I invite you to settle in,
In whatever space you're in,
Whatever position you're beginning,
Standing,
Seated,
Or lying down.
When you're ready,
You might prepare to close your eyes.
Gathering yourself,
Slowing down,
Taking stock of what is,
Letting go of what was and what will be.
Embracing this one precious moment in which you find yourself.
Extending your body,
Extending your breathing to fill your body,
All the way out to your toes.
Breathing in deeply,
Breathing out slowly,
Noticing where you find yourself.
You can take stock of your digestion,
Of your pulse.
Slowing down,
Coming into a greater stillness,
A deeper quiet.
With generous awareness,
You can scan your body,
Directing your attention and perhaps your breath to any areas of tightness,
Clenching,
Or soreness.
Attuning your body to any spaces that need your love and compassion.
And out slowly.
In the journey of life,
We may live in many homes,
Many cities and towns,
Travel through states and nations.
We use this meditation to take gentle,
Generous and delicate stock of our journeys.
When you were young,
You lived among family.
Memories of your earliest home or homes may be faint.
In every family of origin,
There can be trauma and joy,
Sorrow and delight.
Draw your attention in your mind's eye to memory of the home in which you grew up,
Its light and its shadow.
What were the sensations and feelings of that time and space?
There were painful moments,
Just breathe deeply.
You don't have to dwell there.
Go to the special moments,
Moments of tenderness.
Even to the houses and homes of loved ones and family where you felt safe and appreciated,
Even adored.
What was special about that time?
Breathing.
Maybe there was another time,
Place and home of your young adulthood.
When you began your career,
Lived alone,
Perhaps fell in love,
Grew into maturity of a fashion.
Envision that place in your mind's eye.
Heat,
Cold,
Comfort,
Distraction.
What were the place or places of your young adulthood?
Your breathing.
If you get distracted,
If there were pains in that time,
Just find yourself in your body right now.
Your breath.
Your digestion.
Next,
We can consider the space and places of adulthood.
Making your career,
Growing your own family.
Finding stability amid change.
Love and often self-acceptance.
Where are those spaces?
What do they mean to you?
How do you envision them or recall them?
If difficulties arise,
You can always come back into your body at this moment with its breathing and its mass.
Aware that the places,
Spaces and experiences of the past gave you what you have and may need now.
But their challenges are no more.
If you are still in the period of adulthood,
Growing family and career,
You can dwell there.
If there was a place or space of children moving out,
Growing older,
Body and perhaps home changing,
Wrapping up career,
Explore that time and any spaces or places in which you found yourself.
If there are further spaces,
Places,
Homes and houses,
You can explore them now.
Or remain in your mind's eye or physically in a previous space in the appropriate stage of your life today.
Recognizing and acknowledging the journey,
Wisdom,
Surprise,
Disappointments,
Celebrations and always changes across the journey.
Take the remaining moments of our time together to acknowledge and embrace and celebrate the journeys as you breathe.
