Thanks for tuning in,
For choosing to allow yourself to have some silent time,
Some quiet,
Some peace.
A few moments for yourself to reconnect within,
To reconnect with tender,
Kind,
Gentle presence and curiosity,
Without trying to force,
Fix,
Control.
Just being here with ourselves for a few moments.
Practicing,
Allowing our experience to be here.
With your eyes open,
Gently or closed if comfortable,
You can find a comfortable posture,
Sitting,
Lying.
Whatever is most comfortable for you.
One where you can find yourself staying alert,
Open to the practice.
Take a few deep breaths here,
In through our nose,
Out through our mouth,
Perhaps extending the exhale.
So it's slightly longer than the inhale.
Sending a message to our nervous systems,
That we can relax,
That we are grounded,
That we are safe.
But it's okay to drop our guard here,
If only for a few moments.
We'll begin with a gentle body scan.
Starting with a general awareness of our bodies,
And the posture where we find ourselves.
Just bring a gentle attention,
Awareness,
To where your body meets the surface.
Noticing any sensations,
What it feels like for your feet to be on the floor,
Your back against the chair,
Or the bed.
Simply notice,
Naming any sensations as they arise,
As your attention is drawn to them.
Perhaps tightness,
Tension,
Aching.
As we notice these sensations,
As we draw our attention close to our body,
I'd invite you just to take an inhale,
Deep,
Deep,
Deep,
Filling your lungs and your belly.
Holding at the top and just sighing it all out.
All the day stuff.
All the week stuff.
Noticing how it feels to invite,
Invite a letting go.
Many of us are accustomed to holding it all together,
To moving about our life with a general distrust,
A general tightening,
Wanting to control the outcomes,
The circumstances.
Not really open to life,
To our feelings,
To our bodies.
Our bodies are the great holders of the messages,
Of our emotions.
The processor of our stories and our beliefs,
Guarding and protecting us.
Holding it all together,
If you will.
As we drop into stillness and quiet as we are right now,
We're sending our bodies,
Our minds,
Our hearts,
A gentle,
Kind message that it's okay,
That it's okay to be in this life.
That it's okay to be just as we are,
With all our fears,
Our past,
Our hurts,
With all our dreams,
Our desires.
Taking a few moments here to pause and sit and be still in the quiet,
Allowing whatever wants to arise to come forward.
Just coming back to the breath,
To the sensations in the body.
If you find yourself lost in thought,
Distracted,
Without judgment,
Simply allowing that to be part of your experience here.
Our work is to remember that we get to be aware,
That we get to be awake,
That we get to notice and come back.
Now placing our hands on our hearts,
If it's comfortable for you,
I invite you to call forward an intention from your heart.
You can call it a prayer,
A wish,
Perhaps it's a longing.
Whatever you wish to call it,
Just bring forward what it is your heart,
Your soul would like to offer you,
Offer you to help support your journey.
Perhaps it's something you need to hear for today,
For yesterday,
For going forward.
As you invite this forward,
It may be helpful to envision the message coming from a loved one or a higher power or figure,
Someone,
Some being who resonates with you.
Someone who can offer you comfort,
Comfort for your journey here.
Teaching you how to be kind,
Compassionate and loving while you work to remember to be awake,
To be aware of the life that's right here.
Holding this prayer intention,
Wish close in your heart,
Breathing it in deep,
Working it into the cells of your being,
Into the energy that courses through you and radiates out.
We'll hold this in our hearts and bring to our mind's eye somebody who needs some extra love,
Somebody in our life who needs some extra love here.
And as we hold this in our heart,
We hold them too in our heart,
Offering them this gift.
And perhaps as a stretch for our practice,
We can envision all beings,
This whole planet,
Extending this gift to them as well,
Holding all of this life in our hearts.
Notice how it feels to cultivate a tender,
Loving,
Kind,
Compassionate attention within for ourselves,
For each other.
Feeling yourself,
Forgiveness,
Acceptance,
Understanding for all that's arisen here.
If you found yourself distracted,
Uncomfortable,
Overwhelmed,
Know that this too is okay.
The simple act of offering yourself this time,
These moments to be one,
To listen,
To connect,
This time,
It truly makes a difference,
Not just for ourselves but our whole world.
As we come to a close here,
We'll come back to our bodies,
Noticing again how we feel against the surface that we find ourselves on,
Noticing how it feels as we inhale,
Big deep breath,
Holding it at the top and sighing it out.
Remember that you can bring this prayer,
This intention,
This wisdom with you wherever you are.
