Let's begin our practice.
Find a position of comfort and support for your body.
Use any pillows,
Blankets,
Or props to help you become as comfortable as possible.
Make sure that you won't be disturbed.
Close your eyes and take the next few moments to make any final adjustments.
Invite in a few deep,
Mindful breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to help you settle in.
Return to your natural,
Effortless breath.
Feel your body resting into the surface.
Feel the body beginning to soften and let go.
Notice all the places where your body is supported.
Perhaps the heels,
The backs of the legs and buttocks.
Notice where your back,
Head,
And neck are supported and where there may be space.
Trust in your support and safety.
Invite softness into your being.
Allow the forehead and eyes to soften,
Eyes heavy in their sockets.
Invite the jaw to release,
Perhaps parting your lips or separating the backs of your teeth.
Invite the throat and the heart space to begin to soften.
The shoulders,
Arms and hands,
Fingers,
The abdomen,
Legs and feet.
Begin to notice the sounds.
Send the sense of hearing out into the distance.
Notice the most distant sounds you can hear.
Let each sound be an anonymous vibration of energy.
Listen to closer sounds now,
Allowing the awareness to move from sound to sound.
Listen to the sounds that are happening inside your own body.
Focus on the natural sounds of the body.
Perhaps you can hear your pulse,
Sounds of digestion,
Heart beating,
Gentle sound of your own breath.
Maybe you can sense even more subtle inner sounds.
Now imagine yourself resting in a place that makes you feel safe and comforted.
It may be real or imagined,
Indoors or out.
This is a place that offers you peace,
Comfort and nurturing.
Your inner sanctuary.
Feel yourself here and begin to notice all the surroundings.
Any colors,
Quality of the light,
Meaningful objects,
Plant or animal companions,
Any spiritual guides.
And see yourself here in this peaceful place.
Notice how you feel in this space,
Aware of the atmosphere of calm and safety.
At any time during the practice,
You can guide yourself here,
Back to your inner sanctuary.
If at any time during the practice,
You find yourself experiencing a sense of unease or discomfort,
Your inner sanctuary is here for you.
And at this time in the practice,
I invite you to create your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt resolve,
Which reflects your deepest desire or highest goal.
Send your awareness down into your heart space and notice your heart's deepest longing.
And from this desire for growth,
Transformation and healing,
Create your sankalpa.
And once you've created your sankalpa,
Silently repeat it three times.
Let it go for now.
Bring your attention to the physical body.
I will guide you through a systematic scan of the body.
As each body part is named,
Draw your attention to that body part.
Notice it just as it is.
And in your mind,
State the mantra,
Om.
We'll begin on the right hand side of the body.
Become aware of the right hand thumb.
Notice the right hand thumb.
Say to yourself,
Om.
Continue on in this way.
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Side of the torso,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The whole right side of the body,
Om.
And shift awareness to the left hand side of the body.
Left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left side of the torso,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Awareness of the whole left side of the body,
Om.
Become aware of the back body now.
Notice both heels,
Both calves,
The backs of the thighs,
Buttocks,
The sacrum,
Low back,
Middle back,
Shoulder blades,
Upper back,
Back of the neck,
Base of the skull,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
The whole back body,
Om.
And shift awareness to the front body,
Forehead,
Temples,
Eyebrows,
The eyebrow center point.
Notice the eyes,
Eyelids,
Ears,
Cheeks,
Nostrils,
Lips,
Tongue,
Teeth,
Jaw,
Chin,
Front of the neck,
The neck,
Throat,
Collarbones,
Chest,
Heart center,
Upper abdomen,
Navel center,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
Pelvic floor,
Front of the thighs,
Kneecaps,
Shins,
Feet,
The whole front of the body,
Om.
And shift your attention to the movement of the natural breath.
Notice the rise and fall of the belly,
The subtle expansion and release of the rib cage.
Feel the gentle wave-like motion of the breath.
Notice any sensations as you breathe in and as you breathe out,
Inhaling and exhaling effortlessly.
Add a mantra to the breath now as you inhale,
Say to yourself,
Om.
And as you exhale,
Say to yourself,
Shanti.
Inhaling Om,
Exhaling Shanti.
Inhaling Om,
Primordial sound of the universe,
Exhaling Shanti,
Peace.
Continue the breath and the mantra at your own pace.
Thank you.
Let go of the breath and mantra now.
At this time in the practice,
We'll explore opposites in sensations and emotions.
Allow yourself to be with any emotions or sensations that may arise,
Knowing that you are safe to experience the fluctuations in the mind and that your inner sanctuary is there for you,
Should you need to guide yourself there.
Imagine your body feeling contracted.
A whole being is contracted,
Turned inward,
Perhaps tiny,
Tight.
Notice sensations of contraction in your being.
Whole being contracted.
Release contraction and invite in the opposite.
Feel yourself as expansive,
Spacious.
Notice the outward flow of energy.
Whole being is expansive.
Let go of expansion,
Return awareness to contraction.
Release contraction and return to expansion.
Allow the awareness to move back and forth between contraction and its opposite.
Now see if you can experience both at the same time.
Release this.
Now invite in a limiting belief or emotion that you are working with in your life or your spiritual practice.
Allow yourself to fully experience this belief or emotion.
Feel it in your body,
In every cell of your being.
Now find the opposite emotion or belief.
If the initial emotion or belief weren't there,
How would you feel?
What would you believe?
Allow yourself to fully experience this opposite in your entire being.
Now feel the emotion or limiting belief you are working with again.
Now experience the opposite.
Allow the awareness to move back and forth between these opposites.
Just noticing what happens to the intensity of these opposites as the mind moves back and forth.
Now see if you can hold both in your mind at once,
Both the limiting belief or emotion and its opposite,
All at once.
And let it go.
Shift awareness to the space in front of the closed eyes.
Gaze into your mind's eye.
Invite in all of your senses to bring to mind the things that I will name.
Sun rising over redwood trees.
A field of lavender.
A herd of wild horses.
City lights at night.
Freshly ground coffee.
Bells ringing in the distance.
Ancient stone formations.
A pink lotus flower.
A cat sleeping in a sunbeam.
A wise ancestor.
A forest of bamboo trees.
Crickets chirping at dusk.
Constellations of stars in the night sky.
Yourself in meditation.
See yourself in restful meditation.
The breath of the universe expanding into the infinite.
And awareness.
Infinite bliss.
Or your sankalpa,
The heartfelt resolve you created at the beginning of your practice.
State it silently three times as the truth.
Feel it breathing through your entire being.
Your sankalpa is already happening.
Feel yourself open and free.
Radiating light and bliss.
Become aware of yourself as the observer of your body,
Breath,
And intellect.
There's thoughts,
Feelings,
And sensations arising within your consciousness.
Feel into your breath again.
As you do so,
Begin to deepen your breath and become aware of the physical body again.
Gradually invite movement into your body.
Indulge yourself in any movements or stretches the body might be asking you for after being still for so long.
Slowly turn over to your right side.
Carefully bring yourself up to sit.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om peace peace peace to all beings,
Including you.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
