Hello everyone,
It's such a joy to be able to share this practice with all of you.
So to begin,
I'm going to start you to adjust your posture in any way that feels right.
Maybe you want to stretch a little bit,
Inviting some movement into your body.
Sometimes we carry a lot of weight in our shoulders,
In our back,
In our neck.
So anything that you can do to offer some spaciousness in your body,
We can begin with that.
You can also invite a hand or both hands to your chest or your belly or any other place in your body that feels right for you in this moment.
And you can close your eyes or lower your gaze.
And we can simply begin with a few deep cleansing breaths.
Inhaling through our nose and exhaling through our mouth.
Releasing any tension that you can find in your heart,
In your body or in your mind.
Allowing these deep breaths to be your soft landing,
Your invitation to arrive.
To arrive fully just as you are.
Including all of your parts,
Welcoming all of your parts to this present moment.
Now let's just take a moment to allow our breath to rest in its own natural rhythm.
Inhaling and exhaling only through your nose now.
And gently resting your attention in your own breath.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to achieve,
Nothing to change.
Just the possibility to be here with ourselves in our own good company.
Enjoying the pause,
The silence.
And if you notice that your mind wanders,
Remember it's the nature of the mind to wander.
It's okay.
And in the next in-breath you're free to come back again and again.
Simply allowing your attention to rest gently in your own breath.
Maybe even feeling the force of life as it comes in.
And how it nourishes our body,
Every cell of this beautiful body.
And now I'm going to invite you to imagine that you're in a beautiful,
Safe,
Nurturing place.
It can be a place in nature,
A place that you know,
Or it can be a place that you create in your mind's eye.
Vividly imagining the smells,
The sounds,
The colors.
Adding as many details as you would like.
Just feeling welcomed by this place.
And noticing how you feel in your body.
And again,
It can be a place that only exists in your mind.
It's your place.
And I'm going to invite you to imagine a compassionate image in this beautiful place.
This compassionate image will join you here.
And it can be a loved one,
A teacher,
A friend,
A religious figure,
Or an image from nature.
An image that represents the qualities of kindness,
Wisdom,
Strength,
Love,
Care,
And compassion.
And imagine yourself being in the presence of this compassionate image.
And imagine being the recipient of his or her compassion.
And feel how you can be completely yourself in the presence of this compassionate image.
You're fully welcomed.
Totally relaxed,
Free of judgment,
Only total acceptance,
And total belonging.
And unconditional love.
And see if you can soften internally or externally even a bit more your body,
Your mind,
Your heart.
And as you stay in the presence of this beautiful compassionate image,
It awakens these qualities in you,
Your own source of strength,
Wisdom,
Love,
And compassion.
And as we awaken these qualities in ourselves,
We can connect with our own needs in this moment.
Noticing,
How am I really right now?
And what do I need?
What do I truly need right now?
And if you notice that there's something that is creating some stress or some uneasiness in this moment for you,
You can invite that to the practice.
All parts are welcomed.
And silently you can offer the following phrases to yourself.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be free from fear,
Anger,
And anxiety.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be kind to myself.
Or even may I begin to be kind to myself.
May I connect with my own basic goodness.
May I give and receive all the love that I need.
May I know my own value.
May I rest in love.
May I remember my true calling.
And any other phrase that comes to mind.
Any other phrase that you're longing to hear,
You can offer that to yourself.
Trusting that the words will go exactly where they need to go.
Like a warm bath.
Like a balm.
Like a soothing touch for your heart.
And as we come to an end,
Reconnecting with our true wish to be happy and free from suffering.
And thanking our compassionate image and our safe place for being present in this practice.
And gently coming back to our breath.
Feeling our chair.
Feeling how supported we are by the floor,
By the back of our seat.
And taking all the time that you need to transition back to finish your practice.
Maybe with a self-hug or a kind gesture in your face or your heart or simply holding your hands together.
And gently opening your eyes at your own pace.
So thank you so much for your time,
For your practice and for listening and being here together.
Thank you.
