Shedding The External Layers To Discover Awareness

Hi and welcome.

Imagine you are entering this practice like you are entering your home after being outside for any of life's obligations and now shedding any extra layers from the outside,

Removing shoes or pullover,

Setting down any bags or objects you have brought in from any errands.

Now starts the process of shedding all the weight of the outer world to be with the quiet security of your own being.

And while the what-ifs and the what-abouts will want to press in right alongside of you,

Just show them the door for now,

Closing it behind you,

Knowing that you will meet all these thoughts again in a state of more rest and clarity at the end of this practice.

Snuggling in to an uninterrupted and comfortable space,

Take this moment to name any intention that you bring with you to this practice.

This is simply a phrase,

Concept,

Or idea that guides you towards whatever it is that you seek for this hour or this day.

I feel rested and more at ease.

I feel more at home within myself.

I am secure with handling what comes my way.

Taking a moment to identify your own intention and stating it a couple times quietly to yourself.

Also take this time to recall what it is that has driven you forward in life.

What feeds your inner being?

Perhaps asking what would friends or acquaintances say is your superpower?

I help others.

I persevere.

I live with integrity.

However much or little you feel connected to your mission in this moment,

Confirm that it is there by stating it in the present tense a couple times quietly to yourself,

Noticing if it resonates as a feeling,

Color,

Or shape in your body.

Allow yourself to feel your way here,

Perhaps breathing it fully into your center and feeling it permeate every part of your body on the exhale.

Open your senses to the sounds around you,

Bringing yourself into the now of this very moment,

Arranging yourself in whatever position feels just right,

Making any adjustments to snuggle in more soundly,

Stretching,

Readjusting,

Adding anything you need to feel even more comfortable.

Soft clothing or a blanket,

Extra pillow supports,

An eye pillow,

Even something you bring with you from your external environment that helps settle your inner world.

And with an inhale and each exhale,

Sinking a little deeper into the surface underneath you.

Inhale,

Exhale,

Letting go,

Everything taken care of,

And allow a daydream to unfold that brings you a sense of calm and ease.

A view,

A scene,

A place,

Or a memory that invites a feeling of security and tranquility.

Settle in for a rest here for a moment.

Notice the vibrant colors or soft lighting.

Welcome in any inviting smells that are here,

Taking in the sounds that lull you and that encourage you to linger here.

Stay a while,

Really all the time you need in this place of beauty and well-being.

And take notice of where and how this sense of calm shows up as sensation somewhere in your body.

A heaviness,

A lightness,

A warmth,

Or an expansion,

Or as a color or shape perhaps.

A glow,

An orange hue,

A yellow sphere.

Know that as you characterize how ease shows up somatically in your body,

You are strengthening your path to this inner resource place that is always available to you.

And now as a means of welcoming your whole self to this practice,

Join me in noticing sensations throughout the body,

Starting at the head,

Specifically at the jaw,

Mouth,

Left ear,

Right ear,

The nose,

The nostrils,

As air enters and leaves the nostrils.

Left eye,

Right eye,

Both eyes together,

Animated with sensation.

And the forehead,

The scalp,

Neck,

Inner walls of the throat,

Feeling your breath caress the inner walls of the throat,

The whole neck and head as sensation.

And now the shoulders,

Upper arms,

Elbows,

Forearms,

Wrists,

Palms of the hands,

And fingers,

The whole left arm from shoulder to fingers,

The whole right arm from shoulder to fingers.

And now both arms together where they meet the torso,

The torso itself animated with the rise and release of each breath at the chest,

Upper back,

Belly,

And lower back,

The whole torso radiant with sensation and where it meets the hips,

Thighs,

Knees,

Forelegs,

Ankle,

Feet,

And toes,

The whole left leg from hip to toes,

And now the whole right leg from hip to toes,

Both legs vibrant with sensation.

And noticing the whole body now,

The whole body,

Even aware of the felt sense of the area surrounding the body,

Just feeling your way into the edges of awareness,

This floating place that holds you,

This constant companion like the rhythm of your breath,

An expansion with each breath creating more and more space just for you.

And now inhaling more of that thing that you yearn for,

Rest,

Well-being,

Empowerment,

Whatever it is that you need.

And with each breath it is received deeper and deeper into your being.

Imagine it is a colored mist that can be seen now somewhere in your core,

This mist making its presence known however strong or faint in this moment.

And now seeing it permeate the rest of your body with each exhale,

Each exhale spreading what it is you need in this moment,

Every cell in the body,

Taking several slow deep breaths now at your own breathing rhythm.

Is there anywhere in the body that feels heavy currently?

Searching the body for areas that feel heavy,

Perhaps like a weighted blanket or a smooth warm granite slab.

What do you notice here?

A sense of ground,

A comfort,

A place of rest,

Or something else?

No right or wrong here.

Simply being with whatever truth bubbles up for you.

And if there is a thought or emotion co-arising here with the heaviness,

Welcome it in.

Placing this thought or emotion a distance from you to simply watch it,

Listen to it,

This thought or emotion that co-arises for you with a story to tell.

What is it asking of you?

Welcoming now its opposite.

Anywhere in the body that feels light like a feather or a leaf,

Moving effortlessly in the breeze,

Invite in how lightness shows up for you as a messenger.

A sense of freedom,

An invitation to move,

To be still,

Or something else.

Is there a co-arising thought or emotion here with feeling light?

Not analyzing it,

Just naming it and simply seeing where it takes you.

Like a breeze or a river flow,

Sensations arise in the body and move across your screen of awareness before fading away.

Yourself as awareness,

Observing sensations,

Feelings,

And emotions,

And gradually increasing your familiarity with the felt sense of calm in your inner resource place,

As well as resting simply as being.

A place to watch and listen to any messengers that make an appearance.

Inviting in now a scene that brings a sense of gratitude or joy.

Allow this scene to fully unfold in your mind and in your body.

A warmth in the chest,

A smile or a laugh,

A satisfied sigh.

Inhale this gratitude deep into your body and exhale as it spreads throughout your body.

Gratitude or joy showing up as sensation and possibly as a glow and spreading to every cell of your body.

From the torso,

Into the legs and feet,

Out into the arms and hands,

Up into the neck and head.

The body glowing with gratitude and contentment.

Observing the glow that extends out beyond the body and into awareness itself.

Allow yourself to seep out into this space of knowing.

Filling this floating space that feels supportive and unrestricted.

Trust your awareness here as something that guides you and starting to feel yourself in the room around you.

Coming back with a sense of well-being,

Gently opening and closing your eyes.

Taking in the room around you,

Any objects that supported you during this practice.

Noticing if there's any new knowing as a result of this practice and if your intention was met or if there's something else to take with you to your next practice and in your everyday life.

Wiggling now,

Stretching,

Readjusting,

Taking all the time you need to come to the conclusion of your practice.