Greetings.
Welcome to day two.
Today's practice is an invitation to come home to your inner world with loving kindness and compassion.
I invite you to take a seated posture that feels comfortable and supported.
Whatever that means for you.
Perhaps an extra blanket,
A bolster.
Or with your back against the wall.
Or you can be lying down.
So we're going to begin by wrapping the hands together.
Going to start slowly at first.
And then a bit more vigorously.
Regenerating some warmth.
This is also a powerful way to activate vital energy in the body.
So continue until you notice or feel warmth in your palms.
When you're ready,
Place your warm hands on your body.
Perhaps both hands over your heart.
One hand could be on the belly,
The other one on the heart.
Or anywhere that feels like it wants to be held.
Pause here and notice sensation.
Warmth of your hands.
A contact with the body.
Any sense of grounding or centering.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
You might think of centering as coming back to your own inner center.
Your place of choice,
Your own locus of control.
Not control over everything that happens around you.
But the capacity to choose how you meet what is here.
Bring your hands into butterfly hug.
Or Garuda mudra.
Clasp your thumbs and cross your right hand so that the right hand is on top of the left.
And place both over your heart.
Spread your fingers like the wings of an eagle.
Resting lightly against your chest.
Pause here and feel the gentle pressure of your hands.
The rise and fall of your chest beneath them.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
We'll take a few deep breaths.
Breathing in and out through the nose.
Inhale deeply.
Feeling the belly,
The sides,
The ribs,
And the back.
Exhale slowly.
Slowly softening through the belly and the chest.
An invitation to keep your hands where they are.
And begin to tap.
Right side.
Then left side of your chest.
Let the tapping be light and rhythmic as you breathe.
A reminder that you're here in this body.
And in this moment.
So continue as you breathe.
And now let the tapping come to a pause.
See if you can find stillness here.
And notice what remains.
You might notice the rising and the falling of the chest.
Whatever you feel.
See if you can be with it with a sense of kindness and compassion.
And for the last few moments.
You might release your hands through your thighs.
And rest in the felt sense of your own presence.
The weight of your body.
The rhythm of your breath.
The quiet or movement in your heart.
Belonging begins within.
In the willingness to stay with yourself just as you are.
With as much kindness as is available right now.
And now softly relax your attention.
Gently begin to notice the room around you.
Any sounds,
Temperature on your skin.
The contact of your body with the chair or floor.
You might slowly flicker your eyes open if they were closed.
May the sense of inner belonging support you in all that you do.
