Welcome to this practice about creating space,
An invitation to your whole self.
This practice will invite us to the present moment when things come up for us.
We'll invite our whole self to show up,
To honor,
To hold,
And to essentially create space.
We'll start by getting into our comfortable meditation posture.
You're welcome to join this practice lying down on the floor,
Hands by your sides,
Arms straight,
Palms facing the skies,
Legs also straight.
If you're joining us seated in a chair or maybe on the edge of the bed,
Please be welcome to keep your feet flat on the floor,
Arms relaxed and down by your side,
Hands either in the laps or at the knees,
Palms facing upwards.
And of course,
Be welcome to join us seated on the floor,
On a mat,
Or on a cushion in lotus position,
Legs crossed.
Again,
Arms relaxed and hands facing the skies,
Either at the knees or in the lap.
And we'll pause here,
Taking a moment,
Just allowing the eyes to wander the space around us,
Orienting ourselves here in space and time,
Signaling to the brain that this is a safe space for us,
And bringing the attention to the breath.
And bringing our eyes to a point directly in front of us,
Inhaling,
Turning into the breath here,
Just being aware of the breath,
Just being aware of the breath,
Its natural breathing pattern,
Just noticing,
Maybe noticing the heart rate,
Just observing,
No reacting,
Just observation,
Maybe taking an inhale into that heart space and holding,
And exhaling,
Nice and easy,
Exhaling through the lips,
And again,
Inhaling into that heart space,
Holding here,
And exhaling,
Feeling the release throughout the,
Feeling the release throughout the chest cavity,
And again,
We'll inhale into that heart space,
Holding,
And exhale.
Again,
Noticing the breath,
Noticing a return to a steady state,
Noticing the heart rate again,
Maybe it's slower,
Maybe each beat is longer,
And again,
We're gonna inhale deep into the ribcage now,
Deep into those lungs,
Pausing,
And exhaling through the mouth.
And again,
Inhaling deep into the lungs,
Feeling that expansion,
Holding,
And exhaling,
Feeling that release,
And one more time,
Inhaling deep into the lungs,
Holding,
And exhaling.
And once again,
Noticing the breath as it returns to its steady state,
Noticing the heart rate,
And maybe now noticing the mind,
Noticing that when the breath slows,
The heart slows,
And the mind follows.
And if you haven't yet on that next inhale,
Be welcome to allow those eyelids to just open up,
Be welcome to allow those eyelids to gently close,
Staying with the breath,
Allowing the breath to lead us as we explore this inner world,
Inviting the body to relax,
Starting at the crown,
At the top of the head,
Noticing any pulsations or sensations,
Noticing if there are none,
Just observing,
And relaxing those muscles in the forehead,
Around the eyes,
The nose,
The cheekbones,
Unlocking the jaw,
Relaxing the lips and tongue,
The chin,
Neck,
And shoulders,
Keeping that chin slightly,
Keeping that chin slightly tucked in,
Keeping that chin slightly tucked in,
Just to keep the neck and back in alignment,
Relaxing the muscles in the arms from the shoulders all the way down to the wrists,
The hands,
And fingertips,
Relaxing the chest and upper back,
The lower back and stomach area,
Releasing any tension in the trunk area,
Being patient in this area,
Being loving in this area,
And relaxing the thighs and hamstrings,
The knees,
The shins and calves,
And the ankles,
Feet,
And toes,
And pausing here,
Observing,
Observing the space,
Observing the breath as it moves through the body,
And observing the mind for anything that arises,
For anything that comes up,
Just honoring it for what it is,
No need to dig into it,
No need to dive into it,
No need to understand why it's here or where it comes from,
Just honoring it,
Accepting it.
Maybe we can hold space with it,
Allow it to be here without judgment,
Without criticism,
Maybe allowing all of the other things that come up with it to also be here.
Can we invite in all parts of ourselves,
The whole parts of us,
The loving part of us,
The caring part of us,
The compassionate part of us,
The understanding part of us,
Can we invite these parts into this space?
Can these parts of us honor what's here differently?
Can these parts of us hold space with us?
Can we allow these parts of us to nurture all that is present in this space?
To nurture all that is present in this space?
Can these parts of us transform the space with us?
We'll inhale here,
Pausing at the top of the breath,
And exhaling.
Allowing that exhale to drone on a little longer than that inhale.
We'll inhale again here,
Pausing,
And exhaling.
Allowing that exhale,
Once again,
To overhang a little longer than that inhale.
And one more time,
Inhaling.
All these parts of us,
Pausing at the top of that breath,
And exhaling.
That slight overhang at the end of the breath here.
Pausing here,
Noticing the space again.
Noticing what's present.
Noticing what is not present.
Noticing what has been transformed.
Noticing how the body feels in the presence of our whole self.
And when you are ready,
Please be welcome to bring your palms together at heart center.
To bring your palms together at heart center.
With a slight bow of the chin.
If this is not comfortable for you,
Be welcome to lay a palm flat against the heart center,
Second palm on top.
We'll pause here in a moment of gratitude.
Grateful for the space to transform.
Grateful to the space for our whole self,
For all parts of us that we honor,
Cherish,
Allow,
And invite in the space for transformation.
And when you are ready,
Be welcome to allow the eyelids to flutter open.
Slowly coming back into your surroundings.
Giving a nice little stretch.
Releasing the hands.
Some gentle neck rolls.
And be invited back into your day.
Thank you for engaging in this practice with me.
Namaste.
