Welcome.
Arriving here,
Just as you are.
Settling in.
Now take three deep breaths.
Each time you deeply inhale,
Hold the breath for a few moments at the top.
Allow some tension to build.
Then release.
Inhale.
Hold.
In your own time,
Release.
And again.
And upon releasing,
Let go.
Give yourself full permission to simply receive this practice in any way that feels good to you.
In fact,
Closely follow and deepen into what feels especially good.
There are no pressures,
No demands,
No expectations placed on you to be any other way than you truly are.
As you settle,
Sense into any intention you may have in coming to this practice.
Of all the things you could be doing right now,
You have chosen to be here now.
What brings you here?
What is calling you into this practice right now?
And feel into that which draws you towards what you love.
And take a moment and tune into your inner sense of calm and easefulness.
Bring into your awareness an inner sanctuary.
This is an inner landscape.
This is an inner landscape or place that invokes a feeling of peace and protection.
In this settling,
Align yourself with what feels most important to you.
Now begin to sense into your body,
Inviting your attention to the physical sensations,
The shape,
The position of your body.
Connecting to the surface beneath you with the earth,
Embracing the weight of your body.
Sensing into the levels of energy you have.
Sensing alertness or fatigue,
Your mood,
Any presence of pain,
Tension,
Or openness and ease.
And sensing the gentle movement of the breath.
Sensing where your attention naturally goes without efforting.
Following with curiosity where attention goes.
The attention we offer ourselves and this free wandering of attention is merely in just feeling,
Observing.
Nothing else to do.
And observing the tendency of your mind to label or comment,
To want to change or analyze a feeling or sensation.
See if you can notice this tendency and simply let it be.
Now invite your attention fully to your body and as each body part is named,
Rather than trying to relax,
Just meet sensation.
Regardless if it's hard to even feel anything.
Numbness or dullness,
Just like a sense of tingling are all sensations.
And simply notice without an agenda.
Now bring attention to the soles of the feet.
Ankles.
Knees.
Thighs.
Hips.
Buttocks.
Pelvis.
Torso.
Containing all the organs.
Chest.
Back.
Shoulders.
Upper arms.
Elbows.
Lower arms.
Wrists.
Hands.
Fingers.
Collarbones.
Neck.
Face.
Hinge of the jaw.
Eyes sinking back in sockets.
Eyeballs resting.
Forehead.
Top of the head.
Brain releasing to gravity.
Whole head.
Whole body.
Pulsating.
Alive.
Sense your body animated by each cycle of breath.
This breath.
This breath.
An expanding of each receiving inhale.
And an offering back with each exhaling breath.
A complete cycle of giving and receiving.
Happening of its own accord.
All on its own.
No need to control,
Manipulate,
Or do anything.
It simply happens all on its own.
Noticing as the cycles of breath ebb and flow.
Noticing the coming and going of feeling,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
And images.
Letting yourself melt back into simply witnessing the comings and goings.
Witness the tides of sensations,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Images as a part of a living life force flowing in and out.
Sense the sparkling living life force fully throughout your entire being.
Sense your body as though it were the land beneath you.
As the planet Earth.
See the magnificent sun shining down brightly above you.
Sense the strong life-giving force of light of this longest day shining down upon the land of your body.
Sense just its pure light.
Holding pure light of summer solstice in your awareness fully.
And now sense into the darkness below the land of your body where there is a complete absence of light.
Where the longest and darkest night resides.
Sense this darkness fully.
A darkness that supports complete inward contemplation and restoration.
Sense pure darkness.
Holding darkness in your awareness fully.
Sensing complete darkness of the winter solstice.
And now in your own rhythm going back and forth between the two.
Darkness and light.
Now sense with your whole being beyond,
Reaching back into your field of awareness.
Being able to hold both at the same time.
Just like the longest day of light,
The summer solstice in the northern hemisphere is the darkest night,
The winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.
Occurring simultaneously on our planet Earth.
A time of balance.
Holding both.
Coming into an internal balance.
And feel the silence around you.
You may feel emotions or thoughts arising out of you.
If that's the case,
Just let them go like little mists into the night sky,
Absorbed in the darkness.
Now let yourself simply feel with open curiosity what's present without any effort.
Just being.
Being with justice.
Being held in stillness.
Now see what arises as you sense into that which draws you towards what you love.
A way of being born of your heart.
Allow yourself to move back into your waking state of awareness.
Rising to the surface of wakefulness.
And slowly stretch and wiggle your body.
Take your time.
Do not hurry.
As you shift your attention back to returning to your day.
Take a moment to offer gratitude emerging from your heart space for this time.
You so generously are giving to yourself for this practice.
And for anyone supporting you at this time in your life.
Aligning you to be true to the spirit of care,
Balance,
And generosity.
We come in peace,
We go in peace.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
