Welcome.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Whether that's seated upright with the spine tall or lying down if that feels better for your body.
Let your hands rest easily,
No effort,
Simply arriving where you are,
Allowing the body and the mind to come to this restful place of peace and calm.
Begin by bringing your attention to your breath without changing anything at first.
Notice its natural rhythm,
Inhaling through the nose or mouth,
Exhaling,
Letting it go.
As we breathe in and maybe feeling the sensation of air inside the nose and the back of the throat.
Notice how it feels cool.
As we breathe out,
Notice the air leaving our body.
Notice its warmth against our nose,
Against our throat.
Now let's run through a gentle breathing exercise to further bring in that sense of peace and calm.
Inhale slowly for a count of 1-2-3-4.
Gently hold for a moment.
And exhale softly for a count of 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Inhale slowly for 1-2-3-4.
Hold at the top.
And exhale softly 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Inhale 1-2-3-4.
Hold.
Exhale 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Allowing our breath to come back to a natural state.
Noticing any tension that may have left the body throughout that breathing exercise.
Allowing our shoulders to rest a little bit softer by our sides.
Allowing our legs to rest connected to the floor or to our seat.
Letting any muscles in the face release.
Take a moment to reflect on your intention for this meditation practice today.
Maybe it is to find stillness,
To connect with yourself,
To cultivate peace,
Or simply to practice being present.
Whatever it is,
Holding space for that.
Not thinking about it too much,
But rather just being aware.
Acknowledge your gratitude for showing up today.
For choosing to take this pause in the middle of life's busyness.
To honor the fact that you've given yourself this time.
This precious time to exist.
Allowing ourselves to fully take advantage of this special moment in time.
Doing this for yourself is an act of care and holding space for that today.
Gently shift your awareness to the sounds around you.
The small,
Subtle sounds.
Noticing them without labeling or judging.
Just noticing.
Perhaps there are distant noises.
Perhaps it's mostly silence.
Each sound rises and falls,
Just like your breath.
Drawing ourselves inwards,
Noticing where we are in time and space.
Noticing our body connected to whatever we are sitting or laying down on.
Do we feel it beneath our sits bones?
Beneath our legs?
Beneath our feet?
Beneath our back?
What does it feel like?
Not thinking about it too much,
Just noticing.
We'll gently move to a body scan,
Bringing your awareness to your toes.
Notice any sensations there.
How do they feel?
Allowing whatever you feel to simply be and simply exist.
Slowly moving your attention upward to the soles of the feet,
And the heels,
And the tops of the feet.
What do you notice?
Where do they exist in time and space?
Maybe you let them go a little bit.
You let them relax.
You let them release a little bit of tension,
Sink towards the earth a little bit more.
Moving to our ankles and calves.
Do they feel light?
Do they feel heavy?
How do they exist right now?
Moving your attention up through to your knees and thighs,
Allowing these areas to soften.
Moving to your hips,
Releasing any tension that you might be holding here.
Just feeling a gravity pulling you down in a gentle way,
Supporting you,
Hugging you,
Keeping you safe,
Allowing you to just be in this moment.
Bringing your attention to your belly,
Rising and falling with every breath.
As you breathe in,
Feeling that expansion in the diaphragm and in the belly.
As you breathe out,
Noticing it fall,
Noticing it become a little bit more relaxed.
Bring your attention to your back,
From the lower spine all the way up to the shoulder blades.
What do you feel?
Do you feel the shirt against your back?
Do you feel the chair,
The couch,
Or the bed that you're sitting on?
How does it exist?
Moving upwards to the chest and the heart space,
Feeling the gentle rhythm of every breath as you breathe in the gentle expansion.
And as you breathe out,
Feeling it let go.
Noticing if this area feels gently heavier than the rest of your body.
Maybe these are emotions swirling in your heart space.
With your next exhale,
Allowing yourself to let go a little bit.
Letting this space in your body feel free,
Feel gentle,
Feel light,
And weightless.
Now moving upwards to the shoulders,
Let them soften down and away from your head.
Making our way down our arms,
Our elbows,
Wrists,
Hands,
Fingers.
Where do they sit?
How do they feel?
Moving to our neck,
Our jaw,
And the muscles of the face,
Which we can often feel a lot of tension in this space.
Noticing if we do feel any areas of stress or tension,
Not thinking about it,
But rather allowing ourselves to let go even a little bit.
With our next exhale,
Feeling light,
A little bit more space in this area,
A little lighter,
A little weightless.
Giving yourself permission to let go.
Finally,
Moving upwards to the crown of your head.
Where does it exist in this moment?
Maybe you sense spaciousness,
Openness.
Notice your whole body resting in this space,
Resting in the awareness of the present moment.
Coming back to the breath,
The flow of life within us.
Noticing how it flows from our diaphragm,
Our lungs,
Our chest,
Through our mouth and our nose.
Gently staying still for the next minute or so in this quietness.
If you notice yourself getting distracted,
Gently coming back to this sensation of the breath.
If you've noticed your mind wandering,
Gently pulling it back to the moment we're in right now,
To the breath and the body,
Noticing how it ebbs and flows,
Allowing the breath to be your anchor back to this moment.
Taking one deep inhale through the nose or mouth.
We'll hold at the top and exhale,
Letting it go.
As we come to a close,
Offering yourself gratitude for this practice.
Giving yourself permission to exist more often in the present moment.
When you're ready,
I invite you to gently begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes reawakening the body.
Take your time to transition into the space around you,
Opening your eyes,
Moving the muscles a little bit more,
And carrying with you the sense of presence and peace throughout your day.
Thank you for practicing with me.
