Moving Towards Our Heart

So I invite you to make yourself comfortable,

Really spend some time to make your body comfortable tend to your body before you even start making sure that your body's well supported.

Shift in your chair if you need to do that.

Pull your sleeves down if they're a bit restrictive and you feel they might distract you,

Adjust your socks,

Whatever you need to do,

Adjust your clothing so that you can really sit with this meditation.

You're not at all distracted by any discomfort.

And if you notice discomfort coming up during the meditation,

Simply taking a moment to notice and then asking your body,

What do I need in this moment?

And your body will tell you what it needs,

If it needs to move,

If you need to open your eyes,

If it needs to simply sit and be with your experience.

Your body can speak for itself.

Good luck.

So we're going to meditate with our body today bringing awareness to our body,

Bringing awareness to some nuanced experiences in our body.

And what's most important when we're working with our body,

When we're tending,

Tuning in to our body,

Is to really notice how safe we feel as we do that.

We do store a lot of information in our body.

We store trauma in our muscles.

We have muscle memory.

Our body remembers.

So please respecting your body.

If your body's saying,

This does not feel okay,

That's really important information.

One of the most beautiful acts of self-compassion and kindness to your body you can offer is to slow down,

To only go as fast as your body feels safe to go.

This in itself can be a practice worth cultivating.

And so we're going to start with our awareness in our fingertips.

And then I'm going to invite you to gradually move your awareness in towards the center of your body,

In towards your heart area,

And then across to the other side and back out to your fingertips.

So even now,

If as I describe this meditation,

You're getting information from your body,

Take a moment.

What is your body telling you about that?

Did you notice any fear arising?

Did you notice curiosity arising?

Did you notice a sense of settling?

How does your body feel about the idea of doing this meditation?

And if your body's telling you something and you're able to hear it,

I invite you,

If it feels okay in your mind's eye to say something like,

I hear you.

I hear what you're saying.

Validating what your body's telling you.

And if you're feeling that you're not hearing anything from your body,

Especially if you're noticing any frustration about that or disappointment,

Bringing some kindness to that experience.

This is slow,

Steady work.

We only need to start in the place that we're in right now.

And so bringing your awareness to the fingertips on your right hand.

You might even touch your fingertips on your right hand with your left hand,

Just to get in touch with that.

You might even rub your fingertips together just to feel.

Bringing some curiosity to that sensation.

How does it feel in my fingertips?

Moving your awareness to the length of your fingers.

You might even like to stroke your fingers with the fingers on your left hand.

There are a lot of nerve endings in our fingers.

You get quite an exquisite sense of touch in our fingers.

How do your fingers feel?

Moving to the palm of your right hand.

Once again,

A lot of nerve endings in the palm of our right hand.

You might trace your left fingers on the palm of your right hand and notice how that feels.

Then moving to the back of your hand.

Noticing how that feels.

And taking a moment just to broaden your awareness a little to the rest of your body and checking in with your body.

How does it feel at the moment?

Listening to any messages your body might be giving you in this moment.

Then moving your awareness back to your left arm and to the wrist,

Sorry,

Your right arm,

The wrist on your right side.

You might squeeze your wrist very gently with your left fingers.

Being curious about your wrist.

Moving your awareness to your right lower arm.

You might stroke your lower arm with the fingers of your left hand just to get in touch with the feeling there.

Moving to your right elbow.

How does that feel?

If your right elbow could speak,

What is it saying to you if it is saying something?

Moving up to your right upper arm,

Your triceps.

Once again,

Taking a moment to broaden your awareness to your whole body.

And tuning in,

Is there anything that your body would like to say to you in this moment?

How is it feeling about this process?

Bringing some kindness,

Some curiosity as you listen to your body,

Openness.

If you hear something from your body,

You might like to let it know,

I hear you.

If you didn't hear anything,

And especially if you're feeling any frustration or disappointment,

If you feel you're not able to tune into your body,

Once again,

Bringing some kindness to yourself because that's a form of suffering,

Disappointment.

You have the intention to bring self-compassion to your experience.

It's what brought you here.

Know that you do have the intention of kindness in you.

Moving your awareness up to your right shoulder.

How does your right shoulder feel?

Moving to your collarbone on the right side.

Once we're getting closer to our heart area,

Noticing how that feels to be moving towards our heart area,

How is it to be with your collarbone?

Moving to the area just below your right collarbone,

So your chest on your right side.

Remembering if it feels really challenging to be with this part of your body,

Really listen to that.

Check in with the wisdom of your body.

Does this feel okay?

And if not,

What do you need?

Moving your awareness to the center of your chest now.

Tuning into the wisdom of your body here.

Is there anything this part of your body would like to tell you?

And just staying with this place in your body for a moment or two.

Okay.

And then moving your awareness across to the left side of your body,

So across to your chest below your left collarbone.

Noticing what it's like to be moving,

Starting to move away from that heart area in your body.

Is there any sadness?

Is there a sense of relief?

Is there a lowering of intensity?

It's getting curious about how it feels to be moving away from our heart area.

Moving awareness to our left collarbone.

Noticing how that feels.

Then to our left shoulder.

To our left upper arm,

Biceps,

Triceps.

You might even like to hold your upper arm with your right hand just to feel how that feels.

Down to your left elbow.

What would your left elbow say to you if it could?

Moving your awareness to your left lower arm.

Once again,

Noticing how is it to be moving your awareness further and further from your heart area.

Getting curious about that.

Moving to your left wrist.

In the back of your left hand,

You might like to trace the fingers of your right hand on the back of your left hand,

Noticing how that feels.

Moving around to the palm of your left hand.

The length of your fingers on your left hand.

And then finally,

Your fingertips of your left hand.

Now as we transition out of this little practice,

If it feels okay,

Imagining a warm wash of compassionate awareness,

Starting from the fingertips on your left hand,

Moving across your body,

Up your arm,

Into your shoulder,

Your side,

Your left leg,

The left side of your neck,

Your head,

The center of your body,

Washing over to your right side,

Your right leg,

Right side of your head,

Right shoulder,

Back across your right arm.

Gradually starting to move your body a little.

When you're ready,

You can open your eyes and take a moment to have a stretch,

A sip of your drink.