Take a moment to find a comfortable posture in which you can be quite relaxed and still for this present centering practice.
And relax into this posture,
Take some time to settle here,
A moment of stillness and quiet.
And checking in with the body,
How does the body feel?
Are there any areas that feel tense or tight?
And if so,
Just breathing into those areas,
Allowing yourself to soften and relax.
And then bring to mind your most meaningful aspiration for this practice so that it may be of benefit to yourself and others.
And then we begin the practice of bringing ourselves into the present moment with five very significant and purposeful breaths.
So fully inhale,
Expanding the belly and chest as much as you can,
Hold it for a moment.
And then exhale gently,
Feeling a wave of relaxation sweep over you.
And do this five times,
Extending the exhale each time and feeling your body relax more and more.
On the next in breath,
Sit up a little bit taller and on the out breath,
Relax and release fully into this moment.
When we're stressed or anxious,
We breathe in very unhealthy ways.
So taking a moment to breathe deeply and fully is an expression of self compassion.
And allowing your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
Once again,
Taking note of how you feel at this very moment.
And now bring your awareness to the top of your head and notice how it feels,
The very crown of the head.
There's no need to think about the top of the head or a mental image.
But simply notice how it feels any throbbing,
Tingling vibration,
Or sense of temperature.
Then gradually let your focus move down from the top of the head to your eyes.
Noticing any sensations as your focus moves down.
Notice how your eyes feel.
Ask them to relax,
Allow your eyes to soften.
Move your awareness around to the back of the head,
Noticing how that feels.
If the back of the head is resting against the surface,
Notice too how that contact feels.
Notice how heavy your head feels right now.
Now allow your focus to move down to the level of your nose.
Feeling the slight sensation of the air moving in and out with your breath.
Bring awareness to your ears,
Notice how they feel.
And notice sounds around you.
And when a sound comes in,
Let it be like a little wave of relaxation taking you even deeper into the present moment.
There's no such thing as a distraction,
That's just a label.
In the herd let there be just the herd.
And then as you bring your awareness down to your mouth,
Let sounds fade into the background for now.
Notice how your mouth feels,
And the inside any sense of moisture.
Moving your focus down now to your neck and shoulders.
If you find any tension along the way,
Just ask it to release.
And especially on the out breath,
Make that intention to release and relax more and more deeply.
And slowly take your attention down each arm,
All the way to each fingertip.
And feel the sensation of touch at your fingertips.
Then bring awareness to your chest and also your upper back.
Also relaxing these areas.
If there's any tension,
Again release it on the out breath as you relax.
Down to the level of the heart.
And see if you can focus on your heart.
Feel the energy of your heart beating,
Supporting you,
Keeping you alive.
Take a moment to feel gratitude for your heart,
For this body.
Experience the sensations in your lungs and your chest as they gently expand and contract with your breath,
Bringing in oxygen to your body.
Feeling gratitude for your breath.
Then move your awareness down gradually to your abdomen,
Noticing sensations as your attention moves.
Feel your belly and all the sensations in and around the belly.
Observe your lower back and if it rests against any surface,
Notice how that contact feels.
You feel any tension here as well on the out breath.
Release and relax.
Focus on your pelvis and your hips,
Feeling any sensations here.
And as we move lower into the body,
Allow a deeper state of relaxation to manifest.
Feel grounding your awareness,
Moving your awareness down from the conceptual head into the body.
So move your awareness down each leg,
Slowly relaxing,
Releasing any tension down.
Your legs do so much for you,
So give them this gift of relaxation.
Almost like a wave of relaxation moving down to your feet and the tips of your toes.
Once you've completed your body scan,
Allow your awareness to fill the entire space of the body at once.
And to the best of your ability,
Without following after any thoughts about the past or the future,
Rest right here,
Right now.
Simply be present with the space of the body and the sensations within it,
All the various moving,
Comings and goings,
Tingling,
Vibrations.
And don't worry if you do become distracted,
If a thought captures your attention,
That's okay and it's completely natural.
We can just let go of that for now,
Bring ourselves back to this body.
You cannot experience your body in the past or the future.
When you're present with and experiencing the body,
You are in the present moment,
You are grounded.
Being present with your body allows you to be present in your life.
Before closing the meditation,
Take a moment to check in with yourself again.
How do you feel now?
How does the body feel?
Has it shifted in any way?
This is not to judge,
But simply be aware of the body and mind.
And then we can take a moment to dedicate a positive energy or merit that we've generated to our highest aspirations and intentions.
Closing with a few words of loving kindness and compassion.
May all beings find happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
