Please find a comfortable posture for meditation.
You can be seated or lying down.
Check to make sure that your body is supported in ways that allows you to let go of any unnecessary tension or holding from the body.
If you are seated,
Make sure that you have a stable base and allow the torso and spine to rise with the natural curves up towards heaven.
Allow the shoulders to relax back and down,
The crown to reach up towards heaven.
Whether you are seated or lying down,
Begin to bring awareness to the flow of the breath,
Simply observing the natural movement of the breath on the inhalation and exhalation.
Begin abdominal breathing with each inhalation,
Allowing the abdomen to gently expand with each exhalation,
Allowing the abdomen to gently contract,
All the while keeping the shoulders and chest relaxed and still.
As you follow the flow of the breath with abdominal breathing,
With each exhalation,
Consciously release any unnecessary tension from the body.
Now bring to mind an exemplar.
Imagine in front of you a being of pure love,
Compassion,
And wisdom.
Notice how a being imbued with these qualities is inherently beautiful.
It radiates beauty,
Patience,
Compassion,
Kindness,
Love,
Understanding.
Feel them perceiving you,
Looking at you,
Seeing you in your fullness,
All of your challenges,
With all of your unique gifts.
Notice how they perceive you with complete acceptance,
Allowing space for the totality of your being.
Feel the deep sense of safety and relaxation that arises within their presence,
Knowing that you are accepted completely and fully,
Just as you are.
Within the atmosphere that they create,
Allow yourself to rest completely in the fullness of your own being.
Now imagine this visualization of the exemplar dissolving into a ball of light,
And allow that ball of light to travel to rest above the top of your head.
Feel the crown of your head open and allow that light to enter,
Permeating and filling your entire being,
From the top of the head down through the neck,
Torso,
Arms,
And legs.
Feel yourself sitting as this being,
This exemplar,
Embodying these qualities of love,
Compassion,
Wisdom,
Emanating beauty throughout your being and out into the world around you.
Notice the movement of the breath,
And as you inhale,
Breathe in,
Thinking the word love,
And as you exhale,
Breathe out,
Thinking the word beauty.
Continue following the flow of the breath,
And let go of the words,
And as you follow the flow of the breath,
Relax your awareness into the energetic center of the heart,
Centered in the middle of the chest behind the sternum.
With each breath,
Consciously soften to the space of the heart.
Notice whatever sensations you might find in this physical space.
There's a tension or a fullness,
An emptiness,
A brightness,
A warmth,
Whatever sensation you may or may not find as you soften your awareness into the heart center.
Continue softening around it.
Begin to feel the presence of light within the heart center,
And as you soften into the light,
Feel the light begin to expand,
Filling the heart center,
Expanding to fill the chest,
The torso,
Expanding throughout the arms and the legs,
The neck,
And the head,
Until you feel this light throughout your entire being.
Relax into this light.
Now bring the awareness and the light to focus in the energetic center of the lower abdomen.
Focus and concentrate as though there is a magnet pulling all of the awareness towards it.
Feel the sensation of being grounded in the physicality of the body and the lower dantian.
Become aware of the stability beneath you,
Supporting you and holding you up,
And the air around you in which you are immersed.
Like a fish,
Become aware of the natural movement of the breath,
Connecting within and without,
Maintaining a connection to the all-pervading oneness,
Even as you experience it from the single point of consciousness of your own individuated being.
And when you are ready,
Maintain a connection and grounding to the stillness and light within,
As you gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,
Taking in the world around you,
Seeing the beauty that is always right here,
Right now.
Thank you all for joining me today.
