Welcome to this meditation.
Take your time finding a comfortable seat.
Please use any bolsters or cushions that you need to make yourself more comfortable or to raise your hips higher than your knees.
And if you prefer a kneeling position with a bolster under your bum for meditation,
You're more than welcome to choose that.
Either way,
There's no rush.
Take your time getting ready.
As you are settled,
Gently close your eyes,
Rest your hands on your knees and take a cleansing breath in.
Hold it for a beat and take a cleansing breath out.
Return the breath to normal.
Allow your body and mind to settle into this position.
Begin to draw your attention to your breath.
The breath is your anchor of meditation,
Your focus.
With the mind's eye,
Be the observer of each inhale,
Each exhale,
And each momentary stillness in between.
Listen for what those moments of stillness that come after each inhale and after each exhale have to say to you.
In breath,
Stillness.
Out breath,
Stillness.
The cycle repeats again and again.
With every round of breath,
More relaxation comes to the body.
Every exhale allows you to let go more and more.
Every pause,
Every momentary stillness in the breath is an invitation to deeply get to know yourself.
It is your choice as to what you do with those stillnesses.
Be open to receiving from the universe during these moments.
Accepting the stillness and quiet can be a challenge.
Accept this challenge and be open to receive.
Notice.
Observe.
Feel.
Experience the breath.
Allow your body and mind to settle into the breath's rhythm.
Your breath has a pace all its own,
Its own cadence,
And its own depth.
Let the breath find its way there on its own.
The body and mind relax into a meditative state as they follow the breath.
With the mind's eye,
See the chest and collarbones rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.
Feel the belly move in and out.
Experience the sides of the waist and low back expand and contract as the breath flows in and out like waves on the ocean,
Rolling continually in and out.
The entire torso breathes,
Undulating with waves of breath.
Notice,
Without judgment,
What sensations you feel from the experience of breathing.
What else arises from turning inward and being open to experiencing all that your senses have to show you?
Feel the energy within you.
It is real.
It is flowing like your breath.
You can be open to giving and receiving energy from others and the universe.
Acknowledge and feel this.
The gentle breath of air flows,
Giving life,
Connecting you to the earth and to the universe.
Without the earth,
You cannot breathe.
You are not separate from it.
You are one with it.
Give yourself permission to take up space,
Not just in this meditation or in your yoga practice,
But in life.
You are allowed to be big,
To sit up straight,
To stand tall,
And to be strong.
Your strength is to be admired,
Not feared.
Your personal growth,
Uplifted.
Embrace your presence.
Own your presence,
Your being.
Embrace your ups and downs like you embrace each inhale and exhale.
Try to get a sense of your being in this room.
Then,
Get a sense of your place on this earth.
Now,
Get a sense of your being within the universe.
Expansive like the universe itself.
It is profound.
Feel your prana,
Your life force energy,
Flowing through you.
This energy is life.
Feel it.
Experience it.
Feel this energy beat your heart.
Rhythmic and gentle.
Fierce and loving.
The breath flows freely,
Unrestricted.
It bathes the body and mind,
Refreshing and renewing each cell,
Each muscle,
Each fiber,
Each organ.
Feel each fiber of your being.
Acknowledge how reflecting on this makes you feel.
The focus on the breath keeps you present.
The breath has no past,
No future.
It is just now and only now.
Soft breaths flow rhythmically in and out.
Invite each new breath in.
Release each exhale back into the universe and see what it has to offer you.
What does the stillness say?
What do you feel in the stillness of the breath?
Embrace your growth.
Embrace yourself as you are in this moment.
Take up space.
Gently start to bring yourself back into the room.
Being aware that you're in this room.
Start to bring small movements back into the body.
Reawakening yourself gently.
Fluttering the eyes open.
And moving the hands to heart center.
Namaste.
