Why don't we begin by taking a nice deep breath in,
And slowly breathing out.
Inhale deeply once again,
And exhale.
A third and final time together,
Deep breath in,
And with control,
Breathe out.
Continue to breathe in this way,
And just notice how your belly rises every time you breathe in,
And notice how your belly falls every time you breathe out.
See can you focus all your attention on your in-breath and out-breath.
Whenever you notice that your attention is gone elsewhere,
Take a moment to notice where it's gone,
And with lots of patience and kindness,
Guide your attention back to your breath.
Feel free to let go of your control over your breath,
And allow your body to breathe however it wants to.
Be sure not to force anything here,
Or to try to achieve something,
Or to suppress any thoughts.
There's nothing to hold on to,
There's nothing to push away.
Stay connected to your breath.
How curious,
How open can you be to whatever is arising in the present moment,
To whatever is here and now.
When we sit in this way,
We give ourselves an opportunity to connect with our beingness,
With the self that is unchanging.
If we strip away everything that we think we are,
Or that is relatively true,
What remains?
This practice is a journey inward,
It may also be a sudden realization.
We are human beings,
We are designed for connection.
To live is to be in relationship with our environment,
And all the beings,
All the creatures that we share it with.
It's very easy to get caught up with the busyness of life,
And to start believing that we don't have time for the relationships that nurture us,
That keep us,
That inspire us.
If it feels right to you,
I invite you to take a few moments to think of the person or the people,
The relationships that mean a lot to you.
Notice how the mere thought of these individuals,
How it impacts how you feel.
Can you imagine having more time to connect with this person or these individuals?
What would that look like?
Can you visualize how you would spend time with this person or these individuals?
Pay attention to whatever feelings,
Whatever sensations arise as you allow yourself to imagine,
To visualize connecting with loved ones.
I'd like to share a positive affirmation that you can repeat with your full voice or quietly to yourself.
I'm thankful for my relationships.
I'm thankful for my relationships.
The music will end shortly,
But I invite you to stay in this space for as long as you can.
Until next time,
Take care.
