
No need to stop or control thinking.
Just noticing thoughts.
And then when you're ready allowing your attention to gently drop back down into the body.
Coming back to that sense of heaviness and weight in the body.
Coming home to the body.
And now we'll bring this short practice to a close.
When you're ready just gently blinking the eyes open.
Perhaps having a little bit of a stretch.
And then continuing with your day.
