Soft Belly Meditation

This is a soft belly meditation by Stephen Levine Find yourself seated in a comfortable position Maybe you're sitting on a mat,

On a cushion,

In a chair Allow your body to relax into this posture Keep your back straight but not too stiff Hands resting on your legs,

Your thighs Bring your eyes to a gentle close Taking a few deep breaths,

Feel the body you breathe in Feel the body expanding and contracting with each breath Focus on the rising and falling of the abdomen Let awareness receive the beginning,

Middle,

And end of each in-breath,

Of each out-breath Expanding and contracting the belly Note the constantly changing flow of sensation in each inhalation,

In each exhalation And perhaps begin to soften all around these sensations Let the breath breathe itself in a softening belly Soften the belly to receive the breath,

To receive sensation,

To experience life in the body Soften the muscles that have held the fear for so long Soften the tissue,

The blood vessels,

The flesh Letting go of the holding of a lifetime Letting go into soft belly,

Merciful belly Soften the grief,

The distrust,

The anger held so hard in the belly Levels and levels of softening,

Levels and levels of letting go Moment to moment,

Allow each breath its full expression in soft belly Let go of the hardness,

Let it flow in something softer and kinder Let thoughts come and let them go Floating like bubbles in the spaciousness of soft belly Holding to nothing,

Softening,

Softening Let the healing in,

Let the pain go Have mercy on yourself,

Soften the belly,

Open the passageway to the heart In soft belly,

There is room to be born at last,

And room to die when the moment comes In soft belly,

It's the vast spaciousness in which to heal,

In which to discover our unbounded nature Letting go into the softness,

Fear floats in the gentle vastness we call the heart Soft belly is the practice that accompanies us throughout the day and finds us at day's end still alive and well Thank you for watching!