So,
In this initial arriving practice,
There's an invitation to welcome ourselves a little bit more fully to this moment and this space.
And one way we can do that is actually to use the senses and in particular,
The visual sense to literally take in the space that we're in.
So I'm going to invite a very gentle orienting to our space.
And we can do this by simply looking out over one shoulder and just starting to allow images,
Colors,
Shapes,
Light,
Shadow,
Movement into our awareness.
Doing this slowly and getting a felt sense of what's here.
And then just noticing how that is.
So it may be that as we start to look around,
We notice,
I just noticed for myself there was a slightly deeper breath,
A bit of a sigh.
Or maybe you start to notice that things come into a bit more focus,
A bit more of a sense of being physically located in the space that you're in right now.
Sometimes there may be changes to the body temperature or the heartbeat or the breathing or muscles starting to,
That are tense,
Starting to soften and loosen,
Open.
We're just noticing.
Coming back to center and we're going to,
If it's comfortable for you,
Just closing the eyes for a moment and doing an internal scan.
So we're looking now internally at the felt sense in the body.
Another way to tune into presence and being here.
And just to yourself,
Naming a few things that you can notice right now.
So for example,
I can feel my hands,
The palm of my hands on my lap and the texture of my trousers underneath the palms of the hands and the fingers.
I'm also aware of the pressure under my legs where they're meeting the cushions that I'm sitting on.
And I can feel my glasses on the bridge of my nose.
Just noting to yourself three or four things that you can feel directly just now through the felt sense.
And then making space for anything else that might be here.
So the intention here is to,
As much as possible,
Create a warm,
Hospitable environment for whatever's here.
You don't need to show up in this space in any special way.
So however you are is absolutely welcome here.
Maybe you're a bit tired,
Excited,
Nervous.
Maybe there's some grief here just now or confusion or even anger.
So whatever's here,
Just making space for it,
Welcoming it into this space.
To shut anything out or push anything down.
And when you feel ready,
Opening the eyes.
And now the invitation is just to do anything that feels good to you.
So it may be that like a stretch wants to come or some gentle touch or rubbing of the body,
Caressing the skin.
Maybe there's a scratch,
There's an itch that wants scratching or some part of the body that wants a little rub or massage.
So just do what feels good to you.
And what supports you,
What you know supports you to be here a little bit more fully.
