Hello there and welcome.
I'm Asya and today I will guide you into being through a meditation I've written as a practice in vulnerability and self-intimacy.
I now invite you to find a safe space where you may allow yourself to soften without being interrupted,
A space that may remind you that,
Just for now,
There is nothing you need to do,
No one you need to be,
And nowhere you need to go.
You might choose to remove any distractions just for a while.
I encourage you to bring to your practice anything that may nurture a sense of warmth and compassion for your sweet self.
Whether it's a blanket,
A mat,
A cushion,
A pillow,
Or loose or warm clothes,
It's really up to you.
In your own time,
You may find a position that makes your body feel at ease,
Knowing you can make any adjustments later if needed.
You might decide to stand,
Lie down on a mattress or mat,
Sit cross-legged,
Or sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Now,
I invite you to bring your hands together over your heart and set an intention to support your practice.
What does your heart yearn for right now?
What has brought you to this practice today?
Then gently close your eyes and slowly adjust your vision to your inner landscape.
Take your time with this and remember that you are free to pause or interrupt the practice at any point if you wish to.
You may place one hand or both hands on the belly to anchor your attention.
Whenever you notice your mind wandering off to different thoughts,
Kindly stir your attention back to the breath.
Remember that you have done nothing wrong,
As this is what minds do,
And it's to expect.
The very fact that you have noticed your thoughts means that you are already practicing mindfulness.
Today,
Your practice consists of gently stirring your attention as best as you can back to the breath without giving yourself a hard time.
Be with the breath however it is now without changing or fixing it.
Be with the breath as it cradles you,
Expecting nothing from you but your complete surrender.
Allow the breath to carry you where you need to be,
The present.
Your breath is an intelligent force and knows the way.
It does not require you to be anywhere else than here and nothing else than who you are now.
Lean into it,
Lean into its ebb and flow and all the sensations that come with it.
By surrendering to the breath,
You also embrace the present version of yourself,
Bringing a sense of acceptance to your sweet self.
This is the precursor to authentic change.
The breath reminds you that you are enough,
Just as you are,
And you are doing great just by being.
Your breath asks you to come to know it intimately by knowing its rhythm and depth without judgment.
Notice how,
Like waves,
It crashes against the shore on each exhale and shyly retreats as you take in the oxygen around you,
Replenishing your lungs.
Trust it,
Trust it.
The breath is your tool and anchor in the present.
Wherever your breath is,
You are,
And being where you are is necessary to get to where you want to be.
Notice the air entering your nostrils,
Filling your lungs and expanding your belly with air.
Notice your stomach contracting as the air travels back through your mouth,
Warming it slightly.
By befriending your breath,
You are befriending yourself.
It takes great courage,
An act of opening and softening of the heart to meet yourself.
I encourage you to stir your awareness towards the rest of your body,
Its weight pulled by gravity.
At your own pace,
Curiously explore whether some parts of your body are more exposed than others,
Whether you can sense the fabric of your clothes covering or brushing your skin.
Notice any areas of tension and tightness,
Expansiveness and openness,
Or coolness and warmth.
Scanning your mouth and throat,
Notice any clenching of your teeth and perhaps you might choose to release just a bit.
Become aware of any itching or tingling sensations,
As if you could draw a map of all the areas brewing with aliveness.
Remember not to seek sensation,
But merely notice whether anything arises without assigning any meaning to your experience.
Whenever you connect with the sensations in your body,
You also engage with your emotions.
Every emotion is in fact a sensation or a cluster of physical sensations coupled with a thought or a narrative about ourselves,
Others,
Or the world.
I encourage you to be with the sensations,
Focusing on them through a compassionate lens,
A lens that reminds you of your humanity and that what you are experiencing is valid and deserves attention.
You might notice the story playing through your mind about your current experience.
For now,
I invite you to loosen your grip on the story as best as you can by anchoring your awareness in your body.
Whenever you notice yourself tensing up against the sensations that are present,
Resisting them,
I invite you to acknowledge your resistance and allow yourself to sink into it a bit more each time and be cradled by it.
Give yourself permission to be with your emotions and allow them to be here,
As if they were uninvited guests.
Can you give yourself permission to be in their presence without pushing them away or striving for anything to happen?
In this space,
Space,
There are no shoulds or shouldn'ts,
There is no right or wrong,
Just what is happening for you now.
Even when things aren't the way you'd like them to be,
Can you allow the resistance around your heart to melt just for this moment?
The more you resist the sensations in your body,
The more suffering they will cause to yourself and others.
Your breath serves as an anchor to the present,
And in the present,
Everything is always moving and changing like your emotions.
Imagine leaning into the breath,
Allowing your emotions to move freely and flow as they are meant to,
So that they may become expressed through you.
Let yourself be moved by the breath and shift from your initial position.
You may sway gently from side to side or from back to front or front to back.
I invite you to focus on how your movements feel rather than on how they look.
Move in whatever way feels good to you,
Making any intuitive gestures that come naturally to you.
You may twist,
Turn,
Rotate or sway different parts of your body.
Notice and acknowledge your inner critic,
But trust yourself and let it go.
Trust your breath,
Trust your sensations,
Trust your emotions,
And trust your instincts.
I encourage you to sound on each exhale.
The sounds don't have to be a certain way.
Let yourself experiment with sound,
And let yourself sound however your breath is making you sound,
Without judging yourself and without holding yourself to any standard.
There is no ugly,
Pretty,
Right,
Wrong,
Or nice in this space.
So bring yourself as you are,
Boldly and bravely.
Let yourself be where you are now,
Whether you're scared,
Lost,
Confused,
Or hesitant.
Embrace all that you are feeling.
My invitation is to let yourself be you right now,
In connection to your breath and your body.
What is it like to be you now?
Listen deeply,
Listen to yourself,
And let yourself be moved.
This is part of the creative and healing process.
The process of creating what you came here to create.
Of releasing what no longer serves a purpose in your life.
Of unlearning who you thought you were,
And embracing who you truly are.
What sounds does your voice feel called to make?
Make them with your entire being.
What movements or gestures is your being calling you to embody?
Explore them,
And notice which movements feel the best to you.
I encourage you to repeat them several times once you've found them,
Focusing each time on your body and the sensations in your body as you perform the movement.
If you could be any of the natural elements now,
What would you be?
Allow the answer to be birthed from deep inside you.
What might this emotion moving through you say?
Say it using your voice.
What might this emotion need?
Once again,
Use your voice.
It is powerful.
At this point,
I invite you to stand up to allow the energy to move freely from the crown of your head to your feet grounded into the earth.
You might move uninhibitedly,
Play music that resonates with you,
And say what you need to say.
You might prefer to dedicate some time to whatever is emerging now once this recording is over.
Whether it's to write or run,
Whatever you choose to do,
Do it for you and nobody else.
Your experience is unique to you.
Trust whatever is happening for you at this moment as an important part of your journey,
Even if you don't understand why.
Whenever we resist where we are now,
We resist the possibility of forward movement and change.
Whenever your mind wanders off,
As it will naturally do,
Kindly stir your awareness back to the sensations in your body without assigning any meaning to them or judging them in any way.
Instead,
Infuse your awareness with kindness,
Openness,
And compassion.
As the sensations become amplified,
I encourage you to make sounds on the exhale.
Be the pain,
Grief and sadness,
Joy and bliss,
Rage and anger,
Disappointment and frustration as if they were never to knock on your door again.
Love them.
Love them because they are temporary.
Love them because each emotion comes with a gift of your personal truth.
One more piece to the puzzle of your integrity,
So that you may know yourself and share who you are authentically.
Hidden in each emotion is a treasure,
A jewel of profound wisdom,
Which you can only access when you welcome the emotion and allow it to express itself through you.
Your tears prepare the ground for future growth.
I will now give you a few minutes to be with whatever may have emerged for you during this process.
As we come to a close,
You might be feeling raw,
Vulnerable,
And especially sensitive.
I invite you to ask yourself what you might need at this time,
Or what you feel most cold to do or not do,
And to provide it to your sweet self the way a best friend would.
Be gentle with yourself as you allow your whole being to return to a state of equilibrium.
Thank you for being here.
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you experience joy.
May you come to love and accept all that you are,
Even your mistakes.
May you be who you are.
May you speak your truth.
Until next time,
Just love.
