Welcome,
I'm so glad you're here with me today.
This meditation is a gentle reset for your nervous system,
A place to soften your body,
Quiet your mind and release some of the pressure that can gather.
There's nothing that you need to achieve here,
Nothing to improve and nothing to decide.
For these moments,
You are allowed to simply rest.
As we settle in,
Just allow your body to settle in a way that feels supportive,
Whether you're lying down or maybe seated comfortably,
And let yourself be held,
If it feels safe and comfortable for you to do so,
I invite you to gently close your eyes,
Or perhaps soften your gaze,
Pick an object in the room that you're in,
Or if you're lying down,
A space on the ceiling,
Just to soften your gaze around.
And let's begin by noticing the breath,
Just as it is,
No effort and no control,
And with each out breath,
Allow your shoulders to soften,
If you're seated,
Allow your shoulders to come away from your ears,
Allow gravity to do its job,
Let them relax,
If you're lying down,
Allow your shoulders to melt into the ground beneath you,
Let the ground take their weight,
Allow your jaw to soften,
Let your tongue come away from the roof of your mouth,
Just release any tension here,
Allow your belly to relax,
Let it come all soft,
Not holding onto any breath,
And as we're softening,
We're letting our bodies and our minds know that they don't need to stay on high alert right now,
You may notice thoughts that may appear in your mind,
Some may be expectations,
Or plans,
Or quiet worries,
See if you can imagine just placing these thoughts down beside you,
Like gently setting a bag on the floor,
You're not getting rid of anything,
We're not throwing anything away,
We're just resting them down without carrying them,
Quietly remind yourself,
I don't need to rush,
I don't need to fix myself,
I am allowed to begin gently,
And just notice how your body responds to these words,
I invite you to bring awareness to the centre of your chest,
Your heart space,
And imagine a warm steady light here,
The light is beautiful,
It's soft and calming,
And with each inhale this light grows a little brighter,
And with each exhale it spreads through your body,
As it continues to glow,
It moves all across your chest,
It feels protective and warm,
It moves and spreads across your arms,
Into your hands and fingers,
It glows and grows across and down your torso,
Into your belly,
Into your hips,
The tops of your legs,
Your knees,
All the way down your legs,
Into your feet,
And even into your toes,
And this light brings a sense of safety and steadiness,
And your nervous system begins to settle,
Finding its natural rhythm,
You can feel the glow moving up from your chest and your heart space,
Up past your shoulders,
Up to your neck,
Up through your jaw,
Your ears,
Your eyes,
Your head,
All the way to the crown of your head,
And this glow,
It's as though it's giving your body and your mind a gentle but warm hug,
Allowing your nervous system to settle,
And feel at ease,
We'll stay here for a few more breaths,
Just enjoying this beautiful gentle glow,
Allowing regulation to happen without any effort,
From this calmer place you might notice a quiet inner knowing,
Not about what you should do,
But about what feels supportive for you,
If intentions arise,
Let them come softly,
And if nothing arises,
That's perfectly okay,
You may wish to repeat silently to your body and your mind,
Kindness is a strong foundation,
I can grow without force,
And I am already enough,
Exactly as I am,
And just let these words land where they need to,
Or simply let them wash over you,
I invite you to take a slow but gentle deep breath in through your nose,
Pausing for a moment at the top,
And exhaling with a sigh,
Just releasing any further tension that you may be holding on to,
Let's do one more of these breaths together,
A deep breath in through your nose,
Pausing for a moment,
Holding at the top for a second,
And exhaling with an audible sigh,
And as we return,
Please know this,
That you are in no way behind,
You are not in any way broken,
You do not need to reinvent yourself,
Let kindness for yourself be enough for today,
For you are enough exactly the way you are,
And as we close our meditation together,
I invite you to bring some gentle movement back to your body,
Perhaps moving your head gently from side to side,
Just to bring in a gentle neck stretch,
If you've had your eyes closed,
When it feels ready and comfortable for you,
I invite you to gently open them,
And if you've had your gaze just softened,
To bring your awareness back to the room you're in,
And before we fully close our time together,
I just want to take a quiet moment to say thank you,
For taking time for you to rest,
For sharing your presence with me and others on Insight Timer,
I hope to see you again and meditate with you soon.
