Welcome to this meditation practice.
Into a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Keep your spine in straight alignment.
And when you're ready,
Let your eyes drift closed or choose a spot in the room where you can gently rest your gaze.
And begin to notice your breath as it flows into your body and out again.
Notice where you can feel the breath the most.
Maybe that's at the nostrils,
The throat,
Or the chest or the belly.
Simply breathe naturally here and allow yourself to settle in.
Begin to scan your body from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes.
See if you notice any areas of tension or discomfort and breathe lovingly into these areas.
As you inhale,
Watch the breath go to that place of tension or discomfort.
And with a loving focus,
Exhale and allow that area to soften,
Relaxing with each breath out.
If it helps,
Think of the inhale as breathing in God's spirit.
Hold your breath for a moment at the top of the breath and imagine God's spirit saturating every cell as the oxygen filters through your body.
And on the exhale,
Think of surrendering and releasing anything that puts distance between you and God.
Now bring your attention to the thoughts and emotions you may be experiencing.
Simply notice them without getting caught up in the stories behind them.
Continue to breathe naturally here.
Again,
If you'd like,
You can imagine that you're inhaling God's love and mercy.
And as you exhale,
Let go of everything God already knows about,
Exhaling all of it into God's loving hands and trusting that he cares for you.
If you find your mind has wandered,
That's okay.
Simply without judgment or condemnation,
Bring your awareness back to the breath,
Noticing if you're on an inhale or an exhale.
In John chapter three,
Verse 16,
We are told,
God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life.
When the stressors of life are upon us,
We can still experience God's love,
Peace,
And mercy by getting quiet and still.
We'll spend the next few moments mindfully breathing,
Using scripture as our prayer and mantra.
To do this,
Inhale,
Silently saying to yourself,
The Lord gives strength to his people.
And as you exhale,
Silently say to yourself,
The Lord blesses his people with peace.
Inhaling,
The Lord gives strength to his people.
Exhaling,
The Lord blesses his people with peace.
As we come to the end of this practice,
Bring your awareness back to your body,
Beginning to expand your awareness to include sounds near and far.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Continue your day by bringing this feeling of peace and love you've cultivated with you so that you may be blessed and be a blessing to others.
Thank you so much for joining me in this practice today.
Have a blessed day.
