Hi and welcome to this meditation for cultivating ease and spaciousness in the mind and body.
Through this practice we're building our capacity to observe the mind and body while also building our muscle of discerning which are the things to give your attention to.
So find a comfortable position either seated or lying down.
You may wish to cover yourself with a blanket and if you're laying down you may want to put a blanket or a towel under the knees.
Make sure your spine is in straight alignment,
Keeping your chin in a neutral position.
Allow your shoulders to drop away from the ears,
Hips to settle into the surface below you,
And rest your hands either in your lap or at your sides.
And just take a moment here to make any adjustments necessary and allow your body to start to settle in.
When you're ready let your eyes drift closed or choose a spot in the room where you can gently rest your gaze.
And just begin to notice your breath as it flows naturally into your body and out again.
Notice where you can feel the breath the most,
Whether that's at the nostrils,
The throat,
The chest or the belly.
Perhaps sudden intention here to relax the mind.
And each time your mind becomes busy or distracted,
Return to your intention for the mind to feel spacious,
Open and at ease.
Next we'll begin breathing in to a count of three and exhaling to a count of six for the next few cycles.
If you notice that you're tensing around the breath,
You can either let go of the counting and just breathe as deeply as is comfortable for you,
Or you can shorten the count to an inhale of two and an exhale of four.
I'll count the first cycle,
Breathing in two three,
Out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Now continue to breathe this way if it's comfortable for you or simply sit and breathe deeply for the next few cycles of breath.
As you breathe in,
Imagine breathing in all of the energy and positive emotion that your body needs.
And as you breathe out,
Let go of any tightness or tension.
And if you haven't done so yet,
You can let go of the counting and just breathe naturally here.
Breathing in calm,
Ease and spaciousness.
Breathing out tension or tightness.
Notice the sensations of breath as it enters and leaves your body.
And also notice the pauses in between the inhale and exhale,
And the exhale and inhale.
Now begin to check in with the body.
Beginning with your head,
Bring your awareness to the crown of your head.
Just notice what's here for you as you begin to invite relaxation into the crown of your head.
Moving down into the forehead and brow area,
And the area around your eyes.
Allowing this area to be soft and allowing the eyes to be loose in their sockets.
Moving down into the cheeks,
Mouth and jaw.
Allowing your tongue to rest.
Perhaps allowing your lips to part slightly if that feels good to you.
Allowing some slack in the jaw.
Moving down into the neck,
The front of the neck and sides.
And see if you can invite relaxation into the space as you move down into the tops of the shoulders.
Allowing your shoulders to fall away from the ears and creating some space here.
Moving down into the arms,
Down into the elbows and the forearms,
The hands and fingers.
Moving back up into the chest,
Allowing the chest to relax.
Moving down into the belly,
Allowing the abdomen to soften.
Down into the hips and pelvis,
Allowing them to be heavy against the surface beneath you.
Moving down into the thighs,
Knees,
Shins and calves.
All the way down into your feet and toes.
Inviting in relaxation.
Notice the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
Supporting and holding you in this space as you let go and allow your body to become heavier.
Once more,
Doing a quick scan from the top of your head to your toes.
Just noticing if there's a spot that isn't fully relaxed yet.
Just breathing gently into those areas,
Seeing if you can soften them with each exhale.
Next,
Begin to check in with the momentum of your mind.
Notice if there are any stories or persistent thoughts taking up space.
Instead of resisting or pushing them away,
Simply observe them,
Inviting them to come and go.
Watching them as a movie or as clouds drifting across the sky of your mind.
Noticing the quiet open spaces in between each thought.
Now notice any feelings or emotions that may be present right now.
Simply observe them and allow them to pass through your consciousness,
Neither clinging to the thoughts and feelings nor pushing them away.
Simply being a curious observer of what's happening in this moment and creating space for everything in your awareness.
Breathing in and out,
Noticing the pause between the inhale and exhale and again between the exhale and inhale.
Notice the quality of your breath.
Maybe noticing that the breath has become deeper,
Slower,
Perhaps your mind is becoming quieter.
For the next few moments,
I'll be silent.
Continue to breathe and observe the spaciousness and invite ease into the body.
You may notice thoughts,
Bodily sensations or sounds.
Simply notice what it's like to be alive in this moment without judgment.
If you become distracted,
Simply return to your breath in order to gently anchor your awareness.
Now bring your awareness back to my voice and your body seated here.
Notice how you're feeling.
See if you feel more calm,
Open and balanced than when we started.
And as we close this practice,
Perhaps invite a smile and bring your hand to your heart,
Taking a moment to honor yourself for taking this time to nurture your mind and body.
Now take a nice full breath in and exhale it out.
Begin to bring some gentle movement to your body and when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you so much for joining me in this practice.
May the rest of your day be filled with peace.
Namaste.
