Come to find a comfortable posture.
This can be done seated or lying down.
And as you settle into your posture of choice,
Notice if you can make any adjustments to maybe even make yourself even 5% more comfortable.
And if it's comfortable,
I invite you to close your eyes.
Otherwise,
You can lower your eyes and find a soft gaze and a point of focus.
Bring an overall awareness to the physical sensation that you're feeling.
As an observer,
Trying not to identify with it or create a story around it,
Just noticing and naming the sensation that you feel.
You can even place a hand where you feel the sensation to enhance the mind-body connection,
To invite a sense of nurturing,
Soothing and comfort to your physical body.
And as you observe the physical sensation,
Begin to notice your breath.
Are you breathing in this moment?
And notice as you focus on your breath,
How does that shift or change the physical sensation that you're noticing?
Maybe it does,
Maybe it doesn't.
We're just noticing.
Creating some distance and space so we don't identify with it.
And truly just observe it.
It is said that suffering is equal to pain times resistance.
So what we're trying to do here is soften any resistance around the physical sensation to ultimately then soften the suffering around it.
With a gentle,
Compassionate awareness around your breath and the physical sensation,
We're gonna move from more of a passive approach into more of an active approach.
And we're going to use the breath to try to invite even more softening.
So sending your breath to the spot where you feel the sensation discomfort.
As you inhale,
Sending your breath there.
And as you exhale,
Inviting a sense of softening.
Inhale,
Sending that breath,
Sending that oxygen,
Sending prana,
Life force to that spot.
Exhale,
Letting go of anything that's not needed in this moment.
And to enhance the practice,
We're going to use a visual cue.
As you inhale,
Imagine that a healing light begins to enter through the nostrils and send it down into a spot of sensation.
And as you exhale,
Envision that you're exhaling out a dark,
Smoky light,
Releasing any sensations that are not serving you in this moment.
Inhale this healing light,
Whatever color comes to mind.
Inhale it through the nose,
Down to the spot of sensation.
As you exhale,
Pull this dark,
Cloudy smoke from the point of sensation out through the nostrils.
Inhale this healing light.
Exhale,
Dark,
Smoky light.
And continue this visual of inhaling this healing light to the spot of sensation.
And every exhale,
You pull a little bit more of this dark,
Smoky light,
Pulling out any sensation that is not serving you in this moment,
Any sense of pain or discomfort or tightness,
Sending it out through the breath,
Out through the nostrils,
Releasing it out of the body.
If thoughts begin to arise or you begin to create any story or begin to identify with the particular sensation you're noticing,
Return to the breath and this visual cue.
Inhale this healing light.
Exhale out the dark,
Smoky light.
Inhale healing.
Exhale,
Releasing any discomfort.
And if there's space,
Notice as you practice,
Is there any softening around the sensation that you're feeling?
Is there any softening elsewhere in the body and the mind?
What other shifts and changes might be taking place?
And then slowly begin to let the practice go,
Maintaining this awareness of your breath and noticing any shifts or changes in the sensation that you were focusing on.
Has it stayed the same?
Has it changed in any way?
Trying not to identify or judge or feel as if you succeeded or failed or really just noticing.
Was there any shifts or changes?
And again,
There is no right or wrong with this.
Just noticing.
Noticing any other shifts or changes within your entire being,
Any changes in the breath,
Any changes in the mind,
Physical body.
And then letting that focused awareness go and slowly beginning to deepen your breath.
And when you're ready,
Very slowly,
If the eyes are closed,
Begin to allow them to flutter open,
Reintegrating your inner and your outer worlds.
And with the eyes open,
Once again,
Taking notice of any sensation that you were working on.
Has it shifted?
Has it changed?
Are you able to breathe into that space with a little more ease?
Again,
Just noticing.
There's no right or wrong.
And to close the practice,
Offering a moment of gratitude,
Even though there's some sensation that is bringing up discomfort.
Inviting a sense and space for gratitude for your entire being,
For all that it does.
Sending it some loving kindness.
And repeating to yourself mentally or out loud,
Thank you,
Body.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
