Thank you for coming to meditation today.
Please begin by finding a posture that feels most natural to you,
Comfortable,
Supported,
One in which you can stay attentive,
Awake,
Upright.
Upright either physically because you're standing or sitting,
Or an uprightness of mind,
A wakefulness.
You can do this even if you choose to recline.
Finding a posture that's comfortable,
Supported,
Seated,
Standing,
Reclining,
Or perhaps you even choose walking meditation today.
It's always your choice.
Begin with a few deliberate breaths,
Knowing the inhale,
Experiencing the exhale,
And sensing into that slight pause before the next breath begins.
Simply breathe and know your breathing.
And then sensing into the posture of the body,
Just as you are,
Meeting yourself just as you are.
Sensing the support of the body,
Whether it's the furniture or the floor,
How it meets you right where you are,
Noticing those touch points,
Perhaps the backs of the thighs,
The base of the body,
Or the feet on the floor.
Just notice,
Notice this groundedness.
And then sensing how the spine grows tall out of the deep low back,
All the way to the crown of the head.
That soft spot when you were a baby.
And even though the bones of the skull have come together,
That soft spot remains.
Maybe feeling a gentle pull at the crown of the head,
Inviting the whole body to feel this elongation.
And as much as the spine rises,
You might offer just a slight tuck of the chin to open up the back of the neck,
Remembering to breathe.
Softening the front of the body,
Inviting a relaxation from the forehead down into the jaw,
Letting the tongue soften inside the mouth,
All the way down through the throat,
The chest and the belly.
Breathing.
And come into this meditation today to find support,
To find the ground,
To meet the body,
The mind and the heart just as it is,
Welcoming ourselves into practice.
Just as you would welcome a good friend,
This meditation practice welcomes you always,
No matter what state of heart,
What state of mind or what state of body is present today.
Experiencing the breath coming and going,
Meeting it just as it is.
It may be a long breath,
A short breath,
Shallow or deep,
Meeting it,
Experiencing the breath just as it is.
You may also notice the motion the body makes in response to the breath,
The way the belly and the chest naturally expand and then settle back into place with each breath cycle,
Or how the shoulders rise and fall as the lungs fill and empty.
There's movement in the body connected to the breathing.
Or perhaps you notice right where the air goes in and out of the nostrils as you breathe,
There's movement there.
Meeting the breath just as it is.
And we'll continue connecting to the body,
The heart and the mind as we settle into this meditation today.
You may repeat these phrases to yourself silently as a way to get closer to the experience.
Once again sensing the body connected to whatever is supporting it,
The floor,
The furniture,
The earth.
May I be grounded in my body.
May I be grounded in my body.
Let the breath bring you into this grounding.
Turning the awareness towards the sensation of the body just as it is.
Stable,
Secure,
Grounded.
And then drawing the awareness to the heart center and simply noticing the space of the heart,
This area of the center of the chest,
The upper back,
Even the side ribs,
The whole heart center.
Letting the awareness rest there for a couple of breath cycles.
Just notice.
Softening the muscles of the chest.
Inviting the heart space to show up.
May my heart become open,
Soft and stable.
Repeating that silently to yourself.
May my heart become open,
Soft and stable.
And then drawing the awareness to the space of the mind,
However you experience the mind space.
Noticing mind states today however it is.
Meeting the state of mind kindly,
Gently,
Just acknowledging.
May my mind become clear and balanced.
May my mind become clear and balanced.
With each breath,
The mind settles.
Mindfulness arises.
The heart opens,
Becomes present within this stable,
Grounded body.
In this moment,
May I breathe with ease.
In this moment,
May I breathe with ease.
A gentle allowing and welcoming of each inhale,
Of each exhale,
Over and over again.
May I be grounded in the body.
May my heart become open,
Soft and stable.
May my mind become clear and balanced.
May I breathe with ease.
We'll sit quietly for a few minutes.
Find that place where you can settle your mind,
Your attention and awareness,
Whether it's in sensation in the body,
The experience of breathing.
Perhaps it's sound or those phrases,
Grounded,
Heart open,
Mind clear and balanced,
Breathing with ease.
Whatever you prefer,
Whatever feels most natural,
We'll rest the awareness there,
Sitting quietly for the next few minutes.
If you notice that the mind wanders off,
It's not a problem,
It's quite natural,
Just come back to wherever you're resting your attention,
Body or the breath,
Phrases,
And begin again with gentle persistence,
With kindness.
Let's begin again.
And then returning to the stability of the body.
The awareness of the breath,
Noticing the mind right here at this time,
Just as it is.
PermilaanUMN Natalie
