Find a comfortable place to sit.
Place your right hand on your heart space,
Right there in the center of your chest,
Just to the right of your heart,
And your left hand on your belly,
And gently close your eyes.
Now begin to notice the support of what's beneath you and behind you,
And allow the body to fully rest into the support.
Let the earth gently cradle your body.
Now see if you can find places in your body that can relax even more,
Giving those places some slack,
The places you hold tension are a good place to check.
So perhaps your shoulders may be one place,
And you can lift them,
Raise them,
And drop them back down a few times,
Or your neck,
And perhaps rolling the neck gently in a circular fashion.
Now relax your jaw by placing space between the top and bottom teeth,
Slightly opening the mouth,
And dropping the tongue down to your lower palate.
Now bring your attention to the breath,
And begin to slowly breathe in through your nose,
Long,
Gentle in-breath,
And out through your mouth,
Long,
Gentle out-breath,
Each time breathing in,
Feeling the fullness of your breath,
And as you breathe out,
Feeling the support of the earth beneath you.
As you continue to breathe long,
Deep in-breaths through your nose,
Long,
Deep,
Gentle out-breaths through your mouth,
Place your mind's attention on that one single breath you're in,
Welcoming it in with an open heart,
Tracking it as it makes its journey through your body and back out again.
Slowly breathing,
Savoring it.
Remember that the breath is meant to be savored,
To be cherished.
It is our greatest reminder that we are alive in our bodies when we can notice and appreciate our breath.
Now notice the next breath,
Welcoming that one in.
It has its own qualities,
Its own uniqueness.
It isn't like the breath you just had or the breath you'll have after it.
It is unique,
It is special.
Cherish it,
Then send it on its way and welcome in the newness of the next one.
Continue to breathe.
Take your time.
Now paying attention to your breath,
Let's begin to notice the dimensions of the breath as it enters into your heart space and into your belly.
Notice if this breath has a temperature to it.
It may be warm or tepid or cool in contrast with your body.
Notice if it has a color or if the breath shows up as an image inside of you or a shape or a weight to the breath.
Or it may be showing up as a feeling inside of you like calm or spaciousness,
A feeling of peace,
Stillness or settling.
Notice one or many of these dimensions of the breath happening inside of you.
This noticing allows you to relax even more.
Getting yourself further and further away from your thoughts and more of your attention being placed in the body.
And as your attention remains in the body,
You may notice your experience now feeling quite different,
More pleasant in some way.
Our breath is the body's place of rest.
There's no space for thought when we are here in the body,
In the breath.
You can relax into your breath.
Your breath is the body's best way to know that it's present.
When we feel the sensation of the breath inside of us,
We know we're present.
The body never takes us anywhere but here.
The breath is nowhere but here.
The mind can take us into the future,
Into the past.
It can take us many places,
But the body is always fully present.
And the breath is the best indication,
Our noticing of the breath is the best indication that we are fully present.
Continue to breathe.
Savor the breath.
Now out loud with eyes closed and hands supporting your body there on your heart space and belly,
Repeat these words out loud with me on your next out breath.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
Now notice what it's like inside your body.
Notice if any dimensions shifted in any way,
If there's more weight in the body,
More depth in the body,
Or if you can notice a change in color or temperature,
New shapes,
New images,
Or change in feeling.
Notice what it's like inside your body now.
And again,
One more time on the out breath,
Join me.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
I am safe.
And notice what it's like inside.
Notice that you are safe and that your body is at rest.
Feel the spaciousness inside your body.
Feel the calm or the stillness or the restfulness.
Many blessings.
You
