For today's meditation,
We're simply going to breathe.
Notice and breathe.
Take a moment right where you are on the floor or in a chair or on a bed and give your body permission to be held by that pool of gravity that your body sits in,
Allowing for your shoulders and your hips to drop even just a millimeter.
Noticing your breath in your belly,
Your ribs,
Your chest,
And that breath in and out through your nose as gently as possible,
Noticing how your body moves as you breathe,
Taking a moment now to notice your body.
Where does it feel tension?
Where does it feel pain?
Where is it holding fear?
And choosing one of these to follow as you notice that sensation or emotion,
Really turn your attention right to it.
Bring all of your attention right to that sensation of tension.
Does it have a shape,
A size,
A color?
Can you find the edges of it?
Where does it start and where does it stop?
And regardless of the actual sensation or feeling,
Let it know that it's welcome here right now.
Even if there are parts of you that don't welcome it,
Let those parts know that for now,
We're going to gently turn our attention to this part that's holding tension.
So again,
As you turn your attention back to your body and this space that holds tension,
Allowing yourself as you welcome it to be here,
Let it know that you are here.
Let it know that it's not alone,
That whatever this part is holding,
That you are here to hold it with it.
Noticing how the part responds in being notified that you are here with it.
Let it know that it hasn't done anything wrong,
That we're not going to dismiss it.
We're simply finding out more about it.
So again,
As you notice this part holding this tension,
Invite it to share with you one thing about itself.
What would it like you to know?
Let it knowing again that we're not going to shame it.
We're simply getting to know it.
And if there was one thing it could let you know,
What would that be?
Just allow that answer to rise up from the part.
And whatever it is that this part shared,
Please take a moment to thank this part that holds this tension,
That it trusted you enough to share this one thing.
You can also notice there might be other parts that don't like the information,
Are excited about the information,
But let all the other parts and feelings know that right now we're paying attention to this part in your body that holds tension.
And using your breath now,
Bring your breath in your mind's eye to breathe into or around this part.
Offering it compassion,
Offering it a sense of stillness from you.
Moving your breath again into or around this part as the part allows.
Becoming aware if there's anything shifting in the tension,
And it's okay if there is or isn't.
We're just becoming aware.
And again with your breath,
Offering compassion to this part and your whole body.
Inviting that compassion to expand,
If possible,
Throughout your body and even beyond your skin.
Feeling your breath moving in and out.
Giving space to what is happening right now.
Thanking the part for bringing itself to your awareness today.
For even letting you speak with it for a moment.
It takes courage to be seen.
So letting that tension in your body know that we can come back to it at any time.
And today is just about becoming aware.
And go ahead and thank any other parts of you that may be present in this meditation today.
And again,
Letting them see you.
And thanking the system for all that it does to protect,
To hold,
To know,
To be.
And with your final breath of the meditation,
Releasing that tension in any way that will allow you to.
Thank you for joining us today.