Awakening Sequence - Guided Effortless Meditation

An introduction to Effortless Meditation with a 30-minute guided meditation sequence taking you on a journey through the valley floor of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales.

Get comfortable and warm in a seated position with your back supported, your neck free, and your feet flat on the ground or stretched out in front of you if you're in bed or on the floor. Place your hands comfortably on your lap or by your sides.

Enjoy this time you've taken just for you...

Photo: Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia - Centred Meditation Here and Now Retreat, 2022.

Transcript

Welcome everybody my name is Tanya and I'll be guiding you through the awakening sequence today. As we get ready to take a moment for ourselves just make sure any devices you have are completely turned off, No vibrations, No notifications. For the next 30 minutes you can completely forget they exist. So closing your eyes when you're ready and just breathing naturally at your own pace. Just getting comfortable in a seated position with your back supported, Perhaps using a pillow in the curve of your spine and making sure your neck is free, Not resting on anything, Just so you'll know if you've fallen asleep. But that's totally okay if that's what your body really needs today, Just rest. So placing your hands comfortably on your lap or by your sides and just beginning by acknowledging and paying respects to the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, The traditional custodians of the land of which I come to you from today and the traditional custodians and elders of the land of which you are on today. Paying respects to the elders both past and present and honoring the continuation of the cultural, Spiritual and educational practices of those peoples. Turning your awareness inward and when you're ready taking a nice deep breath in and with a big sigh letting go. Repeating that nice long breath in and big release once more. Now tuning into the natural rhythm of your breath at your own pace and nice and smoothly, Softly and effortlessly. Just witnessing your breath, Not trying to change it in any way, Not trying to do anything, Just arriving here and taking a moment to acknowledge the kindness that you're giving to yourself by being here today. The aim of this guided effortless meditation is not to think of nothing, We're not trying to have a still mind or stop our thoughts from happening completely. You're just allowing your mind to clear itself in the way it knows best. We do this by following a simple cycle where we rest our awareness very gently on an anchor which will be guided by me. This may be your breath, A sound or maybe an image. Just allowing your awareness to roam away from the anchor with no judgment that you've roamed. It's completely okay and it's to be expected. And then when you realize you've drifted away in thought, Just returning very gently with complete acceptance to the anchor, Back to my voice. It's likely you'll cycle through this process several times throughout your practice today. It's totally natural, Expected and actually an important part of the effortless meditation process. There's no way you're trying to get to, There's no state you're trying to achieve, Just allowing yourself to be. Today we'll journey through a few different techniques that will work to help calm your nervous system and I'll gently bring you out again when it's time. So now I invite you to begin a round of box breathing. This is where we're nice and slowly breathing in for three seconds, Holding for three seconds, Breathing out for three seconds, Holding for three seconds, Just like a box. So in your own time, Inhaling for three seconds, Holding for three seconds, Exhaling for three seconds, Holding for three seconds. Keeping a nice and gentle belly rising breath as we continue the box breathing. So whatever feels comfortable for you, You may want to do four or five seconds if you do this regularly. Just continuing your box breathing in a soft and gentle, Calm and easy kind of way. This is increasing the oxygen in your blood, Lowering your blood pressure and activating your parasympathetic nervous system, Calming your body. When you notice your mind has wandered, Just noticing and returning your awareness to your box breathing ever so gently. Breathing in for three seconds, Holding for three seconds, Breathing out for three seconds, Holding for three seconds. And as you continue your box breathing, Just reminding you that the aim of the meditation is not to think of nothing. We're not trying to have a still mind or stop our thoughts from happening completely. Your thoughts are completely fine. They're a necessary part of the effortless process. So when you find you've drifted away, Just very gently and softly, With no judgment, Returning to your box breathing. And just returning your breath to its natural rhythm now. And just allowing yourself to soften in your seat. Just checking in and noticing any emotions that you may be feeling, Where you're at right here, Right now. Recognizing with no judgment, Just knowing you may find different emotions coming up throughout your practice, Which is completely okay, And it's to be expected. Just becoming aware if you can feel any feelings echoed as physical sensations inside of your body. We're not here to judge them in any way. Just simply becoming aware of anything that may be there. So beginning with your belly, Discovering if there are any sensations inside of your belly. There may be some tightness or some heaviness. Maybe you're feeling something, Or maybe you're feeling nothing at all. Have you started to analyze any sensations in some way? Good or bad? Pleasant or unpleasant? Realizing there's a difference between feeling sensations and running a commentary on them. And whenever you realize that you're caught up in any commentary, Just returning to the sensations in a really easy, Effortless way. Guiding your awareness up into your chest. Becoming aware of any sensations that might be present there. Any blocks, Any pressure. Just resting your awareness very gently on your anchor. Enter any sensations you may feel in your body as we check in. To your neck and head, Or anywhere else you're drawn to. Just experiencing any sensations as they are, However they feel. Not passing any judgment. Just feeling into your body. When you notice your mind has wandered, Just gently and effortlessly returning to any feelings in your body you may have. Just letting go of your connection to any sensations you may have had. And just breathing naturally at your own pace. Inviting you now to take a slow peaceful walk into the rainforest. Well trodden dirt track. Layered with decomposed leaves, Sticks, Furry moss and smooth rocks. Winding alongside a trickling stream. Thin beams of light glisten down on you as you're covered by a canopy of old oak trees. Tall palms and Australian ferns. As you walk along the track, Scanning the ground for puddles, You notice the faint drips of rainwater falling off a mossy green rock wall. You're surrounded by greenery. Smooth speckled rocks and the crystal clear waters of the stream. Vines hang crisscrossed from the trees as birds flutter by, Moving from branch to branch. You come across a huge buttress tree with thick roots protruding out above the ground. Eventually sinking down into the rich brown soil below. Grounding the huge trunk deep into the earth. As you're standing between its roots, You take a moment to look up along the big wide trunk to the underside of its canopy, Protecting the forest and the wildlife below. The smell of the cool moist forest air fills your lungs with a deep cleansing quality. With a light breeze softly rustling the leaves, You notice the beam of light peeking through the branches, Illuminating dust and a few tiny insects flying around above. You feel the warmth of the autumn sun on your face as the beam of light dances in and out from between the leaves. Enjoying the sensation of the warmth moving around your body, You're reminded of the power of the sun. Looking down at the tree roots below surrounding your feet, You hop between them as you return to the path and continue walking. The damp soil beneath your shoes compacts underneath your feet as you walk along the track, Listening to the stream and the birds above. Up ahead there's an old wooden bench sat overlooking the stream. You walk up to the old bench and take a seat, Gazing into the stream below, Watching the water run over the rocks, Making miniature waterfalls as far as the eye can see. Little whirlpools trapping bubbles under the water before rising up and disappearing, Joining the rest of the crisp forest air that you continue to breathe. The rainbow lorikeets fly around, Showing off their brightly colored wings, Standing out against the backdrop of the lush greens and shades of brown. And just resting here now, Sitting on the old wooden bench, Noticing all the different sounds entering your ears. I invite you now to rest your awareness on your breath as an anchor, Resting your awareness on your breath wherever it lands for you. You may feel it strongest at the tip of your nose or in your throat, At a level of your chest or down in your belly, Just feeling the physical sensation of your breath as it enters and leaves your body, Not controlling the breath in any way, Just allowing your body to breathe itself in its own rhythm, At its own pace. And when you happen to become aware of any thoughts, Just gently returning to your anchor, Returning to your breath, Returning to being. And just resting your awareness on your breath, Allowing it to wander away whenever you happen to notice you've drifted, Just gently coming back to your breath and just staying with your breath and just knowing that with your effortless meditation practice there's no such thing as a good meditation or a bad meditation. We don't judge our practice on any experience we did or didn't have or by the number of thoughts we had during the meditation. We can only notice the difference it makes in our day-to-day lives, Just allowing whatever to unfold to unfold and just gently returning to your breath whenever you happen to drift. You are not your thoughts, You are not your emotions. They're separate to you and are simply passing through you. You're welcome to slowly let go of noticing your breath now. There's nothing else to do here now than rest for the last few moments, Allowing all the energy, The peacefulness, The vitality to sink deep into your being. So just staying exactly as you are or if you wish you can sit back and surrender for these last few moments. I'll let you know when it's time. Now the time has come to slowly reawaken your body and your mind. So keeping your eyes closed, When you're ready start to wiggle your fingers and your toes, Rolling your shoulders back and forward, Feeling your muscles reawakening one by one as you begin to stretch your whole body. Now leaning your left ear towards your left shoulder and returning to centre. Move your right ear towards your right shoulder and returning. Smiling softly now as you give your whole body a stretch, Feeling the energy flowing through your entire being and taking a moment to thank yourself for taking this time. You've shown great strength and openness by being here today. May the good energy you've just created here resonate with those you encounter for the rest of your day. Now taking a deep breath in and letting go with as much sound as you wish. Taking as much time as you like, Slowly bringing your awareness back into the room and opening your eyes and just checking in with yourself. How do you feel? How does your body feel? What was the anchor process like for you? I'd love to hear how you went so just leave a comment or send me a message. Thanks for joining me and have an amazing rest of your day.