Welcome,
This is Sarah from Quiet Mind Meditation and here in Australia we are just entering the season of Spring.
So I welcome you to our guided Spring Meditation practice.
Spring is the season that symbolises renewal and growth and upward momentum.
All around us we can see and feel this rising energy and the blissful warmth returning to our days,
The trees and the plants budding and flowering and the sun rising earlier each morning for us.
Spring invites us to throw off the hibernation and slower pace of winter and step into this fresh new energy and quite joyful time of new beginnings.
In this guided Spring Meditation we shall invite into our practice a reflection of what is happening around and also within us.
An acknowledgement that with each new breath we receive life and so we shall silently note the mantra,
Receiving.
And with each exhalation we are being invited to release stagnant energy and to let go of whatever we feel ready to release.
And so we shall silently note on the exhalation the mantra,
Releasing.
Receiving releasing.
A meditation celebrating Spring,
The season that celebrates life.
So let us begin.
Finding a comfortable position to sit for this practice.
Whether you are seated on a chair or on the floor,
Find what you need to sit comfortably and with ease.
I would invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze to the floor in front of you.
Take a moment to feel into your body.
To notice how your body is travelling today.
And to make any adjustments that might allow you to feel just a little bit more relaxed.
Aware of the touch of the floor beneath your feet.
Grounding you into the earth.
Aware of the touch of the chair or the cushion.
And those touch points reminding you that you are being held and supported.
And that it's okay to soften and relax.
Check that your hands are comfortable in your lap or on your thighs.
And I would suggest that you start by sitting upright.
So encouraging a straightness in the back.
But then feel free to soften just a little into that posture.
Imagine your shoulders softening.
And a sense that the front of your body is open to receive all of the breath.
Placing your jaw,
Allowing it to just hang.
Give yourself a few moments to settle in.
To begin,
Let's start by taking a couple of cleansing breaths.
In this practice we'll breathe in through the nostrils,
Taking a slightly longer,
Slower and deeper inhalation.
And then as you breathe out through the mouth,
And a slightly longer,
Slower and deeper exhalation.
And the possibility of hearing your exhalation.
So you might include a sigh or just listen to your natural exhalation.
So breathing in through the nostrils,
This life giving breath.
And breathing out through the mouth with a sense of letting go.
So in your own time,
A couple of cleansing breaths.
And then allow your breath to just settle back into its own state.
For our practice today,
If able,
Breathe through the nostrils with your mouth closed.
Observing the breath at the nostrils is a very traditional place to rest our awareness in meditation.
And breathing through the nostrils can provide us with an anchor for our awareness and can help quieten the mind.
So there's no need to change or control your breath in any way.
Simply know that with each inhalation,
You are opening to the gift of fresh life giving air.
And with each exhalation,
You have an opportunity to soften,
To release and to let go.
Softening into the presence of this moment.
And so we invite our awareness to our breath at the nostrils.
As you breathe in,
Know that you are breathing in.
As you breathe out,
Know that you are breathing out.
And as you gently watch your breath,
You might invite the mantra into your practice.
Silently noting as you breathe in,
Receiving,
Receiving.
And silently noting as you breathe out,
Releasing,
Releasing.
Allowing the mantra to effortlessly become part of your breath.
And for your breath to become part of your mantra.
Softening,
Releasing.
You shall have a period of silence now for your own practice.
Just being really present with your own experience of your breath and the mantra.
And if you drift away with a thought or get lost in a sound or some other distraction that is perfectly natural,
Just notice and kindly and gently bring yourself back to the next inhalation and the mantra receiving,
Releasing.
And I shall watch the time and come back for us to finish this practice together.
Brickhera.
You you you you you you you you you you you you half smile to our lips an inward smile a mindful holding of a smile a silent and heartfelt thanks to ourselves for taking this time for taking this moment to pause in our day and to lean into ourselves to have this moment to connect with our breath and a deeper sense of calm and ease knowing that this peacefulness is always within allowing the mantra to drift away and just taking a moment to be still within the silence and ease that you have cultivated acknowledging that you are still acknowledging that you are finishing your practice for today bringing some movement to fingers and toes and some deeper inhalations to bring some greater energy back into the body and also into the mind extending your awareness to the outside of your body and your place within the room and bringing that gentle half smile with you as you open your eyes and come back to your day and may you enjoy the gifts of spring and thank you for sharing this meditation with me.
