Hi friends.
Thank you for joining me here in this space of stillness and silence amongst the chaos of the world around us.
If you hear some noises in the background,
I think we'll just have to agree to let them flow through.
There's always going to be noises in the background,
There's always going to be distractions going on around us,
But let's start by settling into a nice comfortable place.
Perhaps that you find that lying down,
Feeling the support of a bed,
Your couch,
Your yoga mat is best for you,
Or maybe you prefer being seated,
Feeling the support of the earth or a chair beneath you.
Whatever is the most comfortable is always the best.
And as you settle into this comfortable position,
Start to notice your breath.
Notice how your breath flows in ever so gently,
And then flows right back out.
Just to watch it flow in and out,
There's no need to do anything.
And as you're noticing the flow of your breath in and back out,
Start to feel your body relax.
Let the weight of your body fall down into that cushion or bed or yoga mat or the earth beneath you,
While it holds you in its entirety.
Now let's take a nice deep breath in together through your nose,
And ever so gently let it flow back out of you,
Emptying your lungs as completely as you can.
Now one more time,
Let's take a nice deep breath in together through your nose,
And gently exhale it back out of your nose or mouth,
And let your eyes close gently.
Let the rhythm of your breath be the guide as you settle more deeply into this moment,
And continue to watch as your breath flows into you,
And watch it as it flows back out.
And let's go a bit deeper now,
Together,
Into this space of stillness and silence as we ponder this time that we're taking out for ourselves.
All too often we go through our day moving from one task to another,
Completely engulfed in a never-ending to-do list,
Scheduled out with social obligations and saddled with meeting the ever-increasing demands of our work and family lives.
As we continue to take on more and more,
It's vitally important that we take care to ensure that we have ample time to step back,
Slow down,
And create a bit of balance for ourselves internally,
To quiet the noise so to speak.
Fortunately for us,
Ancient schools of wisdom have provided us with many tools that we can use to conjure up this sense of peace within ourselves.
One of these tools is that of mantra meditation.
Mantra meditation involves us focusing on a certain repeated phrase or saying.
We can center in on this phrase and repeat it to ourselves over and over and over and over again,
Allowing the sacred message of this phrase to resonate through each and every one of ourselves,
Filling us with the healing,
The peace that these words and energies bring.
Today we'll use the phrase Aham Brahmasmi.
Aham Brahmasmi.
This is an ancient Sanskrit phrase that means,
Basically,
I am the divine and the divine is within me.
Some people say God,
Some people say divine,
Some people say universe,
Whatever fits best there for you is fine.
But as we repeat Aham Brahmasmi together,
We can channel into our innate connection to the divinity of the universe and reinforce to ourselves that that same divinity within each and every single one of us,
All the time.
So as we continue to settle in and prepare for this mantra meditation,
Let's say it once out loud together,
Aham Brahmasmi.
Now let's say it one more time,
But let's whisper it together,
Aham Brahmasmi.
Now let's begin repeating it silently to ourselves over and over,
Repeating it and letting it fill our body with this sense of universal divinity.
Allow your breath to continue to flow on its own,
Your body naturally carrying on its rhythm of life while you focus on honing into the divinity within you.
And as you repeat this mantra,
You might notice that your thoughts begin to drift off to something else.
You might hear a sound nearby,
Something that distracts you from continuing to silently repeat this mantra.
And that's okay,
It's normal for your mind to wander,
It's part of being human.
But when this happens,
Try and gently guide yourself back into the mantra and let your breaths carry you through.
So let's keep continuing to repeat this mantra for a little bit.
I'll leave you in silence for a few moments and then we'll rejoin together at the end.
You can stop repeating the mantra now and let your focus come to your breath.
Let's sit in silence for a bit,
Just allow your practice to settle in,
Come back into your body and bask in the peace and tranquility that we just created.
And as we're coming back into our space,
Let's take a nice deep breath in together through your nose and exhale that back out.
One more time,
Let's take a deep breath in and exhale.
And now allow your eyes to gently flutter back open,
Looking around you in the space that you just created all of this tranquility and peace within.
Come back into your surroundings for a moment here.
Let's bring our hands together into a prayer position,
Anjali Mutra,
Up to your third eye chakra.
This is the space between your eyebrows and just up a bit from there.
And bow your head in gratitude for your practice.
Let's take one last deep breath in to seal our practice today.
And exhale once more.
The light in me honors the light in you.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
