Hi everyone,
My name is Ananda Nelson and this is Seated Sessions.
Our meditation today is a meditation for beginners.
So if this is your first time ever meditating,
Or maybe your first few times,
Or perhaps you are a well-seasoned meditator who just wants to come back to the basics,
Then this meditation is for you.
So to set the scene,
Meditation is meant to be a way for us to turn inward,
Not to numb the body or numb the mind,
But to come back to a place of peace and stillness that exists within each and every one of us.
Meditation is meant to be a practice and a tool for us to use in our lives to be more grounded,
More connected,
More empowered,
More emotionally regulated.
The benefits of meditation are countless and endless.
So my first request within your meditation is that you find a comfortable place to sit or lay.
So if you can,
Sit in a chair with your feet being able to fully touch the ground and have them be flat,
If that's possible.
You also have the option of sitting on a pillow,
On the floor,
Perhaps on a bolster.
Different traditions of meditation have different styles and different ways of sitting during the practice of meditation,
But I want you to find what works for you.
If you can,
I would like you to be able to sit up decently straight,
Trying not to slouch,
As when we slouch,
Our energy becomes more tired,
Our body is shutting down.
Because our aim is to calm the body while also allowing the mind to stay calmly active.
If we get too comfortable,
We might fall asleep.
I would also suggest when you are sitting upright in a chair,
I usually tend to sit a little bit more forward on my sit bones as that helps me feel more balanced and more centered,
More in control.
And for this meditation,
It'll be perhaps only 5 to 10 minutes,
So you won't be sitting in this position for very long.
And if you do choose to lay down,
That's okay,
Just make sure that your body is as straight as it can be.
If you are laying down,
You may want to put a pillow underneath your knees for your lower back support,
And perhaps a pillow underneath your head.
And once you feel comfortable physically,
My invitation is that you close your eyes,
Or at least look down at the floor,
Find a place to look if it's uncomfortable to close your eyes.
And we are just going to take a few simple and deep breaths in together,
As the breath is what allows us to calm the body,
Allow any excess energy to release itself,
And already begin to come back to a centered place.
So when you're ready,
Just taking a nice deep breath in through your nose,
Letting that go.
Deep breath in again,
Really breathing into your belly,
Opening and expanding it,
And then letting it go.
Deep breath in again,
Allowing your belly to expand,
Your chest to expand,
Releasing it when you're ready.
Notice if it feels difficult to breathe or tight.
Simply acknowledge that and keep moving.
The breath will begin to loosen up any areas of tension.
Breathing in again,
Deep into your belly,
Taking a few more deep,
Gentle breaths.
And while you're breathing,
Just simply allow your feet to relax,
Allow your hands to relax,
Allow all the muscles in your face to become soft,
All of your internal organs to unclench,
Perhaps anywhere that you might be carrying some heaviness.
See if you can let that go.
Just quietly,
To yourself and your mind,
Affirm with yourself,
I allow myself to relax right now.
And on your next inhale,
Just focusing in on your heart,
Nice deep breath into the heart,
And letting that go.
The heart can carry so much weight and so much tension,
So much stress.
So if you know your heart has been hurting or carrying a lot of weight,
Bring some life back into your heart with your breath,
Allowing the breath to move and open your heart as the breath has its own intelligence that moves through your body.
And perhaps let your heart know that there's nothing you need to do,
Just to breathe and be.
Taking a few breaths here,
Staying connected to that breath,
Allowing it to be slow and steady and just slowly moving your attention and awareness into your mind and your mental space,
Remembering that in this process,
It's okay if you get distracted.
Just very lovingly bring yourself back.
Our minds usually bring us in many different directions all at one time,
Pulling all of our energy in different places.
So take this moment to pull that all back to the center,
Anywhere that you've left your energy in a worry,
In a fear,
In a thought,
In the past,
In the future.
Call all of it back to you,
Wherever you have left your energy,
Knowing that right now there's nothing else you need to do or think about except being here,
Creating and cultivating this deeper connection to yourself,
Settling into this energy and slowly transitioning your attention to the soul,
The spirit and essence of you that lives within your body,
Beyond your body,
The consciousness that moves through you and wakes you up in the morning.
This part of you that's directly connected to God,
To spirit,
To the creator,
And maybe you haven't connected to this part of yourself in a while,
Allow this to be an opportunity for reconnection and just take a few breaths here,
Continue to breathe and if there is anything that you know you need to leave with God,
With spirit,
Allow that to be acknowledged within yourself,
Perhaps something that you haven't been able to overcome or find clarity to.
Let it go and then when you're ready,
Taking another deep but full gentle breath,
Allowing yourself to already begin to reconnect your consciousness to your body,
Sitting in this room and this time and this space,
Giving gratitude to all that is,
Giving gratitude to yourself for giving yourself the time,
Space and energy to cultivate this deeper connection and if this is your first time meditating,
Congratulations.
It's beautiful to witness and experience what our bodies and beings are capable of when we are in a space of stillness.
So when you're ready,
Just bringing yourself fully back into the now and my invitation is that you use this peace or this stillness that you've cultivated here to be of service out in your world,
Wherever that you are.
One last final deep breath and whenever you're ready,
You can open your eyes,
Reconnecting fully to the physical and I'm so grateful that you all are here.
May you all be blessed and all is well.
