Hi,
This is a 10-minute Circles of Awareness meditation,
An invitation to spatially explore and expand awareness of yourself and you in your environment.
My name is Emily Warning,
And I'm a therapist,
Healer,
And somatic experiencing practitioner.
Wherever you are,
And however you're showing up today,
All of you is welcome here.
Let's begin by gently arriving.
Take a moment to get comfortable wherever you're seated,
Finding a chair or surface that supports your body well,
Allowing your spine to be upright,
Yet at ease,
And letting your weight be held so you don't have to work to stay here.
Begin by noticing your seat beneath you,
The points of contact between your body and what's supporting you,
Sensing the groundedness and steadiness there,
Upright and at ease.
Now I invite your attention to come to your inner circle of awareness,
The space right here with you,
Including you and just around your body,
Perhaps a few inches out in every direction.
Within this inner circle,
Begin to notice sensations,
The temperature of your skin,
The natural rhythm of your breath,
The feeling of your clothes against your body.
There's no need to label anything pleasant or unpleasant.
Simply notice what's here and notice how it impacts your body and your energy to be with this inner circle.
Does this feel energizing,
Softening,
Neutral?
Just noticing.
Take a few moments to stay with this inner circle,
Awareness resting on yourself and your immediate experience.
And when you're ready,
Invite your attention to gently move outward.
Allow your awareness to expand to the next circle,
About four to six feet out from your body.
You might open your eyes if they're closed or soften your gaze.
Notice the room that you're in or the environment.
Notice the temperature of the space,
The lighting,
Nearby objects.
Perhaps there are sounds or subtle smells that belong to this circle of awareness.
Taking in this middle circle of awareness,
Notice what it's like in your body as your attention moves a little further out.
Does anything shift?
Do you feel more alert?
Maybe more settled or a bit antsy?
Whatever you notice is welcome.
Now,
When it feels okay,
Let your awareness move to the furthest circle available to you.
If you're indoors,
This might be the edges of the room,
The walls,
The ceiling,
Windows.
If you're outside,
Perhaps your awareness reaches all the way to the horizon.
Maybe trees in the distance.
Let your eyes take in the whole picture,
The furthest points that you can see.
Movement,
Stillness,
Light,
Shadow.
This is the largest circle of awareness you held within a much bigger world.
And again,
Notice how your body responds here.
Do you feel bigger,
Expansive,
Smaller?
Are you more energized?
Maybe lacking energy?
And notice your internal sensations with this larger circle of awareness.
Your breath,
Your heartbeat.
Any subtle shifts happening on their own.
Just noticing.
And now,
Gently,
I invite you to choose the circle of awareness that felt most supportive for you today.
Maybe it's the inner circle?
Close,
Contained,
And personal?
Maybe it's that middle circle,
Connected to your immediate environment.
Or perhaps it's the largest circle.
Spacious,
Open,
Expansive.
Wherever you choose,
Let your attention rest there for a few moments.
Noticing what brings the most ease,
Safety,
Softening or presence.
You might even experiment with gently moving between circles.
Noticing what it's like to shift your attention inward,
Outward,
And back again.
Becoming aware of how flexible your attention can be.
As we come to the end of this practice,
Take one last gentle check-in with your body.
Notice your seat beneath you once again.
Ending where we began.
Feeling the support below you,
And perhaps behind you.
And when you're ready,
Allow this practice to come to a close.
Thank you for being with me today,
I wish you well.
Until next time.
