Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation.
If you are not there already,
Make your way into a comfortable cross-legged seat now.
I do recommend that you sit on something comfortable like a pillow or a yoga block covered with a blanket or a bolster.
Something soft to root your sitting bones into that lifts your hips up slightly higher than your knees.
Place your hands,
Palms face down somewhere on your thighs or your knees themselves where you don't feel like you have to put in any effort at all to hold up your arms.
So that your shoulders fall towards the symbolic earth below you and away from your ears.
You can find the tiniest little point on the floor a little bit in front of you to soften your gaze upon or close your eyes.
Whichever of those two options supports you best in this moment.
Starting to shift your attention towards your inner world and away from the world outside yourself.
To settle in,
Take a really long,
Slow,
Deep,
Loving inhale in through your nose.
Open your mouth and take a big vocal sigh out.
One more just like that.
In slow,
Long,
Deep,
Kind breath in through your nose and then open your mouth and get really vocal with it.
Let it go.
Out back into your organic rhythm of breath now.
Just slowly,
Slowly,
As if your mind were moving through a big vat of honey.
Bring your awareness from your crown,
The trickle down bit by bit all the way to your toes.
As you work your way through each little nook and cranny of your body,
If there are any little spots that feel extra tight,
Clenched,
Tense,
Weave your breath into those places to begin the process of softening them.
Make sure you pay attention to every little bit of you.
From your crown to your face to your neck to your shoulders to your chest to your back to your abdomen.
Don't forget your sides.
The entire circumference of your hips,
Your legs front and back,
Your ankles,
Your feet,
Top and bottom and your toes.
Every little crevice,
Breath by breath.
Become a little more spacious.
Breath by breath.
Become a little less tense.
Hold on to a little less.
And if you find that there's a spot or two that is particularly challenging to thread your breath into,
Then take your time.
Spend a few extra moments in that place to really let your breath work its magic.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Now do root your sitting bones a bit more firmly into your seat.
And grow the crown of your head up towards symbolic father's sky above you.
Straightening up your posture a bit.
You're showing up with respect for this practice and for yourself.
And together we're going to take a few rounds of a very simple pranayama exercise where you will breathe in for a count of four,
Pause,
And then breathe out for a count of seven.
Let's take one breath together to prepare for this pranayama exercise.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And begin.
Inhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Pause.
Exhale seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Pause.
Exhale seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Pause.
Exhale seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Pause.
Exhale seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Last one.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Pause.
Exhale seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And now bear witness to yourself.
To your true self with a capital S.
The self that lies beyond all of the labels we walk around attaching ourselves to every day.
Do you hear for a moment and see what exists beyond those?
See yourself for the human being that you are,
Not the human doing.
Take a moment to create your own mantra for the day.
An intention that you will adhere to.
Something short and simple that your breath can easily remind you of as you navigate.
The challenges that show up throughout your day today.
Create this intention quietly to yourself three times now.
When you naturally take your next inhale breath,
Feel that inward sip pull your palms up to meet one another in front of your heart center.
Sealing your mantra for the day.
Bring the knuckles of your thumbs up to your third eye center,
The space between your eyebrows and a little bit above.
Now in honor,
May the merits of your sit be of benefit to all beings everywhere.
Let your hands float back to your thighs and slowly flicker your eyes to open.
Thank you so much for joining me for this meditative practice today.
Have a wonderful day.
