Let's begin this meditation by coming into a comfortable position.
Give yourself permission to feel however you feel right now in this moment and as you practice your meditation.
As you take a few moments to just allow yourself to settle in,
Begin to scan your body,
Noticing any areas of tension or tightness.
Take note of these areas and gradually begin to introduce a bit more softness and ease as you find connection with the breath.
Take a full inhale through the nose and gently release out of your mouth.
Let's do that one more time,
So inhale fully through your nose and then gently letting it go.
We're going to go through a tense and release exercise.
Here I will lead you through different areas of the body and as I call them out,
I want you to physically create as much tension as you can in that area by squeezing,
Clenching and firing up that area and then finally releasing,
Letting it go completely.
Starting with your feet,
Begin to curl your toes towards the soles of your feet and bring as much tension as you possibly can to this area.
Squeezing and clenching and then exhale,
Release,
Let it go.
Moving up to your legs,
Your calves,
Knees and thighs,
Begin to fire up your legs,
Tightening your calf muscles,
Lifting your kneecaps,
Engaging your quadriceps,
Squeezing and clenching and then exhale,
Release and let it go.
Now become aware of your belly.
Begin to bring as much tension as you can to this area,
Squeezing your abdominal muscles as much as possible and then exhale,
Release and let it go.
Now bring your awareness to your shoulders,
Your chest,
Arms and hands.
Begin to squeeze and tighten these areas as much as you can.
Ball up your fist,
Squeeze your shoulders in towards your ears,
Clenching and increasing tension and then exhale,
Release,
Let it go.
Finally become aware of your face.
Begin to scrunch up your face,
Creating so many wrinkles as you squeeze and tighten and clench the muscles in your face and then exhale,
Release,
Let it go.
Experience this moment as you allow yourself to be in a state of complete relaxation.
Just simply observe your body here.
Everything is soft.
Everything at ease.
Your breath steady.
Now I want you to visualize yourself in your mind's eye,
In an empty,
Dark room or space with a glowing light simply shining right on your body so all that you see is you.
Now see yourself with what has been holding you down or back in your life.
Picture those things as weights attached to you string by string.
Those things that make you heavy and feel as if you're not in control.
Observe and acknowledge those things you're in control of and those in which you are not.
Now observe yourself becoming free,
Loosening the attachment from the weight of those things.
The strings cannot hold up against the strength of your own being.
Realize that if you are constantly trying to steer the weights,
You cannot move forward.
Know that you may not be able to control everything that happens to you,
But you can control your reaction towards them.
Begin to feel your energy shift towards good as you become lighter and free.
Say these statements to yourself.
I am able to release control.
I am enough just as I am.
I am in charge of my emotions and response to change.
I am free.
Hold on to these statements and this feeling of freedom as you move through your world.
Take another deep breath in through your nose and slowly release out of your mouth.
Slowly blink your eyes open and continue on with your day.