This is a Stillness at Heart guided meditation by Charlotte Brady.
Let's find a comfortable position with back support or lying down.
Gently close your eyes or keep them open but with a relaxed gaze.
Feel the body's position and the space around your body.
Let go of everything that came before this moment and let go of everything that will come after.
And simply be here now in this moment.
Right now there is nothing you have to do or fix or understand.
You're just being with yourself in this moment.
If you like you can take a few deep breaths and feel how your breath goes all the way down to your lower abdomen.
And then let the air out through your nose or mouth.
And then place your focus on your feet and notice the sensation there.
Just allow yourself to feel the sensation of your feet and notice what you're actually sensing without your mind telling you that they are feet.
Perhaps the sensation is more formless.
Perhaps it's not as obvious what the shape of your feet is.
And then move your attention to your knees and in the same way feel the sensation there.
Notice exactly what it feels like in your knee area.
And then move your focus to your lower abdomen and feel the sensation there.
And if there are any tensions or anything else just allow your lower abdomen to become soft and open.
There's nothing you need to hold on to right now.
Nothing you need to get to.
And notice also how your breath goes down into your lower abdomen and helps it become soft and open.
And then move your focus to your upper abdomen and in the same way allow your upper abdomen to become soft and open.
And feel the breath in your upper abdomen.
If there are any tensions or emotions coming up see if you can let them go and allow everything to become still and soft.
And then feel your chest area.
Feel your chest area soft.
The area around your heart soft and open.
Notice exactly what it feels like around your heart.
And then feel your shoulders relaxed.
Your arm.
Notice how it feels a little cooler around your nostrils on the inhale and a little warmer on the exhale.
And for a moment follow the whole breathing mechanism of your body from the nostrils all the way down to your lower abdomen and tailbone.
Just allow yourself the simple pleasure of breathing.
Feel the eyelids relaxed.
Eyebrows,
Forehead,
Temples,
The outer ear,
Inner ear,
Top of your head.
And then go back to sensing your feet.
Top of your head again.
Feet,
Hands,
Top of your head.
And then all three at the same time.
Top of your head,
Feet,
Hands.
And now come to your sense of presence.
The part of you that knows you are here and now.
The knowing being.
The awareness of being.
If any thoughts appear,
Allow them to come and then let them go and dissolve into your knowing awareness where they came from.
Even if your thoughts are busy,
Just keep coming back to your knowing presence.
The part of you that knows your thoughts.
But which isn't a thought.
This deep inner stillness.
It's always there in the background,
Even in our daily lives.
It's just that our attention is elsewhere.
But right now let's place all our attention on this simple,
Still,
Aware presence.
Always unaffected by thoughts.
Always unaffected by emotions.
In the most familiar place in you.
Because it has been there.
Always.
As your thoughts and emotions have shifted and your body has changed throughout the years,
This still,
Aware presence has never changed.
And it will never change.
Always there in the background,
Available to you whenever you want to turn your attention towards it.
It always welcomes you with feelings of peace,
Love,
Beauty.
It doesn't require anything.
It doesn't require your understanding.
Only your simple,
Natural attention.
It's a timeless space in you.
Eternal.
Infinite.
It doesn't begin or end anywhere.
As you turn your attention towards it,
You will easily see that there are no boundaries to it.
It's open and free.
And so often a missed opportunity.
Because our thoughts and emotions are so much stronger,
Captivating,
Enticing.
But right now,
Allow the background to become the foreground.
Allow the stillness to be captivating,
Enticing.
And give yourself over to it as it gives itself over to you.
Never demanding,
Never asking anything of you.
Just inviting you to its pure presence and peaceful freedom.
And then slowly come back to your normal body consciousness.
Become aware of the body's position.
The space of the room around your body.
Move your fingers or toes if you like.
And then when you're ready you can open your eyes.
And just stay with what you see in front of you.
And see the stillness of the objects,
The colours.
And feel their sense of presence.
The same stillness that is in you is also outside of you.
And so often a missed opportunity.
