Let's begin by finding a comfortable place to relax and unwind.
If you need to sit and find a comfortable seat to sit on,
And making sure you're comfortable first,
Do so now.
If you need to lay down,
And are falling asleep,
Or just getting more comfortable,
Go ahead now.
Now begin by taking in some refreshing deep breaths,
Breathing in and breathing out naturally.
When we begin the meditation process,
We sometimes focus on our breathing a little too much,
Where it feels manufactured or not natural.
Just let go of that,
And know that breathing is natural and automatic for all of us.
Let's let it find its correct rhythm.
Good.
Now let your senses begin to feel out the room or space you're in.
Just begin to hear all the sounds in the room,
And feel the temperature of the room.
Is it hot?
Is it cold?
If you need to still get comfortable,
Now is the time.
Make any adjustments that you need.
Just understand that none of these sounds or temperatures in the room will deter you from your session today.
In fact,
Those sounds will only work to take you deeper into your practice.
So begin to notice your thoughts and feelings.
What do they feel like?
Are your thoughts rapid,
Or are they slow?
Either way,
Just notice them.
Just notice your physical feelings,
And your emotional ones.
Understand that they don't control you,
And they do not rule you.
You are the master,
And they are the slave.
Just notice them,
And when you do,
Return your focus to the breath.
A simple breath of air coming in and out of the nose,
Notice the cool sensation around the nostrils when you breathe in,
And the warm sensation around the nostrils when you breathe out.
Good.
Just allow yourself for a few more deep breaths,
Breathing in calm,
And exhaling.
Exhaling all the tension and all the stress in the body,
Breathing in calm,
And exhaling any stress or any tension in the body.
Good.
Now in your imagination,
Or your mind's eye,
I'd like you to find in your physical body a place that we call our center core.
Now that's a place where we feel that we can pull all of our energy into.
It's different for everyone.
For some it's in the chest,
For others it's in their belly.
Wherever that is for you,
Please pull all of your energy into that place now.
Good.
Now once again in your imagination,
I'd like you to drift out of your body and go and touch the wall in front of you.
And then drift back into your body,
Into that center core,
Deep into that center core now.
Each time we do this,
And you come back into your center core,
You can go deeper and deeper in.
So come out of your body again,
And go and touch the wall behind you.
And come back into your body now,
Deeper into that center core,
Deep down,
Deep in.
Good.
Now if you will,
Come out of your body and move to the wall on your right,
And then come back into your body,
That deep center core becoming a place that feels good to be in now,
Sinking deep into that center core.
Now please drift out of your body and go to the wall on the left,
And then come back in,
Deeper this time than you've been before,
Deep in,
Deep down to where it's beginning to feel familiar,
And secure.
This time,
Come out of your body and check the chair beneath you,
The floor supporting you,
And come back into your body,
Deep into that deep center core now.
Good.
And now,
See if you can float up out of your body,
And go all the way to the ceiling,
Way up and float around up there,
On your stomach,
Or your back.
Just feel the weightlessness,
And gently and slowly drift down like a bubble,
Or a butterfly or a leaf floating gently,
And slowly down back into that wonderful,
Warm,
Deep center core of your physical body.
Deep down now,
Snuggle deep into that center core where you can rest.
Good.
Now gather up any little bits of energy you may have left anywhere in the room,
And anywhere else you may have been today,
Whether it was on the phone,
In your car,
In traffic,
Wherever that may be,
And bring them all back into your center core.
That is where they belong.
It's your energy.
It belongs in your center core.
Good.
Now rest just for a moment,
Just following the breath.
Good.
Now,
In your imagination,
Imagine yourself in a lovely warm Caribbean villa,
Ready to go down from your room and out to the beach.
There are 12 steps leading down,
And these steps are made of white polished marble,
And there's a handrail running alongside to make you feel safe and secure.
Inside the steps is a partitioned off slope with exotic plants of various shapes,
Sizes,
And colors.
It is such a warm day,
And you can feel the heat on your body as you prepare to go down.
As you step down onto the first step,
You notice how refreshingly cool the marble staircase is beneath your bare feet.
And you go down,
And down,
And down to the second and third step,
Admiring the luscious plants with their bright red,
Purple,
And yellow flowers.
Going down deeper,
Down to the fourth and fifth step,
Down to the sixth,
Feeling ever so calm,
Relaxed,
And happy.
Then the deeper down you go,
The more comfortably relaxed you become.
Deeper down to the seventh and eighth steps,
And you pause for a second or two.
Notice the smell,
And the taste of the fresh sea air,
And the most gentle of breezes as it wafts on your skin and in your hair.
Going down to the ninth step,
Down to the tenth,
Feeling more and more calm and relaxed and comfortable,
Happy and safe,
Calm and relaxed now.
And as you reach the second to the last step,
The eleventh one,
You can hear the waves from the sea as they gently lap onto the shore,
And you breathe in a lovely,
Calm,
Relaxing feeling.
And now,
You step down to the ground,
Down to the bottom of the steps,
And just a very few steps away is the beach.
And as you stand here,
Feeling the warmth of the sun on your body,
And listening to the ebb and flow of the waves,
And admiring the wonderful view,
You take into yourself a calm,
Relaxing feeling,
A feeling of peace and tranquility.
So remain in this place just for a few moments,
As you allow these tranquil feelings to permeate your body,
Your mind,
And your soul.
And when you next hear my voice,
You'll be ready to absorb these beautiful suggestions that I'm about to give to you.
Without trying to manipulate the breath,
Can you tune in to how you're breathing right now?
You may naturally take a little bit of a deeper breath,
But allow it to return to an automatic flow while maintaining your concentration on the in and out.
Imagine yourself as you breathe,
Because breathing is truly amazing,
How our bodies take oxygen and deliver it to all of our systems within seconds.
Your breath is there for you since the beginning.
So let's use the breath to help us relax and let go of anything that holds us back.
Begin to breathe in deeply now.
Feel your body expand to its maximum and breathe out,
Allowing the air to escape slowly.
When you breathe in again,
Pay close attention to how your lungs expand,
And when you breathe out,
They contract.
Now place your focus on the belly.
Notice how when you breathe in,
The abdomen naturally rises,
And when you breathe out,
It falls.
Following this very relaxing rhythm of the rise and fall of the belly is extremely relaxing.
You may place a hand on your belly to be able to feel it rise as well,
Placing your other hand on the chest so that you can tune in to which one rises more.
Breathe in deeply and slowly.
Imagine you can slow down your breath even more now.
The slower you breathe,
The more relaxed you become.
Every breath that effortlessly comes in and out brings you more relaxation.
Wonderful.
Now let go of your breath and just let it happen automatically.
You may find that your breath slows to a perfect rhythm just for you.
Now let's become aware of the breath coming through the nose and out through the mouth if you'd like.
Breathing in through the nose,
Notice the temperature of the air,
And when you breathe out,
Notice the air has been warmed focusing on the nose as it breathes in,
And opening the mouth as you breathe out.
Wonderful.
Now let's tune in to the sound of your breath.
When you breathe in,
Notice what it sounds like and compare it to the sound as you breathe out.
The out-breath sounds a bit different from the in-breath.
Pay close attention to the sound of your breath.
Good.
You have paid attention to so many different things about your breath.
So let's use the breath now in a creative way.
Imagine that your breath gives you the power to let go of anything that holds you back.
By breathing in,
You're drawing in courage,
And when you breathe out,
You let go of something that holds you back.
It can be anything.
So breathe in,
Breathe in that bravery,
And when you breathe out,
Imagine blowing away something that is holding you back.
Whatever comes to mind,
Just let it go.
Breathing in courage again,
And when you breathe out,
Let go of some negativity.
Breathe in and sense the pride,
And when you exhale,
You naturally let go of something that was keeping you from success.
Allow yourself to imagine anything that comes to mind,
Whatever is holding you back,
And when you breathe out,
You are actively letting it go.
So breathe in fully the power of determination,
And as you breathe out,
Blow away another thing that was blocking you.
Good.
Continue breathing in,
Honoring yourself,
And breathing out things that hold you back.
Breathing in power,
Self-confidence,
And breathing out any negative self-talk,
You don't need it anymore.
Now on the next breath in,
Imagine you're drawing in the most powerful confidence you have ever experienced.
Pure pride in yourself,
And when you breathe out,
Imagine you're knocking down the wall that was holding you back from being your best.
So continue this wonderful method for two more breaths,
Making them really passionate.
Good.
You're amazing.
Your breath can return to its natural flow,
And as it does,
You find yourself drifting even further,
And even deeper down into that restful sleep.
Good night,
And namaste.
