We will move into our guided meditation.
If you're comfortable staying in this position,
You're welcome to do so.
There's a position that you prefer.
You can be seated,
Sitting up against a wall,
Maybe with some support under your butt.
Just take a moment to find a comfortable position to spend the next 20 minutes together if you choose to,
Stepping out if you would like to step out.
Once you find this position,
Feel free to close your eyes or have a gentle downward gaze and just notice your breath.
Noticing first the rise and fall of your chest.
So you breathe in and out.
Noticing next where you feel your breath on your skin,
If you feel it above your upper lip.
If you feel it somewhere else.
And lastly,
Noticing the temperature of the air,
The coolness on your inhale and the warmth on your exhale.
We'll begin with a gentle body scan.
I'll walk you through each part of the body on the inhales,
Noticing how each part of the body feels and on your exhale,
Allowing that part to relax,
Melting into your mat or into whatever position you've chosen.
Standing at the feet,
Inhale up through your feet towards your ankles,
Noticing any tension,
Any soreness and exhale through your ankles,
Through your feet,
Letting them fully relax.
Inhale up through your calves,
Your shins,
Towards your knees and exhaling,
Letting your lower legs fully relax.
Inhaling through your knees,
Through your thighs,
Noticing if your thighs are tired from supporting your body weight during our practice and exhale,
Thanking them and allowing them to relax.
Inhale through your hips,
Using up towards your lower spine,
Towards your belly button and exhale,
Letting the lower half of your body completely let go.
Inhaling up the middle of your back,
Towards your shoulder blades,
Through your abdomen,
Through your ribs and exhaling,
Fully relaxing.
Inhaling into your shoulders,
Into your chest,
Exhaling,
Dropping your shoulders out of your ears,
Allowing them to relax.
On your next inhale,
Going from your fingertips up your arms,
Through your elbows,
Through your triceps and your biceps and exhaling,
Allowing your arms to relax either by your side or gently on your lap.
Inhale through your neck,
Through your throat,
Where we hold so much tightness and where we hold so many words unsaid and exhaling,
Feeling that release.
Inhale through your jaw,
Noticing if you're clenching your jaw and relaxing,
Allowing your mouth to fully relax.
Inhaling through the rest of your face,
Through the back of your head to the tip top of your head,
Shining through the top of your head toward the ceiling.
And on this exhale,
Breathing out through every cell in your body and allowing your body to fully relax,
Melting into your mat and melting into the earth below.
Feeling your body connected to the earth,
Noticing the layers that it takes for you to connect to the earth if you're not outside.
Through your mat,
Through the floor beneath you,
Through the foundation of your house and finally visualizing the earth below.
Allow your mind to fully connect to your breath.
On your inhales,
Increasing space and on your exhales,
Melting into this moment.
Now allowing your mind to fully connect to your body,
Noticing the earth below you,
Supporting your body,
Supporting this practice.
And gently bring to mind someone who supports you in the same way that the earth is currently supporting all of us.
Someone who makes you feel grounded,
Who makes you feel stable and who brings you support in times when you need it.
Maybe a friend,
A family member,
Someone you don't even know that well.
And as you focus on this person,
Just noticing how you feel in your body.
Noticing any warmth.
Noticing if you associate any colors with this person.
And noticing how your breath feels as you think about this person.
Next,
Bringing to mind someone that you yourself have supported in the same way that you've been supported by others and in the same way that the earth is supporting all of us.
Remembering someone that you have offered this gift of support to,
Whether it was yourself,
A friend,
A family member,
Or again,
Someone that you didn't know that well but you could sense they needed support from you in that moment.
And noticing how you felt offering support and stability and safety to someone.
How this feels in your body.
Any colors or visualizations that this brings to your mind.
And how this affects your breath.
Noticing the ways that it feels the same to be supported and to offer support.
And the ways that it feels different in your body and in your mind.
And spending some moments thinking about what it means to offer support and what it means to allow yourself to be supported.
And this time when so many people need our support.
And when by giving it we need support in our own.
As you focus on these individuals and on this feeling,
Notice a web being built between all of these people.
That the support you've received from an individual has been granted to them.
And that they have offered this support to others.
And feeling this connection grow from the person you have supported who in turn has supported others and has been supported by others.
Maybe visualizing it as a literal web.
Maybe visualizing it as a hodgepodge of colors or shapes.
Whatever comes to mind for you.
Feeling this interconnectedness at a time when things don't always feel connected.
And when we don't always feel that there is support for those in our community or for ourselves.
Focusing on this feeling of support and connectedness.
Anytime your mind wanders gently bring it back to this idea or this visualization that you may have.
Remembering that we are not alone in this pandemic.
And in this global movement that's happening around us.
That as we choose to speak out and to support others,
We are growing our web.
And we are increasing this community of support.
And this global connection that we all have.
Remembering how it feels in our body and in our breath to offer this support and to receive it.
Noticing that others feel the same way.
And thinking about how we all connect through our breath and how powerful the breath can be.
Knowing yourself to stay present in this web for a few more moments.
And knowing how it feels to have this intimate connection with others.
And that this connection is always there.
Even if we forget and even if it feels lost.
Just coming back to this practice and knowing that there are those who will support you.
There are those that you can support.
And that by doing this we are continuing to grow the web.
Bring your mind back to your body.
Maybe do another gentle body scan.
This time working from the top of your head down your body toward your feet.
At your own pace.
Breathing in and breathing out to each part of your body.
Noticing how your body feels at the end of both this physical and mental practice.
As you make your way down your body,
Noticing once more any connecting points you have to the earth.
If you are laying down,
Noticing each part of your body that connects to your mat.
If you are sitting,
Noticing where your butt and your legs connect.
And once more just focusing on the stability.
As you finish your body scan,
Gently bring your mind back to your breath.
Noticing the cool air in on your inhales and the warm air out on your exhales.
Noticing where you feel your breath.
Whether on the skin above your lip.
Whether moving in and out of your nostrils.
Or in and out of your mouth.
And lastly noticing the rise and fall of your chest.
Feeling how good it feels to be able to take a deep breath in and fully release it.
Knowing that the next breath will be there to meet you.
On each exhale comes the inhale.
From here,
Maybe slowly introduce wiggles and movement back into your body.
Wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Your wrists and your ankles.
And if you're lying down,
With your eyes closed or with a gentle gaze,
Find your way to a seated position.
And taking two more rounds of breath.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Bring your hands to heart center.
And we'll end our practice with a simple Namaste.
Thank you all for joining me.
I hope this was helpful.
I love each of you all and know that I was thinking of you of the times when each of you has offered me support.
And in any small way I've been able to offer support to you all.
Love you so much.
And I'll talk to you soon.
