We'll begin the meditation just by sitting up as straight as is comfortable.
Having your spine as straight as is comfortable will help to keep you alert and conscious during the meditation.
You can begin with your eyes gently closed or keep them open if you like.
In either case keep your eyes still and calm.
We're going to use our breath to bring peace to our body.
If possible,
Breathing in and out through your nose.
As you breathe in,
Become aware of the muscles in your forehead and around your eyes.
As you exhale,
Allow those muscles to release and relax.
As you breathe in,
Becoming aware of the muscles in your cheeks and jaw.
Exhaling,
Allowing those muscles to release and relax.
Breathing in and awareness of the muscles in the back of your neck and shoulders.
Exhaling,
Releasing,
Relaxing.
As you breathe in,
Feel your chest opening and expanding,
Shoulders lifting a little bit.
Deep full inhalation.
As you exhale,
Allow the muscles in your chest to relax.
Exhale as if you were breathing a sigh of relief,
Feeling peace in your heart.
As you exhale,
Allow the muscles in your chest to relax.
Exhale as if you were breathing a sigh of relief.
As you breathe in,
Become conscious of that peace in your heart and your chest.
And as you exhale,
Allow that peace to flow downward through your solar plexus,
Through your abdominal cavity,
All the way into the root of your body.
Breathe in an awareness of peace in the chest and let it flow downward as you exhale.
Breathe in an awareness of peace in the chest and let it flow downward as you exhale.
Now use this same technique to relax.
Any part of your body where you feel or suspect there's tension or stress can be in a muscle group or it can be within your body,
Deep inside.
Breathe in an awareness of that area.
Exhale,
Releasing,
Relaxing.
Breathe in an awareness of that area.
Now,
Become conscious of this relaxation and peace that you've brought into your physical body.
Impress this feeling into your awareness and realize that this feeling is always possible if you just put in a few minutes of conscious relaxation.
Now we'll take the next step into yogic concentration.
Allow your body to continue to be calm and relaxed,
But open your eyelids just enough so you can either see the flowers,
A spot of color on the painting,
Or simply gaze downward at a darker spot of bamboo flooring.
And allow your eyes to be still and calm,
Resting on the object of concentration.
Now then.
Allow your eyelids to gently close,
But continue to be conscious of your eyes being still.
You can try gazing slightly downward to a point a foot or so in front of your heart or gaze slightly upward towards your third eye in between your eyebrows and just an inch or so above.
Let your awareness shift to your ears.
From our inner ears we get our sense of balance.
So become aware of your head balancing on the top of your spine,
Feeling the balance of your seated posture.
Now.
Now let your awareness move to the sound of the music.
You can give the music a color or an image.
Let's do our best.
And now we'll concentrate on our sense of touch.
I'm aware of the feeling of the breath moving in and out through your nose.
On your next inhalation,
Take an extra deep long inhalation.
Hold your breath.
Try to feel your heart,
Which is nestled in between your lungs.
Try to feel your heart beating.
Release the breath.
Try to hold on to that awareness of your heartbeat.
If you don't feel it the first time,
Try this technique two or three more times to try to feel your heartbeat.
Once you can feel your heartbeat,
Then try touching the tip of your thumb,
Finding the pulse in your thumb.
And at that point becoming conscious of the pulsations throughout your body.
Knowing what's new,
Going once or twice as fast Sho Ill throttles your heart And now with our body calm and still,
With our senses focused,
We'll use some of the poetry to see if that helps you to move more deeply into your deeper self.
So I'll recite some of the phrases and see if the imagery and feeling helps you to go deeper in your awareness.
A realm of bliss bare ultimate,
Beyond both knower and known.
A realm of bliss bare ultimate,
Beyond both knower and known.
A realm of bliss bare ultimate,
Beyond both knower and known.
A rest immense I enjoy at last.
I face the one alone.
A rest immense I enjoy at last.
I face the one alone.
A rest immense I enjoy at last.
A rest immense I enjoy at last.
The final end of nature's dance.
I am it whom I have sought.
The final end of nature's dance.
And for the last two or three minutes,
Continuing with one of these visualizations are going back to any of the relaxation or concentration techniques.
The final part of nature's dance.
The final part of nature's dance.
The final part of nature's dance.
Each time you end your meditation,
You want to do so slowly and gradually,
Bringing your awareness back to your body,
Your surroundings,
As much as you need to,
But as much as you're able to,
Holding on to that inner awareness.
The final part of nature's dance.
