Coming into rest,
Whatever your body asks today,
That could be lying down,
Or sitting supported,
And you can allow yourself to be held by the ground beneath you.
There's nothing that you need to do or must do here.
Nothing you need to become.
Only listening,
Only arriving.
And you may allow the eyes to close if that feels safe.
If not,
Soften your gaze or keep your eyes open.
Notice the simple fact of breathing.
Breath arriving,
Rising the belly,
Breath leaving,
And the belly descending.
It's done this for your entire life.
And perhaps feeling some more settling here,
Feeling the weight of your body descending,
The bones growing heavy,
The muscles loosening their grip.
The earth has always known how to hold you.
You don't need to hold yourself up right now.
And perhaps allow the jaw to soften,
The tongue resting gently,
The space between the eyebrows widening.
With each breath out,
Release one small layer of effort.
Not forcing relaxation,
Just allowing whatever is unnecessary,
Allowing it to fall away.
And you may wish to set a quiet intention in this state between waking and dreaming,
When the mind becomes receptive.
Here we plant a quiet seed.
And without effort,
You may repeat inwardly,
I am allowed to rest in safety.
I am allowed to rest in safety.
Or if other words feel true to you,
Use those words and repeat them gently and wordly three times.
Like placing something precious in the soil.
And bringing awareness now to the right hand.
Not naming or analyzing the right hand,
Just simply sensing it.
The right thumb,
The rest of the fingers,
The palm,
The wrist.
Awareness moving like warm light to the forearm,
The elbow,
The wrist.
The elbow,
The upper arm,
The shoulder.
And feeling,
Sensing the right side of the body.
The hip,
The thigh,
The knee,
The lower leg,
The foot,
And all toes.
And then switching to the left hand.
Once again,
Sensing the thumb,
The rest of the fingers,
The palm,
The wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
And the whole of the left side at the waist,
The hip,
The knee,
The thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Foot,
And toes.
And bringing the awareness to the back body,
The back of the head,
The shoulders,
The spine,
Lower back,
The pelvis.
To the front body now,
Forehead smooth,
Eyes resting deeply,
Cheeks softening,
Throat opening,
The heart center,
The belly rising and falling,
The pelvic bowl,
Feeling the whole body at once.
Like a single field of sensation,
Resting in awareness.
And allowing that feeling in those sensations to integrate.
We'll soon move on to the breath,
Or the sensation of the belly rising and falling,
Or other sensations that may feel more comfortable for you.
Noticing the breath,
Or the belly,
Moving like a tide.
On the breath in,
Or the belly rising,
It's like the shore receiving water.
On the breath out,
The belly falling,
It's like the tide is returning to sea.
Nothing held.
Nothing resisted.
Each breath,
A doorway.
Each fall of the belly,
Or breath out,
Carrying you closer to stillness.
And if you'd like,
Maybe feel that again,
With the breath in,
Or the rise of the belly,
Like the shore feeling,
Or receiving water.
With the breath out,
Or the fall of the belly,
Like the tide returning to sea.
The breath moving like a tide.
The rise and fall of the belly,
Moving like the tide.
Each breath out,
Or fall of the belly,
Carrying you closer to stillness.
And now,
Without effort,
Allow an image,
Or a sense of a sanctuary to arise.
Let it reveal itself.
Perhaps it's a forest older than memory.
An ocean edge at dawn.
A quiet room filled with a soft light.
Or simply a feeling without form.
And notice what it tells your nervous system.
Here,
You may rest.
Sensing the textures around you.
The ground beneath you.
The air on your skin.
And the quality of silence.
In this sanctuary,
Nothing is required of you.
You're not seeking to improve yourself.
You're not healing on a schedule.
You're simply welcomed.
And perhaps take a moment to notice how this place receives you exactly as you are today.
Not as you were.
Not as you hope to be.
Simply as you are.
And perhaps you sense that this sanctuary recognizes you.
As though it's always known that you would return.
And slowly you may notice that this sanctuary is not outside of you.
It arises from within awareness itself.
It's a place that your body remembers.
Even when the mind forgets.
It's a refuge carried quietly inside your breath.
Inside your bones.
Inside your being.
And take some time to rest here.
Long enough for the body to believe it.
And notice the feeling,
The tone of sanctuary.
Is it warmth?
Spaciousness?
Stillness?
Gentleness?
Whatever that feeling is,
Allow that feeling to spread slowly through the body.
As if every cell is learning safety again.
Nothing forced.
Only remembered.
Then return to the setting of an intention.
Bringing up a new one.
Repeating inwardly three times.
I carry sanctuary within me.
I carry sanctuary within me.
I carry sanctuary within me.
I carry sanctuary within me.
And perhaps allow the words to dissolve into feeling rather than thought.
And soon you may begin to notice the breath becoming slightly fuller.
The rise of the belly bigger.
The physical room around you returning to awareness.
The sounds,
The temperature.
The presence of the world waiting gently.
Then feel the body resting here.
And when you're ready,
Start to invite small movements of awareness.
Small movements in the fingers and the toes.
Maybe a stretch if that feels natural.
Taking your time.
And when you're ready,
Allow the world to come back slowly.
And notice the sanctuary has not disappeared.
You are bringing it with you.
The sanctuary is within you.
And if anything at all during this practice felt unsettling to you,
Please reach out to a trusted,
Supportive person or a grounding practice.
And I'd like to thank you today for taking time to take care of yourself.
Namaste.
