Allowing yourself to settle in for this invitation to tap into greater states of presence and ease.
As we move into practice,
Finding a position for your body that feels comfortable,
Whether that's sitting or standing or lying down.
As you begin to invite yourself into inner stillness,
You might begin by taking in the environment around you through whatever senses are available to you.
Whether that's noticing the sounds as they come and go,
Or taking in what you see in the space around you,
Or feeling the contact points where your body is resting.
Orienting to your environment as an invitation to more deeply arrive.
If at any point in the midst of practice you need to take a break or shift your attention,
Please do whatever supports you in the moment.
And if it's comfortable,
Gently closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
And the invitation is to start by taking a few deep and slow breaths,
Breathing gently and slowly in through the nose,
With a long deep exhale through the mouth,
And noticing if you can extend the out breath just a little longer than the in breath,
Inviting you into a more relaxed state.
Taking a few more gentle and slow breaths in and out at your own pace.
And returning to your natural rhythm of breathing without manipulating or trying to control your breath in any way.
Just tuning into the sensation of your breathing now just as it is.
Allowing your awareness of breath to be an anchor or home base for your attention for these moments of practice.
Noticing if you can recognize that there's a physical motion with each breath.
Noticing also that your thoughts will continue and your mind will often lose its connection to your anchor.
When we become distracted,
It's not a mistake.
It's part of the practice.
And each time we're pulled away,
The practice is to gently and with kindness towards yourself,
Come back to the next breath,
Over and over again.
This breath in.
This breath out.
If it's helpful,
You might place your hand on your belly or heart center and notice the rise and fall of your hand as each breath comes and goes.
Again not trying to control or manipulate your breath.
Just allowing it to be just as it is.
If it's helpful,
You might bring greater awareness to the space between breaths.
Each breath rising and falling with mindful awareness.
So now using the remaining stretch of silence to continue to practice in this way.
And each time you lose connection with the breath,
Gently and with kindness,
Returning back to your home base until you hear the sound of my voice to signal that our practice is ready to complete.
And in the next few breath cycles,
You're invited to begin to move out of practice in whatever way feels right.
Perhaps inviting some gentle movement of your body.
And when you're ready,
Orienting to the space around you with your senses.
And perhaps finishing your practice with a hand on your heart as an offer of gratitude towards yourself for taking this time to cultivate presence for your own well-being and for the benefit of others.
