Welcome to today's edition of Word and Breath.
Today's meditation is about the word,
Ember.
First,
We'll ground ourselves in the body,
And then we'll explore this word together in stillness.
Take a comfortable seat.
Let your hands rest softly in your lap.
If you like,
Close your eyes,
Or simply let your gaze soften.
Take a slow breath in,
And a long breath out.
Another breath in,
And out.
One more long breath in,
And out.
And just let your breathing return to its natural rhythm.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the crown of your head.
Begin to notice any sensations that you feel as we scan down the body.
Just slowly moving the awareness down to your forehead,
Your jaw,
Your throat.
Letting it drop down,
Resting on the shoulders,
Down through the arms,
The hands.
No judgment,
Just checking to see what each part feels like as you rest your awareness.
The upper back,
Down the spine,
The lower back,
Along the front of your torso,
The chest,
Where it rises and falls naturally with the breath.
Down past the diaphragm,
The belly,
Through your hips,
The upper legs,
Through the knees,
The calves,
And down through the feet.
Just rest a moment here,
Feeling grounded.
Our word today is ember.
An ember is a small,
Glowing piece of wood in a fading fire.
On the surface,
It may look quiet,
Even fragile.
But within,
It carries warmth and light.
Across many cultures,
The ember is a symbol of endurance.
A reminder that even when the flame has dimmed,
Something steady and warm and light remains and might be rekindled again.
Imagine within you is a small ember,
Glowing right in the centre of your chest.
Not hot or harsh,
But warm and steady and present.
You might picture a literal ember,
Or something a little more metaphorical.
Perhaps something like the spark of creativity or compassion.
Something glowing right inside.
With each inhale,
Imagine the ember glowing a little brighter.
With each exhale,
It steadies,
Holding its soft warmth.
Inhale,
The ember glows stronger.
Exhale,
The ember steadies.
Continue that cycle now for a few breaths.
Notice how this glow feels.
Is it peaceful?
Comforting?
Energizing?
Now,
Imagine this warmth spreading from your chest to your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your hands,
Down through your core,
To your legs and your feet,
And up through the chest,
Up into the head,
Suffusing upwards to the crown,
Outwards along the arms to the fingertips,
Downwards all the way to the toes.
With each breath in,
Feeling that warmth brighten and strengthen.
With each breath out,
Feeling the steadiness of that glow within you.
You can rest here now,
Either with the image of this glowing ember,
Or releasing it and simply focusing on the breath.
Just letting the attention rest gently on your anchor,
Image or breath.
If your attention wanders,
Just gently notice and bring it back to that anchor.
Now,
Let the image or the focus go.
Letting it fade back into stillness.
Bring your awareness once more to your breath,
To the rise and fall of your chest.
Beginning to notice your body more.
The support of the seat beneath you.
Noticing your hands and your feet.
Noticing your head resting on your neck and the spinal column all the way down.
Feeling your whole body where it is in the room right now.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
Check back again for another edition of Word and Breath tomorrow.
