Alright,
So thank you so much for being here today.
Go ahead and settle in.
Find a position that feels comfortable to you.
Can be sitting,
Can be laying down.
Just a position that you feel like you can be at ease and comfortable in for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
Whenever you're ready,
Go ahead and just close your eyes.
We begin to drop in.
Noticing today how we feel.
Taking stock of anything that arises in the body or the mind.
Not passing judgment on it but simply observing.
Notice any emotions or sensations that arise.
You can notice the quality of the mind today.
Are you feeling calm?
Are you feeling anxious?
Is the mind feeling full or overflowing with thought?
How does your body feel today?
Do you feel tired or energized?
Simply taking a moment to be aware of what we feel.
And we'll start today's session with a passage from the book How to Do the Work by Nicole Lepera.
And today's passage is about healing.
Healing is a daily event.
You cannot go somewhere to be healed.
You must go inward to be healed.
This means a daily commitment to doing the work.
You are responsible for your own healing and will be an active participant in that process.
Your level of activity is directly connected to your level of healing.
Small and consistent choices are the path to deep transformation.
Transformation is one of these small and consistent choices that we make in the lifelong lesson of learning to getting to know ourselves,
Of learning how to quiet the mind and body and be present.
So as we drop in,
We'll do a quick body scan and today's activity will actually be a guided imagery activity.
But to start,
We'll continue this dropping into the body.
Starting at the top of the head,
Notice,
Observe how this area feels,
How the crown of the head,
The forehead,
The eyebrows.
Moving down to the inner and outer corners of the eyes,
The cheeks,
The nose and the lips.
Just taking note of all of the tiny muscles in our face,
Imagine them relaxed and at ease.
We'll move down to the neck and the shoulders,
Continuing to scan down the torso,
Scanning the chest and upper back.
Moving down,
Scanning the arms,
Imagining them heavy and weighted and relaxed.
And we'll move down further down the torso,
Moving down to the abdomen,
The middle and lower back.
Scanning down to the hips and the pelvis,
Feeling grounded and centered here.
Then we'll continue to move down the legs,
Moving down the thighs,
The knees,
The calves and shins and finally down to our feet.
Again just observing,
Scanning the body from top to bottom,
Not holding judgment for anything that arises but simply observing.
If thoughts arise that's okay.
Again there is no judgment here just observation.
And as we settle in,
As we scan the body and the mind,
As we become relaxed and at ease,
I'd like us to do a guided imagery exercise.
So from this place with your eyes closed I'd like you to imagine that you are standing in your kitchen or maybe the kitchen of someone you know,
Any kitchen that comes to mind.
Notice what you see around you in this kitchen.
Is it daytime?
Is it nighttime?
Are there other people with you?
What season is it?
What can you hear in the kitchen?
And I'd like you to imagine that in front of you as a cutting board.
Next to the cutting board is a sharp knife.
Imagine walking over to the counter,
Noticing the appliances,
The color of the countertops,
The cupboards,
The windows.
Again noticing any smells or sounds,
Perhaps the running of a dishwasher or the hum of a refrigerator.
Use all of your senses and just notice what you see,
What you hear,
What you smell,
How you feel being there in this kitchen.
And now imagine on that cutting board there is a fresh yellow lemon.
In your mind go ahead and pick up that lemon holding it in one hand.
Feel its weight,
Feel its texture.
And now place it back on the cutting board and carefully cut the lemon in half with that good sharp knife.
Feel the resistance to the knife and how it gives way as the lemon splits open.
Notice the pale yellow of the pulp,
The whiteness of the inner peel.
Notice the scent,
The tangy scent of that lemon.
Really go ahead and cut one of those halves again into noticing perhaps a drop of juice on one of the quarters.
Now imagine lifting this lemon to your mouth,
Smelling the sharp fresh scent.
And imagine in your mind's eye biting into the sour pulp.
You can go ahead and place the lemon back down on the counter and return to your surroundings.
And once again simply observing,
Noticing where you are at in your mind right now.
Be present in this kitchen.
Again just noticing how you feel.
And we'll slowly start to wrap up our time in this image.
Can say goodbye to this place for now knowing we can always come back here.
We can always come back to this kitchen.
We can always come back in our mind's eye to imagine being in another place.
What a beautiful thing the power of the mind.
And whenever you're ready you can go ahead and say goodbye to this kitchen.
We'll slowly start to come back to the room around us where we're currently sitting.
Notice what you can hear,
What you smell,
What you feel.
Notice any sounds around you.
Notice your connection to your seat.
Notice any contact you make,
The floor or your chair.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Go ahead and place one hand over your heart and one hand on your abdomen.
And thank yourself for being here,
For being present,
For taking the small steps,
Small daily commitments towards your healing and your present moment awareness.
Thank yourself for taking a few minutes out of your day to drop in to how your body feels and to let your mind conjure an image that you were completely present in.
Thank yourself for doing this work of quieting and focusing the mind.
You can go ahead and rest your hands back down on your lap.
We'll go ahead and take one big deep breath together and exhale out the mouth.
And whenever you're ready,
You can go ahead and open your eyes.
Thank you so much for being here,
For listening to today's meditation.
If you have any questions or comments,
I'm always available.
Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at Charlotte Suzanne or visit my website at cswellness.
Com.
Thank you so much.
