Be like a dandelion.
Close your eyes and settle into yourself.
Let this be a juicy moment.
Feel the experience of relaxing away from the outer world as you draw your attention inward and let it feel good.
That feeling of getting into a warm bed with soft blankets after a long cold day,
A warm bath after a period of stress.
Let dropping into your meditation practice be like this sensation.
Juicy and warm and good.
Just as when you take a bath or get a massage,
The body's first response is to resist.
You stay long enough so that that resistance transforms into acceptance and the acceptance transforms into release.
Let the release come organically.
As you settle deep into your own self,
Dropping your energy away from the external world.
Notice as your physical body begins to soften,
The muscles of your body,
The soft tissue gradually your sense organs,
Your eyes and ears,
Your nose,
Your mouth.
Watch be the observer as everything releases.
This movement is like a wave resistance which builds into acceptance,
Which crashes into release.
If you're finding it difficult,
Bring your attention to your breath.
Let the breath move just like the wave of the energetic body.
The inhale comes.
There's some resistance as things tighten.
The top of the inhale brings a certain amount of acceptance right before the release of the exhale.
Allow yourself to fall into this rhythm.
Inhaling,
Feel the slight resistance as it builds.
Accept what is and let it all go on the exhalation.
This is an awareness of resistance,
An acceptance and a release.
Each breath.
Watch your breath in this way now and watch your body as well.
Keep your mind here,
Settling into the experience of the waves of each next breath cycle.
As you feel yourself breathe,
Now imagine in your mind a dandelion.
Picture yourself holding the dandelion in your hand.
You've picked it from a grassy field somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.
Its long green stem topped by this feathery ball of small seeds grouped together to form a puff of a flower.
Picture this dandelion in your mind now and imagine really looking at it.
Imagine really feeling it.
Rolling the stem slightly between your thumb and first finger as you allow yourself to inspect each seed atop the stem.
You are a dandelion.
See every seed that exists in this flower and knowing what we do with dandelions,
We wish on them.
We make one wish and then we blow.
Don't imagine yourself doing this just yet.
Instead,
See each seed as its own wish.
You are a dandelion and every thought you have is a seed.
As you inspect the dandelion inside of your mind,
Imagine that each seed atop the stem is a thought that you have right now.
What does the flower look like if it is made of all your thoughts?
You know what you do with a dandelion.
You take a deep breath in and then you blow,
Making a wish as you allow the seeds to spread from the stem across the world.
If each seed is a thought,
When you blow them out into the world,
What do they become?
They become more dandelions.
As you inspect the dandelion inside of your mind,
Imagining that each seed is a thought that you have,
Ask yourself,
How beautiful is this dandelion?
Is each seed intentional?
If you inhaled now and exhaled to blow these seeds from the stem all around the world,
Are these new dandelions ones that will help the world to be a better place?
You are a dandelion.
And every thought you have is a seed that grows into a new dandelion.
What are the thoughts inside of your mind?
And a few moments now asking yourself,
Are they all seeds that you would like to see bloom into flowers?
Instead of feeling overwhelmed with all the thoughts you could and should have,
Take it day by day.
Today you are a dandelion and every thought you have goes out into the world to create more flowers.
Set your intention for today to be completely present with each thought as it sprouts inside your mind.
If the thought is one that you would like to see bloom into a flower,
Let it go.
If the thought is one that you would not like to see bloom into a flower,
Plant a new seed.
You are a dandelion and every thought is a wish.
What are you wishing for?
Exhale.
Exhale deeply through the nose,
Feel the entire body lift up,
Open your mouth,
Exhale.
Take two more clearing breaths just like this.
Cleanse the system,
Inhale,
Let it be a deep,
Full,
Long inhalation.
Build it all the way up.
Exhale,
Let it go.
One last time.
Open your mouth as you sigh,
Exhaling all the air from your lungs.
On your next inhalation,
Repeat the words inside of your mind.
I am a dandelion.
As you exhale,
Repeat,
All my thoughts are seeds.
I am a dandelion.
All of my thoughts are seeds.
I am a dandelion.
All of my thoughts are seeds.
Keep going.
Exhale.
Let go of the words.
Feel yourself breathe.
Take a moment right now and set an intention for your day.
This could be anything.
I choose to stay present with my thoughts.
I intend to give a certain amount of attention to an individual or a project.
Any intention that feels right for you.
An intention is a wish.
I intend to focus on the positive.
I intend to be present for my loved ones.
I intend to be active in my profession.
Whatever intention feels right to you,
Call it to mind now.
Keep this intention at the front of your mind as you once again pick up this vision of a dandelion,
Holding a dandelion out in your hand.
Imagine that this puff of seeds is your intention for the day.
Look right at it.
See the seeds as words.
See your intention covering the entire surface of the flower.
Feel it in your hands.
Now take a deep breath in.
Exhale.
Blow the seeds out from this imagined dandelion into the world.
Take a deep breath in.
Do it again three times.
Take a deep breath in.
See yourself.
Your lips purse.
You may even blow in real life.
Exhale and spread the seeds of your intention out across your day.
Then let go.
Drop the stem.
Relax into the wave of your breath.
Just be.
Take as much time as you need here before coming out of your practice,
Letting yourself settle into the rhythm of the breath for just a few more moments.
When you feel ready,
You open your eyes and go about your day.
Namaskar.
