Maybe allow your awareness to travel slowly through your body noticing each part of your body with warmth and kindness.
There's no need to change anything,
Just observing.
You may start with noticing the crown of the head.
The top of your head,
Soft and open.
And moving on to the forehead,
Smooth and relaxed.
And the eyes,
Resting in their sockets.
The cheeks,
Softening,
Releasing tension.
And the mouth and the jaw,
Maybe a gentle expression on your mouth,
The jaw relaxed.
And you may let that awareness move to the throat,
The channel of expression.
And then to the shoulders,
Heavy enough to be grounded but soft enough to be free.
Moving down the upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
The wrists and the palms.
The hands might be open,
Relaxed,
Glowing from warmth of attention.
And feeling the fingers individually with the thumb,
The index,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
The little finger.
Let them be resting.
And bring awareness to the heart center,
The flame within.
Noticing its subtle warmth pulsing with each heartbeat.
Feel the light spreading through the chest slowly.
Then to the ribcage,
The back,
The spine.
Steady and nurturing.
Sense the whole body together,
Like a quiet,
Steady glow moving from the heart to the limbs.
From the soles of the feet to the crown of the head.
Every part of you is breathing with a gentle pulse of light.
Even in darkness,
Warmth is present.
Life flows even in stillness.
And rest here for a moment.
Feeling held in the quiet radiance of this inner flame.
And we'll move on to the awareness of breath and anchors as alternative to breath.
Allowing your body to settle fully,
Supported by the surface beneath you.
And feeling the weight of yourself pressing gently into the ground,
Fully held.
Let your eyes close softly if you choose to,
Or if you choose to keep them open,
Maybe soften the gaze.
And allow the external world to fade away in the background.
And maybe invite your awareness to a single anchor.
Something steady,
Comforting and sustaining.
This could be your breath,
Or it could be the warmth in your hands or chest.
Or it could be the soft sounds around you.
Choose whichever feels easiest to rest with today.
And I'll go through an option of using the breath as an anchor,
And then using a non-breath anchor.
So if you choose the breath,
Bringing attention to your natural breath.
Noticing its rhythm without trying to change it.
Feeling the inhale rise through the chest or the belly.
And then the exhale releasing gently like a soft wave returning to the shore.
And then pause here for a few breaths.
Noticing the space between the breath in and the breath out.
And the quiet stillness from where your inner flame comes and rests.
And with each breath in,
Imagining gently drawing light into your chest.
Warming your heart,
Your shoulders,
Your arms.
And with each breath out,
Allowing tension or worry to soften the flow out and away.
I'll move on to the non-breath anchor.
That could be the feeling of warmth or a sound.
So resting your attention on warmth or a sound.
If it's warmth in the body,
It could be in the hands,
In the chest,
Or along the spine.
You might feel it expanding slowly like a small lantern glowing from within.
Or you could focus on the subtle sounds around you.
They might be distant or near,
Or constant or intermittent.
And allow your mind to return here whenever it drifts.
Letting that anchor quietly sustain you.
Now let the anchor,
Whichever it is,
Connect to your whole body.
Notice the top of your head.
The forehead.
The eyes.
The jaw.
Allowing them to release softly.
Shifting your attention to the shoulders,
The arms,
The hands,
And the fingers.
Letting the warmth or the light flow here.
And bringing your awareness to the heart center,
The chest,
And the belly.
Feeling the steady pulse of life glowing softly.
Like a small flame in the dark.
Then moving your attention down through the hips,
The thighs,
The knees,
The lower legs,
The ankles,
And the feet.
Letting the warmth spread throughout the body and into the ground beneath you.
Notice the edges of your body,
The front,
The back,
The sides.
Sense the gentle flow of energy through the whole body.
It's anchored by the support beneath you.
Sustained by your chosen focus.
And perhaps allowing yourself to rest here fully.
Breathing,
Sensing,
Noticing.
Each breath in fuels your inner light.
Each breath out releases what no longer serves you.
And even in moments of darkness,
This flame can exist quietly.
It's enduring and alive.
And you may choose to stay with this feeling for a few more breaths.
Feeling anchored,
Warm,
And whole.
Knowing that this inner light is always accessible.
And that it's ready to be tended whenever you return.
And in a few moments we'll start the visualization of contrasts.
And now bringing your attention gently to a soft light within your chest.
It could be small and flickering like a candle.
You can notice it without forcing it to grow or shine.
Simply observe its presence.
Feeling the warmth of this light pulsing with your heartbeat.
It might feel steady and nurturing.
Sensing the warmth spreading slowly through your shoulders,
Down your arms,
And into your hands.
Let your fingers relax as if the warmth is melting into them.
Like it's spreading a gentle glow.
And you may notice the contrast.
A subtle coolness at the edges of your body and the air touching your skin.
Warmth and coolness coexist,
Supporting each other.
Even defining each other.
Both being fully accepted.
Imagine the light moving along the length of your spine.
Filling the spaces between the vertebrae with calm warmth.
At the same time feel the weight of your body pressing into the floor,
The chair,
Or whatever support you are resting on.
Might you feel heaviness and lightness existing together.
Shifting attention to the abdomen and the pelvis.
Feeling the soft warmth settle here,
Steady and quiet.
Feeding the inner flame.
You may even sense how this light can move slowly down your legs to your knees,
Your shins,
Your ankles,
And your feet.
And at the same time notice the coolness and firmness of the support beneath you.
It's a supportive contrast holding you,
Carrying your weight without effort.
And bring awareness to your whole body.
The light in your chest radiates softly,
Warm and constant.
Your entire body is alive with subtle contrasts.
Warmth and coolness.
Heaviness and lightness.
Stillness and gentle pulsing.
All of it exists together,
Safe and held.
And if thoughts drift in,
Just notice them like shadows at the edge of your awareness.
The inner flame doesn't need to fight or chase them.
It just continues to glow.
And let yourself rest in this rhythm of contrasts,
Noticing the light within.
The quiet around,
The steady flow of life.
With each breath in,
Feel the inner flame rise slightly.
Expanding warmth through your chest,
Arms,
And upper body.
With each exhale,
Let the warmth soften,
Settle and spread into the lower body.
And stay here for a few more breaths.
Anchored,
Warm and alive.
And you may choose to stay here.
Or choose to begin to bring your awareness back to the body as a whole.
Feeling the weight of your body resting fully on the ground or the seat.
Noticing the warmth in your chest.
Allow that light to remain within you,
Even as your awareness expands.
Sensing the subtle energy flowing through your arms,
Legs,
Spine,
And the head.
Notice the connection to the ground beneath you.
It might feel solid,
Supportive,
Unwavering.
And the world outside may be uncertain,
But inside there's this steady warmth,
A quiet flame that persists.
And you may choose to take away these words with you today.
Even in darkness,
I can carry light.
Even in uncertainty,
I am steady.
Take a few moments to let this feeling integrate.
Notice how the body,
The mind,
And the heart are connected through warmth and presence.
And you may begin to deepen your awareness of the room around you,
The surfaces you are touching,
The sounds,
The space surrounding you.
You may even start to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Stretch your arms or shoulders.
Slowly lift the head or turn gently from side to side.
And when you feel ready,
You may open your eyes softly if you had them closed.
Carry the warmth and the light that you've cultivated.
Know that even as you return to your day,
This quiet flame within you continues to glow.
A refuge you can return to anytime.
And I'd like to thank you for taking care of yourself today.
Namaste.
