Hi and welcome to this guided effortless meditation practice.
My name is Amelia and I'll be taking you through this process today.
Firstly making sure you're sitting somewhere very comfortable where you won't be disturbed for the next 30 minutes and turning your devices to silent.
Grab as many pillows and blankets as you need to feel relaxed,
Trying to keep your back supported and your head unsupported to prevent you from falling asleep.
If you happen to fall asleep then please do enjoy this deep and restful sleep that it's clear that your body needs.
Whenever you're ready closing down your eyes,
Taking one deep breath and exhaling with a sigh.
With your eyes closed starting to notice what's present in your surroundings,
In your mind and in your body as you settle in for this practice.
Making yourself as comfortable as you can while also completely accepting whatever comes up for you and also please do adjust if you ever need to during this practice.
Most important thing is that you are comfortable.
I invite you now to place your awareness on your breath,
Noticing the breath moving in and out through your nose if this is comfortable for you.
As you continue to inhale and exhale through your nose you may deepen your breath as we continue with a few minutes of belly breathing.
If you wish you may lightly place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly for feedback.
In your own time take a slow and steady breath in,
Feeling your belly rise as you do so and breathe out feeling your belly gently recede.
Breathing in,
Feeling your belly rise,
Your chest remains relatively still and breathing out feeling your belly fall and your chest remaining relatively still.
Continue this at your own pace in a way that feels comfortable for you.
A little bit of movement in the chest is perfectly okay but for the most part it's your belly that's doing the rising and the falling with your breath.
Taking slow and steady breaths at your own pace but never to the point of discomfort.
Breathing this way helps to rebalance your oxygen and carbon dioxide ratios,
Improve your circulation and strengthen your heart and lungs.
The aim of the meditation today is not to think of nothing,
We're allowing all feelings and sensation to take place.
The aim of the meditation today is not to think of nothing,
We're allowing all feelings and sensation to take place and in doing so giving our mind a chance to debug itself and our body to repair in the way it knows best.
We do this by following the simple process of effortless meditation in which we rest our awareness very lightly on our anchor which right now is your breath.
We allow our awareness to naturally drift away from our anchor as it will many many times and then whenever we happen to realize where we are and what we're doing,
That's when we choose to very gently and effortlessly come back to our anchor.
Thoughts are a natural,
Expected and important part of the meditation process which are allowing to unfold in its own time at its own pace.
Whenever you happen to notice that your awareness is no longer on your anchor,
Just slowly and effortlessly rest your awareness on your anchor once again.
Continuing your belly breath in your own time without judgment or effort.
Keeping your eyes closed,
You can return your hands to a comfortable position if you haven't already done so and your breath back to its natural rhythm.
I invite you now to take a moment to relax your body and mind.
Now to scan your body with your mind to release any built up tension that you might discover in the process.
Beginning at the top of your head,
Noticing your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
Around your jaw,
Noticing if you're holding any tension or clenching.
Allowing this to soften by acknowledging the tension,
Simply acknowledging can be enough for it to ease.
Moving to your neck now,
Observing any feelings,
Any tightness as you tune into this part of your body.
Shifting your awareness to your shoulders,
Noticing how your shoulders are positioned,
If you're holding them up,
Crunching them up,
Not judging this in any way,
Simply notice and this allows any tension to melt away.
Traveling down your body and noticing your back,
Feeling your back resting against the seat behind you and noticing any sensations or feelings present at the moment.
Letting your awareness move to your chest now,
Noticing if there's any heaviness,
Any tightness,
Allowing all sensations to be present simply by giving permission you may notice that the sensation softens.
Moving to your arms,
Feeling the way they perhaps are placed alongside your body,
With your hands resting on your lap or next to you on your seat.
Are they feeling heavy,
Warm,
Cold,
Whatever is present for you is okay.
Resting your awareness now on your belly,
Noticing it rising and falling softly with each breath,
You may notice it feeling full or perhaps hungry ahead of your next meal.
Moving to your legs,
Sensing the pressure on the seat beneath you,
Noticing any restlessness that may be present,
Giving yourself permission to relax into your seat a little further.
Moving all the way down to your feet,
Feeling them gently resting on the floor beneath you,
Allowing the soles of your feet to sink a little further into the floor.
Now taking one deep cleansing breath,
Let it all go,
Allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm once again.
I invite you now on a journey,
Allowing your awareness to rest on the imagery created by my voice,
Imagine walking along a beautiful quiet trail in the forest.
Leaves and branches are dotting the ground and crunching underfoot as you slowly walk along the trail.
The air is mild and refreshing but the sun just above the horizon is warming your faith.
The smooth outcrop of rocks is lining the path and the tree trunks are winding their way up to meet the tree canopy and the blue skies above.
Hearing the birds singing softly in the distance.
Arriving at a clearing in the forest,
You step onto the soft grass which has been warmed by the sun.
Lush green ferns are lining the edges of the clearing before the trees take their place.
Noticing a stream to your left,
Hearing the sound as the water trickles downstream over rocks and branches.
Your fingers gently brush the wildflowers growing along the bank of the stream and the sweet scent fills your nose.
Inhaling it into your lungs,
The scent moves through your chest,
Your arms,
Your belly,
It fills your legs and your feet.
Laying down on your back on the grass if this feels comfortable for you,
Feeling the welcoming sun gently warming you as you ease into the grass beneath you.
Enjoy every moment of this beautiful sunshine,
Warming your body,
Keeping you safe,
Warm and loved.
Feeling the weight of your legs heavy on the ground,
Your back,
Your shoulders,
Your arms and hands.
Feeling the weight of your head resting on the ground.
Enjoying every bit of sun shining down on you.
As you're laying here,
I invite you to lazily and effortlessly rest your awareness on the natural rhythm of your breath.
Resting your awareness on the natural rhythm of your breath.
Noticing your belly rising with each inhale and falling with each exhale.
Resting your awareness on your breath without any concentration or focus.
Whenever you happen to realize you've drifted away from your breath onto thoughts or sounds,
Remember that this is a normal,
Important part of the meditation process and very effortlessly and slowly return back to your anchor without any judgment or concern.
Gently drifting away and drifting back with no judgment,
Simply allowing whatever is coming up for you.
You are not your thoughts,
You are not your emotions,
You are the wonderful person inside of you.
Your emotions and thoughts are simply passing through.
I invite you now to let go of your anchor and simply rest for the last few minutes while you allow the effects of the meditation to slowly sink in.
You can choose to stay exactly as you are or you can recline into a more comfortable position.
There's nothing to do here but rest,
I'll keep the time.
Gradually starting to deepen your breath,
Keeping your eyes closed until the very end.
Slowly move your fingers and your toes,
Doing whatever feels comfortable for you to stretch and move in a way that you need.
Acknowledging yourself for taking the time out of your day to do this and allowing your mind to debug and your body to repair by choosing to practice effortless meditation.
Whenever you feel comfortable you can very slowly open your eyes and let go of this meditation.
There's no rush.
Thank you for joining me today.
