Because this meditation takes focus and concentration,
We typically do this practice in a seated position.
But let's start first in a standing position to do some stretches designed to help our bodies feel more comfortable when we sit.
So coming into a standing position and placing your hands on hips and nice and slowly looking over your left shoulder,
Feeling the stretch through the neck,
Shoulders and upper back and holding this stretch at your farthest range of motion.
And now traveling your gaze behind you,
Slowly twisting through the spine while keeping both feet on the ground.
Looking as far behind you as you can,
Both feet flat on the ground and holding the stretch.
And now slowly unwinding,
Coming back to center.
And now looking over your right shoulder,
Holding the stretch at full range of motion.
And now traveling your gaze behind you,
Gently twisting the spine,
Both feet firmly planted,
Going as far as you can safely go and holding the stretch.
And now gently unwinding,
Back to center.
And now placing your hands on your thighs,
Slight bend in the knees and walking your hands down your legs,
Coming forward and down with the upper body until you feel a stretch in the low back.
You might barely come down to feel the stretch or you might be able to walk your hands all the way to the feet and floor.
Just wherever you find that stretch,
Through the back of the body,
The back and hamstrings,
Maybe even into the calves.
Nice long deep breaths.
And now walking the hands back up the legs with care until you come back to standing.
Deep sigh when you get there.
Last stretch.
Placing your hands on your glutes like you are putting your hands in your back pockets,
Fingers pointing down.
And pushing your hands a little bit into your glutes for support as you begin to look up,
Lifting the upper body and beginning to lean back just a little bit and just so far as you feel a stretch through the front of the body and holding.
It can be uncomfortable to breathe here for sure.
Just holding the stretch a little longer and letting the front body open up.
And now coming back to just standing.
Deep sigh.
And now let's take our seats,
Be it on a cushion or a chair.
And taking some time to arrange things,
To arrange your body,
Your limbs,
Any pillows.
Just taking some time here to get yourself into a supported,
Comfortable position.
And when you're ready,
With a deep breath,
Closing your eyes.
We are transitioning inwards.
Help your mind to transition inwards.
Slowly releasing our worldly concerns.
Releasing the world and coming inwards.
Feeling into the body.
Feeling in the body.
Getting a sense overall of being in your body as a whole.
Feeling the shape of the body.
And now seeing the shape of your body in your mind's eye.
Feeling and seeing the body.
And now gathering your awareness on the feeling of your breath.
Feeling the breath enter the body,
Moving down into the body and then being expelled outward.
Feeling that.
Breath entering,
Moving down into the body and being expelled out.
Spending some time here focusing the mind on the breath entering,
Moving inward and downward and then being pushed out by the diaphragm and the collapsing of the lungs.
All your attention now focused on these winds of breath.
Moving inwards and downwards.
Pushed out by the diaphragm and collapsing of the lungs.
Trying to allow the body to dissolve around this feeling of breath.
So that all that remains is this feeling of breath traveling in and down and pushed out.
That's all that exists for now.
The passage of breath in and down and pushed out.
The body dissolves leaving only the breath and the consciousness riding the winds of the breath.
In and down.
Pushed out.
The breath getting more and more subtle.
Quiet.
Follow the breath in and down.
Everything being drawn inwards.
All of your attention and awareness traveling inwards.
Riding the winds of breath inwards.
Continuing inwards.
The body dissolved.
Finding consciousness deep within.
Maybe seated on a cushion deep within.
Your consciousness a light on a cushion deep within.
You are this light deep within on a cushion like a precious pearl.
A precious pearl of light.
Everything dissolves inwards into this pearl of light.
This clear light of consciousness.
Allow your mind to be here.
Dissolving inwards into this clear light of consciousness.
Existing in this clear light.
Holding your attention gently here.
This pearl of clear light.
Five minutes of silence.
Now feeling the breath traveling in and down.
The breath coming up again.
Follow the breath coming up again from your center.
Allow the breath to lead you back into your body.
Your body reappearing.
Reassembling around the breath.
You can again feel the shape of the body.
See the shape in the mind's eye.
You can begin to take bigger breaths.
Filling the lungs.
Allowing the senses to come alive.
Beginning some movement to allow the body to come alive.
Whatever feels good and physically enlivening.
This is the end of the meditation.
