A Short Honouring of Self by Kirsten Doesle,
Still Potential Welcome to this track where the focus is you.
The preferred posture for this practice is in sitting,
However once you have experienced this track you may wish to take elements of it and add them into your daily life at any time and in any posture.
The sitting posture is one of dignity.
You may choose to sit cross legged on the floor.
If you are choosing this position I suggest perhaps having your pelvis slightly elevated by sitting on a bolster or firm cushion so that your pelvis can have a slight forward tilt.
If you sit on a chair a regular kitchen style chair is best.
Please move to the front of the chair,
Allow your feet to be flat on the floor if that is comfortable for you.
Allow your pelvis to be in a position to feel a slight arch in the low back.
You may wish to trial the best posture by rocking your pelvis forward and back and coming to a point that feels balanced and allows your spine to lift up and out of your base and pelvic area.
Feel as if you are being suspended from a string at the top of your head.
Your spine is long yet soft.
Now imagine your ears being shifted gently backwards,
Your head moving slightly to the rear,
Your chin taking a slight nod and again your spine lengthens upwards.
Breathe up and down the spacious length of your spine.
Imagine the breath flowing from the base of your spine to the top of your spine along the front body and then top to bottom along the back of your spine,
Water falling down your back.
Sense a lengthening,
Let the breath flow away like the waterfall and sense the breath creating space between the vertebrae as you breathe up your spine.
Let the attention to breath go and ensure you are as comfortable as possible.
If it is not possible for you to maintain this upright posture then soften into a posture of comfort and ease as close to this alignment as you can.
This is your first act of honouring yourself with kindness,
Feeling into how your body is in this moment and finding ease.
Welcome yourself to this time as you would welcome a very dear friend to share time with you wholeheartedly,
Ensuring physical comfort,
Acknowledging mental state and mood and taking time to gather your full attention to the present moment.
It may take a little time to settle into yourself,
There is no rush.
Indulged in the luxury of considered time as you ask yourself,
How am I feeling in my body,
Is there an adjustment I can make for comfort?
Ask yourself about your level of focus,
Invite yourself to let go of all the things that are pressing for you to do,
All the worries that are in your mind.
Shut these down and allow yourself to be present in this meditation.
Ask yourself this time to be totally devoted to you.
Notice with interest any resistance you may have to that concept.
How are you in your emotions today?
Know that emotions come and go and the more intimate we become with our personal emotional presentation and experience,
The more we can choose skillfully to lean into better feeling emotions.
Scan your body posture,
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
Once again gently move your head back and sense the elegant dignified length of your spine.
And simply sit.
Sit in dignity and grace.
Sense that you are grounded,
Sense your base,
Rest into your feet or your pelvis,
Let your base take the weight.
The weight transfers to the earth,
You are held in safety.
Relaxed,
Allow your muscles to come to ease.
Small postural muscles hold you upright but soften and release.
Not any excess tension.
Shoulders,
Jaw,
Head,
Neck and legs.
Alert bring your awareness to the outside border of your body,
Your skin,
Your back body.
Consciously open to awareness and sensitivity through your back body.
Sense the energy at your side body.
Feel that gentle expansion with breath.
Come to the more familiar front body and activate awareness in the skin over your front body.
Awake,
Alert,
Yet relaxed.
Centred,
Drop your noticing into your Hara.
A couple of centimeters below your belly button and inside a little.
Be here,
Just wait with patience and care.
What is here for you today,
The center of your being?
No rush,
Honor your investigation inward.
There is nothing you have to feel.
Accept a gentle sense of playful curiosity as you consider your internal Hara area.
Energize to travel your awareness up to your solar plexus.
Sense of I,
I AM.
Let those words land in your being.
Feel into this space with that same sense of being open and interested,
No expectations.
You are enough.
How does that feel?
Notice with utmost kindness.
Try it on again.
I am enough.
I am enough.
Breathe it in to your solar plexus.
Honor and allow your emotional and body response to this.
Notice with support and acceptance,
Just as you would the opinion and experience of a dear friend.
Move your internal awareness to your heart area.
Feel your breath.
Lungs expand with the breath in and then hug your tender heart with the breath out.
Sense expansion around all directions.
Breathe into your back ribs,
Your side ribs and your belly.
Notice the hug of your tender heart.
Invite a breath up from your pelvic floor through your lower belly,
Through your solar plexus to your heart.
Let that breath expand into your trunk and imagine it flowing around and through your organs.
Cleansing,
Energizing,
Love and light.
Repeat this a few times.
Inviting the breath from the pelvic floor through the lower belly,
Through the solar plexus to your heart,
Expanding around through the organs.
Breath of light.
Allow that light on your next breath in to fill your whole body.
Energizing light vibration.
Let that go.
Come now to your throat.
Rest here a moment.
Sense what is here for you.
Soften and widen this space,
The seat of your voice,
Your voice in the world.
Drop your jaw.
Rest awareness at your throat and neck.
Allow any emotions that may bubble up to be there.
Take your clear breath up into the internal cavity of your skull.
Amazing brain.
Acknowledge with wonder and appreciation.
Thank you brain.
Take awareness above your head now and sense a cascade of love and light spilling down over you.
Light,
Soft,
Tender.
You are being bathed in compassion,
Love and light.
Allow yourself to receive.
Caressing your energy and physical body with attention and care.
Expand your noticing once again to your whole body,
To your mind,
Your spirit and your emotions.
The whole of you.
You who are here now.
You who is enough,
Just as you are.
Place your hands on your heart.
Feel the warmth.
Feel the contact.
And allow your mind to float and wander free.
Feel into the sense of being valued and honoured by yourself.
Receive this gift from you.
Allow that to settle into your being.
Let it soak into you.
Become part of you.
Let that go and bring your attention once again to your posture and position.
You may let your arms rest down or keep them over the heart.
If necessary,
Tweak your posture once again to have a sense of dignity and grace.
Draw in a long breath up the front of your body.
Let it cascade down and away along your back body.
Thank you me for taking this time to honour me.
Bring a smile to your face.
Gently open your eyes.
And as you transition into the rest of your day,
Know that your wonderful self is enough.
Thank you.
Go well.