Hello,
My name is Rachel Tenenbaum,
And I will be guiding you through your meditation today.
Psychologist and founder of the humanistic approach to psychology spoke about unconditional positive regard.
That means the complete acceptance of an individual while placing no judgments or conditions on this acceptance.
It often feels that that's rare to come by.
But even more rare can be having that unconditional positive regard for oneself,
For ourself.
And yet it is probably one of the most powerful,
Courageous acts that we can practice.
So the invitation of today's meditation will be to allow yourself to settle into your space and just the act of that permission as a true act of self love and kindness.
And I'll guide you through an opportunity to get connected to your body,
To yourself,
To what's actually here,
And then to embrace it all so that you can walk away with that unconditional positive regard,
That full acceptance of self without judgments,
Without conditions on this acceptance.
And so in this moment,
I invite you to settle into your seat and to step into this moment by closing your eyes and taking a breath.
Inhale,
Breathe in,
Fill up.
As if you were blowing out candles,
Letting it go.
Again inhale,
Breathe in,
Fill up.
Allowing the past moments,
Allowing any tension to expire from your body,
Blowing it out,
Letting it go.
And know that whatever state you arrived to this moment in,
You are here now.
And as a master say,
With every moment,
With every breath,
You can begin again.
And so with this next breath,
I invite you to begin again.
Deep inhale,
And letting it go.
This time as you breathe in,
Expand your lungs and expand your ribs,
Your front ribs,
Your back ribs,
Your side ribs expand.
And then soften along the length of the exhale.
Again,
Inhale and expand your ribs,
Your front ribs,
Your back ribs,
Your side ribs.
And when you are ready,
Allowing that breath to expire from your body.
And this time,
Breathe in,
Expand the front to the side,
The back,
And then breathe all the way into the pit of the belly.
And then watch yourself soften as you exhale.
Just allowing the body to be allowing the breath to travel wherever it desires.
Where is it needed most?
Where are you holding on to tension,
Stress,
Or any sense of unease?
As you allow your body to be breathed,
You feel this body breathing.
Begin to scan your body from the very crown of your head.
As if there's a softening spreading out.
Releasing of tension from the very crown of your head.
That opening moves down into the space between your eyebrows.
This tension often gathers there.
Softening that space between your eyebrows.
Moving into your jaw and cheekbones,
Allowing the jaw to unhinge.
And the tongue to relax all the way to its root.
Shoulders drop,
Melt away from your ears.
Any sensations in your neck and throat.
No judgment.
Just awareness.
Move that awareness down into your chest.
Bringing your breath to meet any and all sensations present.
Aware that the nature of the mind is to wander.
It's what it does.
So when you notice it,
Perhaps smiling,
Bringing it back to your breath,
To your body,
To what's right here,
Right now.
In this moment.
Beginning to move that awareness down your arms.
Past your elbows,
Forearms and all the way into your hands.
Bringing the hands to soften,
To let go.
Perhaps even present and aware of the liveness inside your hands.
Bringing that awareness back to your torso and spines.
To move down each and every vertebra.
What can you feel from the inside out?
Coming into your hips,
Aware of the seat or the floor that is holding you,
Supporting you,
Allowing yourself to be held.
Bringing that awareness down into your legs.
Moving past your knees,
Calf muscles into your ankles,
Your feet and your toes.
Bringing the feet from the inside out.
To sit here fully aware of this body.
Of the sensations present.
I invite you to expand your awareness.
To the subtle level.
To the emotional level.
To begin to notice with curiosity what else is present.
What emotions are present.
This permission to be and to feel.
To savor being in this body.
Again,
What's here?
No judgment.
Just an awareness.
You might encounter a single emotion.
Or a spectrum of emotions.
Welcoming it all.
In the words of Rume being grateful for whomever comes knowing that each has been sent as a guide.
And so as you welcome with open awareness and curiosity.
Just where in your body these subtle energies reside.
Is it your jaw?
Your throat?
Your shoulders?
Or your chest?
Your belly?
Your hands?
What's it like to welcome whatever is here?
Even clear space.
As Tara Brock says,
To say yes to it.
As if you were welcoming each feeling.
Each space.
Each sensation with open arms.
As you might to a child or a friend in need.
Not needing to change or to fix.
But to embrace.
And to allow.
And simply repeating yes to yourself.
And then deepening that yes.
As you give yourself the gift of what's right here,
Right now in all forms.
What unfolds?
Perhaps it's an unraveling of tension.
And ease.
What opens within you?
And as you say yes to yourself.
Perhaps repeating the following statements.
I accept this moment exactly as it is.
I accept this body and these sensations exactly as they are.
I accept these feelings exactly as they are.
I accept myself exactly as I am in this moment.
Breathing it in.
And sighing it out.
And placing a hand over your heart.
Feeling the beating of your own heart.
Aware of the infinite mechanisms.
The trillions of cells operating to make this moment.
For you to be.
To feel alive.
And then saying your name.
Followed by.
I accept this body.
My body exactly as it is in this moment.
I accept my feelings exactly as they are in this moment.
I accept and love myself.
Exactly as I am in this moment.
Allowing you to feel the sense of intimacy which exists in this moment.
A myriad of possibilities that unfold when you accept you exactly as you are.
In the words of Namaste,
The light within me sees and is so abundantly grateful for the bright,
Brilliant,
Shining light within you.
Thank you for sharing your practice,
Your space,
And your time with me.
I invite you to take a deep inhale,
Breathing in.
And exhale,
Softening.
And welcome you to continue to remain here.
For as long as you desire.
And know that this is a place that you can always come back to.
This place resides within you.
Namaste.
