Welcome,
Thank you for being here today and joining me for this time,
Time to simply be.
As we begin,
Take a moment and settle in.
Roll your shoulders up,
Back and down.
Lift the crown of your head toward the ceiling as though a string is pulling it upward.
Breathe in and feel the stretch in your neck and shoulders.
And as you breathe out,
Let your body move gently as it needs.
Then when you're ready,
Come to stillness,
Sitting straight but not rigid.
And if you're comfortable doing so,
Let your eyes gently close.
Tune in now to the sounds in your environment,
And let your attention rest there,
First noticing the loudest sounds,
Those you hear most easily.
Try to meet them with equanimity,
With no need to change them.
Simply notice,
As an observer in the moment,
Whatever these sounds,
Whatever their source,
They are companions in the present.
Now see if you can find the smaller sounds beneath these.
If your other senses awaken,
That's okay.
Just notice what is and whatever arises.
Then see if you can reach beneath it,
To the white spaces between the sounds,
Between your breaths,
Between the sensations.
All that is,
Is on a palette we call the present,
And you,
An observer,
Quiet and still.
It's natural for thoughts to arise,
Expectations,
Wants,
Judgments.
If you notice the voices of any of these coming into your mind,
Into your consciousness,
Acknowledge them,
And then see if you can let them dissolve into the symphony of the moment.
Even imagine the words as they arise,
Actually dissolving,
As you tune in once more,
To the sounds,
To the feel of your feet upon the ground,
To the weight of your bum upon your chair,
To the air on your skin,
To the sensations of your senses meeting the world.
Now with your attention,
Find the rise and fall of your body as you breathe in and out,
Noticing how the breath moves through you,
Following it into your nose,
Down into your chest,
Perhaps all the way to your belly.
Let yourself even sway with the rhythm of your breathing if so moved to,
As though your whole body is breathing.
Gently,
Slowly,
Let your attention rest upon your heart center,
Every breath expanding and softening this space.
Imagine even a white light growing with the breath,
A light that spreads through you and around you,
Holding you.
With every breath in,
Your heart and the light expand,
And with every exhale,
You soften.
See yourself now walking through the light of your heart.
On the other side,
You find yourself still held in the light,
And you're in a beautiful,
Peaceful setting with the sky above you.
This place is for you,
So let it be whatever,
Wherever you need it to be.
From here,
You look up into the expansive blue-white of the sky,
And you feel your mind expanding with it into infinite boundlessness where all things are held.
And now,
As you remain held in the white light,
Bring to mind the image of someone you love.
Unconditionally,
Even easily,
They can be a human or even a pet,
But see them standing before you.
See them at their best,
Their most joyful,
And let the joy of that fill you.
Let your love and joy fill your heart and flow through you,
Reaching out to them.
And now allow yourself to see them in their fullness,
The richness and beauty of their happiness,
And then even in their challenges.
See the parts of their tapestry that are darker,
Uneven,
And deeply,
Deeply human or animal.
Feel now,
Blending with your love for them,
The energies of empathy and compassion,
And let these soften the spaces between you.
Imagine the light of your heart reaching out to them,
And with it,
Upon it,
The words,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be filled with joy and ease,
With deep gladness and great love,
And may you be free from suffering.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be filled with joy and ease,
With deep gladness and great love,
And may you be free from suffering.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be filled with joy and ease,
With deep gladness Send to them these words again,
Or any others that you want for them.
See now,
Slowly and gently,
This person or animal return to their joyful state,
And then let their image fade.
And see it replaced with an image of yourself,
Standing before you.
See yourself at your best,
Your most joyful.
Maybe smile to yourself in recognition of this.
Let your love flow forward,
Surrounding and filling this most whole and happy version of you.
See now you,
In your full humanness,
A tapestry of all colors,
Light and dark,
All textures,
Smooth and rough,
All necessary and beautiful.
Recognizing those more hurt,
Challenging and challenged spaces,
Let your compassion and surrounding yourself.
Let love flow forth.
Let it flow upon the light,
Outward to this image of yourself,
And with it,
On it,
The words.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be filled with joy and ease,
With deep gladness and great love.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be filled with joy and ease.
With deep gladness and great love.
May I be free from suffering.
Feel yourself soften towards yourself.
Spend a moment and say the words you most need to hear.
Words of compassion.
Words of grace.
Let this image of you return to a pure and joyful state.
Breathe in and know,
All is well.
Gently,
Softly,
The image of yourself fades,
But the energy remains within you.
And now looking up into the sky,
See there an image of the earth.
The patterns of the world on her face.
Feel once more the energies of your compassion and love.
Let the light rise up and surround the whole of life as we know it.
The earth and all her children.
The light touches each and all,
As do the words.
May we all be well.
May we all be happy.
May we all live in ease,
With joy and hope.
And may we all be safe,
Filled with deep gladness and guided by love.
May we all be well.
May we all be happy.
May we all live in ease,
With joy and hope.
And may we all be safe,
Filled with deep gladness and guided by love.
Taking a deep inhale and a very slow exhale,
Let the image of the earth go.
Let the image of the world fade into the light,
Held there as all are.
Return now,
In your mind's eye,
To the doorway of light,
And with an expanded heart filled with compassion,
Hope and love,
See yourself move through it,
Coming back into your space.
Feel once more the solidity of your feet upon the ground,
Your bum and your back against the seat.
Notice the position of your hands and the posture of your shoulders.
Tune in to the sounds around you.
Rest your attention on the present moment for a few breaths.
And when you are ready,
Wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.
