I invite you to find a comfortable way of being,
Whether seated or lying down,
Where you feel supported,
And closing your eyes or relaxing your gaze.
I invite you to bring your attention down to your feet,
Noticing the surface beneath them,
Maybe wiggling your toes,
Tapping your feet,
Get some feeling into them,
Or even pushing into the surface,
Feeling the strength in your legs,
Noticing the temperature and texture around your feet,
You're wearing socks or shoes or barefoot.
And bringing your attention up your legs,
To your seat,
To your sitting bones,
Feeling the full weight of your body on the surface,
Holding you up,
Supporting you,
Without you having to do anything,
Feeling the force of gravity on your body,
Whether your body gives in or resists,
Which is neither good nor bad,
It just is.
Inviting you to see if your body can melt a fraction of an inch into your seat and what that feels like.
Bringing your attention up to your chest,
Your heart space,
Your breast.
Noticing the gentle movement of your body as you breathe.
Noticing that your body breathes for you without you having to control it.
Noticing the quality of your breath without having to change anything.
Noticing the life available to you in your breathing.
I invite you to join me in taking three conscious breaths,
However you like to do them.
If you'd like to join me,
I will be extending my exhales to be longer than my inhales,
Inhaling to about the count of four,
And exhaling to about the count of eight.
But you do not have to match my pace.
I invite you to breathe in,
And out,
Again in,
One last time in.
Bringing your attention to your body,
Scanning from the top of your head down to your feet,
Noticing any areas where you may feel tension,
Discomfort,
Or pain,
Just noticing without having to change anything.
Noticing how much or little space it takes up,
That boundary where it begins and ends,
The intensity of it.
And then scanning again,
This time noticing any areas that feel pleasant,
Comfortable,
Or just neutral,
Even if just a finger or a toe.
And then bringing your attention to your head and your face,
Noticing the area between your eyebrows,
Maybe relaxing there,
Behind your eyes,
And down to your jaw,
Relaxing,
Perhaps opening your jaw up wide slowly,
And slowly,
Slowly,
Closing it,
Noticing and relaxing the back of your neck,
Your throat,
Noticing the area where your neck meets your shoulders,
Perhaps giving a stretch,
Or doing some neck circles,
Or perhaps lifting your shoulders up towards your ears and giving a squeeze,
And slowly lowering back down,
Noticing the difference.
Bringing your attention down your arms,
Past your elbows,
Past your wrists,
To your hands,
Perhaps tapping your fingertips together,
Getting some feeling into your fingers,
Maybe rubbing your hands together,
Feeling the temperature and texture,
Perhaps giving your hands some gratitude for the work that they do each day.
And if it feels right,
Taking a moment to notice any area that may need a little extra love or support,
Placing a hand there in gentle acknowledgement and support,
Noticing what that feels like,
Even if nothing changes,
Bringing attention to your backside,
Noticing where your body is making contact with another surface and where it's not,
Perhaps leaning into the support available there that would feel good,
And then bringing your attention through to your front side,
Noticing clothing or air against your skin and what it feels like,
And bringing your attention down your hips,
Down to your ankles,
Back to your feet,
And taking another breath,
And bringing your attention inward,
Noticing what's present for you right now,
Maybe a sensation,
A feeling,
An impulse or a thought,
Perhaps making space for it to exist,
Be acknowledged,
To be welcome,
Without judgment,
Perhaps to belong,
Maybe having some curiosity,
But just making space to notice,
And to notice what happens when you do.
And when you're ready,
Taking as much time as you need,
If you need more time you can pause this recording,
When you're ready,
Bringing your attention back up to your head and your face,
If you had your eyes closed,
Gently opening them,
And slowly from side to side,
Looking around the space that you're in,
Taking in where you are and what's around you,
Naming to yourself at least three things that you see,
Even looking behind you,
Noticing the time of day,
How old you are,
Coming back to the present moment,
Noticing what it's like to be you right now.
And this concludes the meditation.
Thank you for joining me.
