Welcome to the special guided meditation and celebration of the International Yoga Day.
I am Anna and I'm deeply honored to guide you through this meditation design to promote unity,
Peace,
And mindfulness.
The International Yoga Day was officially established in 2014 with the intention of celebrating the holistic benefits of yoga on June 21st,
The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Each year,
International Yoga Day holds a specific theme to highlight different aspects of yoga and its benefits.
This year,
In 2024,
The theme is Yoga for Women's Empowerment,
With a special emphasis on promoting women's well-being and advancing global health and peace.
Yoga serves as a comprehensive tool for empowering women,
Addressing their physical,
Mental,
Emotional,
Social,
And spiritual needs.
Empowered women play a vital role as leaders,
Educators,
And advocates for change,
Fostering inclusivity,
Diversity,
And empowerment throughout society.
Whether you are a woman or not,
May we focus on today's meditation as an invitation to celebrate and empower ourselves as individuals.
Ancient teachers considered yoga as a science as it aims to bring us knowledge,
A knowledge that goes beyond the external realms and establishes a deeper connection with our inner selves.
As the ancient scriptures from the Yoga Sutra say,
Yoga means to control and still the swirling currents of thoughts in the mind.
If you control the thoughts that arise and still them completely,
You're able to observe the world clearly and directly without any distortions from the angle.
The ability to discipline the chattering mind is what takes us to the state of yoga.
When the turbulence stops and the lake of the mind becomes clear and still,
Our true essence,
Our self,
Is reflected.
Then the self can abide in its own true nature.
This is the goal.
This is what we want to attain.
Today,
As millions around the world come together to honor the practice of yoga,
Let us join in this collective intention of harmony and well-being.
Find a comfortable position,
Either seated or laying down,
And allow yourself to settle in,
Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath in,
Inviting a sense of calm and presence,
And a deep breath out,
Releasing anything that holds you away from being right here,
Right now.
Just taking another two deep,
Cleansing breaths to truly arrive.
Inhale through the nose and exhale out through the mouth.
One more.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Now you can seal the lips together.
And just taking deep breaths in and out through your nose,
Feeling your lungs completely.
Holding for a moment at the top of your inhale.
Next time,
Inhaling,
Inhaling,
Holding,
And then exhaling slowly through the nose,
Releasing any tension.
Repeating that,
Inhale,
Quick short pause at the top,
Exhale through the nose.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Pause at the top,
Exhale.
Now,
Gently bring your awareness to the top of your head as you bring your weight towards a natural way of breathing,
In and out through the nose.
As you bring your awareness to the top of your head,
Slowly scan down your body,
Noticing any areas of tension or discomfort.
So moving from the head down to the neck,
And the shoulders,
And the arms,
The hands,
And the fingertips.
Then moving down to your upper chest,
Ribcage,
Belly,
Upper back,
Mid back,
Low back,
Hips,
Thighs,
Glutes,
Quads,
Knees,
Shins,
Calves,
Ankles,
Feet,
Toes.
Allowing yourself to scan through your entire body and from that space of scanning,
Inviting a sense of release of any remaining tension that you might be carrying to this time in the space.
Releasing any stress,
Releasing anything that doesn't really serve you at this point of time.
And now from that space where you feel cleaner,
Where you feel lighter,
Visualize yourself in a beautiful,
Peaceful place.
Just find a place that you find yourself in peace.
It could be anywhere in the world.
It could be a place you've been,
Could be a place in your imagination,
A place you would want to go.
But that you're there,
You're really feeling at complete peace.
Imagining that in this space,
You're not alone.
Visualizing people from all over the world joining you in this peaceful place.
Each person is radiating light and calm.
Feel the collective energy of everyone around you.
This energy is filled with intentions of peace,
Love,
And unity.
So each breath you take,
You inhale that love,
That peace,
That unity.
And each exhale you take,
You release.
Release worries,
Release stress,
Release anxiety.
Repeating that space of breathing in and breathing out that love,
That peace,
That unity.
Each time you inhale,
You're breathing in this collective,
Beautiful,
Peaceful,
Loving,
United energy.
Allowing it to fill your heart.
And as you exhale,
You send your own light and love to everyone in the circle.
Visualizing a symbol of unity forming at the center of this group,
Center of this people,
This circle.
It could be a glowing heart,
A radiant sun,
Or even a mandala.
And as you visualize this beautiful,
Radiant symbol of unity,
Your own symbol of unity,
See the symbol shining brightly,
Representing the connection and harmony among all beings.
So everyone is connected throughout this beautiful symbol of unity.
Everyone is breathing peace,
Love,
And unity.
Now,
As you keep breathing peace,
Love,
Unity,
As you feel connected,
Empowered by this beautiful circle that is shining brightly,
Visualizing this beautiful symbol of unity.
Visualize now a symbol of empowerment appearing before you.
It might be a powerful animal that comes to your mind,
A majestic tree,
Or even a radiant light.
The symbol represents your inner strength,
Your inner resilience,
Your ability to overcome challenges.
Yes,
My love,
You've got it all within you.
And now it's really in front of yourself.
You're really seeing it.
So now imagine yourself connected to this symbol.
Feel its energy.
Feel its energy.
Feel its energy merging with your own,
Filling you with a sense of empowerment and confidence.
Allow the symbol to remind you of your inherent power and potential.
As you breathe in,
You're drawing in the strength and empowerment from the symbol.
As you breathe out,
Imagine it spreading across your body.
You're really spreading this entire sense of empowerment to your body,
To yourself,
And then moving that to those around you.
Creating a ripple effect of strength and confidence.
In this beautiful space of unity,
Love,
Connection,
Empowerment,
Silently bring your awareness back to the beautiful heart,
Your heart.
And from that space,
I invite you to repeat the following affirmation that I'll repeat now for yourself,
Or you could simply let the words sink within the beautiful heart of yours.
I am a vessel of peace,
Unity,
And love connected with the global community through the practice of yoga.
I am a vessel of peace,
Unity,
And love connected with the global community through the practice of yoga.
I am a vessel of peace,
Unity,
And love connected with the global community through the practice of yoga.
Feel the truth of this world resonate deeply within you.
Allowing yourself to bask in this feeling of global connection and peace.
Feel the warmth and love in your heart expanding and touching all those around you.
Know that the sense of unity and peace is always within you,
Accessible at any moment.
All you need to do is to come back to it,
To make a pause,
To feel that beautiful heart of yours,
To breathe in the collective energy,
To remember that you're not alone,
That you're sustained by beautiful beings that as you connect within their inner selves through yoga.
And from that beautiful space,
Allow yourself to celebrate yoga as such for allowing yourself to be,
To connect with yourself in the space across time and space all times,
Every time we show up.
And then gradually bring your awareness back to your space,
Deepening your breath and just wiggling the fingers and the toes,
Maybe stretching the body,
Taking a moment to notice how you feel,
How the practice has brought you to your current state of mind,
Carrying the sense of global unity and peace into the rest of your day.
And once you feel ready to truly come back,
You can then slowly bring your hands in front of your heart in Anjali Mudra prayer position.
In that space,
Slowly rub the palms,
Rub the palms as quickly and strongly as you can.
And then slowly bring the hands back to your heart or to your face or wherever you want that warmth,
That heat,
That energy.
And from that space,
I thank you for joining the special meditation and celebration of the International Yoga Day.
And just remember that yoga,
That unity,
That connection inwards,
That space is always there.
We don't need to wait for an international day to celebrate it.
We can actually celebrate that connection with ourselves every time,
Every day we show up for ourselves.
As we go on your day,
Remember of the power of the collective intention and the peace that yoga brings into our lives and the world.
Thank you very much from my heart to yours.
Namaste.
