Find a comfortable way to sit,
Adjusting your posture so your spine is erect without being rigid or stiff.
Rest your hands on your lap or legs with your palms facing upward,
Allowing us to connect to the universal source during our meditation practice.
Allow your eyes to gently close and bring your attention to the physical sensation of sitting still.
What does stillness feel like in your body?
Begin disconnecting from the external world,
Leaving behind the people we saw,
The emotions and feelings we experience,
To begin settling into the present time awareness,
Allowing ourselves to anchor in the here and now.
Allow your breathing to be natural,
Releasing any tension in the face.
Let your eyes gently fold the back of your head.
Relax your cheeks and jaw as you continue scanning the body downward.
Relax the neck and shoulders,
Allowing your arms to gently fall away from your body.
Notice how the chest and abdomen rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.
Begin to repeat silently in your own mind.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely relaxed.
Begin to acknowledge the full range of phenomena that are happening in this moment.
Thinking is happening.
Hearing is happening.
Seeing even with our eyes closed,
We can imagine the space we are in,
The clothes we are wearing,
Even the faces of those around us.
Tasting,
Smelling,
Physical and emotional sensations are all present.
Let them fall to the background and bring your breath to the foreground,
Repeating silently in your own mind.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely calm.
I am at ease.
Redirect your attention once again to the sensations of breath.
This is our anchor,
The universal tool we all possess.
It will lead us away from our thinking mind and transport us into the safety and security of the present time awareness.
Engage with this moment right now.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely calm.
I am at ease.
Begin to investigate where you feel the breath most easily.
It could be at the base of the nostril or the rising and falling of the chest.
Remember to focus on a single point and not the flow of breath in and out of the body.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely calm.
I am at ease.
As we sit here together,
Your mind will begin to wander,
Only returning when you redirect your focus and attention on to the breath.
Remember to treat your thinking mind with compassion and kindness.
Of course the attention wanders.
That is what the untrained mind does and has done your entire life.
It takes a gentle yet persistent effort to return to the chosen object of awareness.
I am completely relaxed.
I am completely calm.
I am at ease.
Always remember that our breath is the universal tool we can all use to assume control of our thinking mind at any time throughout our day.
We all have the power to change.
We all have the power to heal.
And we all have the power to love.
Whenever you are ready,
Allow your eyes to open and your attention to come back to your surroundings.
