So let's make ourselves comfortable.
If we're in a chair,
Putting our bottom towards the back of the chair so we're supported.
Lengthening our spine a little bit as we inhale.
And settling into the seat a little bit as we exhale.
Finding somewhere we can be still,
Where our limbs are comfortable.
If we can balance our head on the top of our spine,
We won't need hardly any effort to hold it up.
Shoulders are soft,
Our arms and hands are still.
We can park our body for a little while.
And press pause.
As we press pause,
We bring our attention inwards.
Body and breath.
Present moment.
If our mind wanders,
We just notice.
Okay,
That's fine.
And we return,
Knowing that's part of the training process to increase our focus.
So as best we can,
We keep our mind in the body and the breath.
And I'm hoping,
Like me,
That you can feel a sense of a gradual relaxation.
Slowing.
So we use our breath to draw some energy into our body.
We can become depleted so easily.
So when we inhale,
We can imagine our connection to the sky above us.
Connection to the earth beneath us becoming active.
And we're drawing energy in from the earth beneath us and from the sky above us into our centre.
The breath is still comfortable.
We're just visualising energy coming into our centre with each in-breath.
You can imagine that any way you want.
Drawing that prana,
Chi,
Universal energy in towards us consciously.
Those breaths are probably a little bit slower,
Deeper than normal.
Just a little,
Though,
Or we may be causing more stress.
So the breath may slow a little.
And that's good.
So we've opened ourselves to the flow of this universal energy.
We're going to imagine our energy field.
Visualise it.
And because our sceptical mind might be suggesting that's a load of old rubbish,
We can put him on our shoulder and let him say whatever he likes while the rest of us get on with the job of organising our energy field.
So let's visualise our energy field.
It may be that it's become very contracted or it may be diffused and disappeared.
Either way,
We can imagine adjusting it with our energetic arms so that it's just beyond fingertip length away from us.
Smoothing it above our head,
Beneath our feet.
Checking around the back.
Smoothing it into place.
Noticing if we find any holes.
However feels right,
Smoothing those holes back together.
Maybe putting a little darn in place.
And then we can get out a cloth,
Give it a polish or a squeegee.
A clean,
So that those rainbow colours are brighter.
We're starting to sparkle a little.
And if our sceptical self thinks that's a load of rubbish,
We can let him say what he will.
We can feel how it feels to do this.
Maybe we do feel a little better.
And that is our guide.
So we've repaired,
Restored our energy field.
So now we're going to pay conscious attention to our central energy processing system.
Our spine,
Central nervous system.
And we'll use our breath again.
So as we inhale,
We're going to allow our breath to travel up our spine to the crown of our head.
And exhaling back down to our tailbone.
Inhaling,
Attention rolling up the spine.
Exhaling,
Attention rolling down the spine.
Again the breath is comfortable,
Not forced at all.
And each time our attention rolls up and down,
Our central nervous system,
Our spine is going to become a little brighter,
Lighter,
Energised.
It's gradually becoming energised and light,
Even radiant.
We can let that radiant column connect to the earth beneath us and the sky above us.
We're sitting in this column of light,
Connected to the earth and the sky.
Connected to the energy of the earth and the sky,
Part of it.
Energy flowing more freely now.
And feeling how it feels to do these things.
And just noticing if that's something that may be useful for you.
We're going to use this flow of energy now to recharge us a little bit.
So we'll place our hands over our heart centre,
Palms facing our heart centre.
Shoulders are still comfortable and soft.
We're going to imagine drawing that energy in with the in-breath.
And exhaling the energy flowing down our arms,
Through our palms,
Back into our heart.
Drawing the energy in from the world around us.
On our in-breath,
Into our centre.
Exhaling that energy travelling down our arms,
Out through our palms,
Into our heart.
So we start to direct the energy.
Feeling how it feels to do that.
So we can now direct this energy to parts of our body.
We'll start with our eyes.
You may wish to take glasses off if you have any.
And you can put your hands straight over your eyes or just without quite touching them,
Whatever feels right.
Letting that energy be drawn into our centre on the in-breath.
Out through our palms to our eyes on the out-breath.
Top of our head.
Shoulders still soft.
If your shoulders are uncomfortable,
Try imagining doing it to see if that's helpful.
Back of the head.
Draw the energy in on the in-breath.
Let the energy flow to the back of the head on the out-breath.
Our mouth and our jaw.
Soft shoulders.
Our throat.
Drawing the energy in.
Directing it to our throat.
Let's put our arms around ourselves now.
Embracing ourselves.
Letting the energy travel into our back and our shoulders.
Embracing ourselves the other way round.
Drawing the energy in.
Letting it flow into our back and our shoulders.
Our belly.
And then please take a few moments,
If there's any bit of your body that needs energy particularly,
Needs to heal.
If there's an injury or an illness,
You might like to direct energy to that.
Resting for a moment.
Please allow your hands to rest.
And noticing how that feels.
So,
We've recharged ourselves a little bit.
But we can only go so far if we don't attend to our difficulties.
Our wounds.
Our hurts.
Our problems.
Our sadness.
And so that little person who was our sceptic,
We're going to invite them to join in now.
And you can invite him to sit in your hands and give voice to some of your difficulties.
This can be very difficult,
So be gentle with yourself.
Listen.
See if we can suspend judgement in favour of love.
It took me a long time to realise what inner child stuff meant.
It means loving our pains.
The pains from our past and the ones that are still hurting us now.
Not loving the pain,
Loving the one who experienced and experiences the pain.
You like being a loving parent for the one experiencing that pain.
So whatever that might be for you,
Let your hurt be heard.
Accept it completely on face value.
And I know that's not easy.
So if you choose to do that,
You can congratulate yourself for a big step towards your healing journey.
And then letting some of that prana flow from your palms into that problem or pain,
Sorrow.
Not to energise the problem,
But as potential towards the thousand different ways the universe could help you resolve the problem.
Resting for a moment.
Resting in our awareness.
Our focus now is awareness itself.
Returning the attention to the breath and the body.
And just noticing if we feel different from when we started the practice.
And we'll use one or two deeper in-breaths to start to mobilise the body.
Bringing movement back into the body.
And gradually returning to our waking state.
Stretching arms and legs where however feels good for you.
And gradually coming back.
Thank you for practicing with me.
