Welcome.
Find a comfortable seat,
Whatever that means to you today.
Before we begin,
Take a moment to notice the space around you.
Notice the air on your skin and the quiet hum of the world around you.
Now gently close down your eyes.
Let your body settle as if the earth beneath you is gently holding you.
There's nothing you need to do,
No roles to play,
No expectations to meet.
Simply be here and now.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale softly through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale,
Feel your ribs expand.
Exhale,
Let the weight of your day begin to dissolve.
Feel how your breath moves like the ocean.
Each inhale,
A wave rolling in.
Each exhale,
A wave returning to the vastness.
Ever moving,
Ever changing and yet,
Beneath it all,
Something remains.
Let your breath find its own rhythm,
Naturally,
Like the gentle rising and retreating of the tide.
You are safe here.
You are allowed to let go.
You are allowed to be present in this moment.
Imagine standing on the shore of a great ocean.
The waves rise and fall.
Imagine standing on the shore of a great ocean.
The waves rise and fall,
Always shifting.
Some are gentle ripples,
Others crash with intensity.
This is the nature of the ocean,
Never still on the surface.
Just like the mind,
Thoughts come,
Emotions swell.
Some moments feel peaceful,
Others overwhelming.
And yet,
As you watch,
You begin to notice something deeper.
Beyond the ever moving waves,
There is a vast,
Unshaken stillness.
The entire ocean holds the waves,
Yet is not disturbed by them.
Just like you,
No matter how thoughts come and go,
There is a stillness deep within you that is always present.
The ocean does not hold on to a single wave.
It does not resist their coming nor chase after their leaving.
And you,
Like the ocean,
Are not meant to grasp at every passing thought,
Every shifting emotion.
Let them come,
Let them go.
Experience them,
But don't hold on to them.
The surface may change,
But the vastness beneath remains untouched.
And that vastness is you.
Now feel your awareness expand,
As if your presence is stretching out across the ocean itself.
No longer confined to a single thought or feeling,
You are the open,
Boundless space that holds everything.
You do not need to stop the waves,
You do not need to control the time.
You only need to rest as the vastness that you already are.
Breathe in and feel yourself expand.
Breathe out and let go into this openness.
You are not the passing storm,
You are the ocean,
Stillness beneath the surface.
Let these words settle into your being.
Repeat them silently or let my voice carry them deep within.
I am the vastness that holds all things.
I trust the coming and going of life.
Stillness is always within me.
And gently now bring your awareness back to your body.
Feel the ground beneath you,
The gentle rhythm of your breath.
And take a moment to feel into your body,
Into your heart.
Holding anything that may arise in presence.
Without judgement,
Let it be there.
Observe it and hold space.
Gently move your fingers,
Your toes.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
And from this moment of presence,
When you feel ready,
Begin to blink your eyes open.
Returning to the space that you're in.
As you continue with your day,
Know this,
No matter what waves rise and fall,
The vastness,
The stillness remains.
And that vastness,
That stillness is you.
Sending love and light.
