Hi,
Welcome,
My name is Lillian and I will be guiding you through this meditation.
The intention of our practice today is to shift your nervous system state from sympathetic to parasympathetic,
Or in other words,
From an activated state to one of a more balanced,
Relaxed and rested state.
This is a helpful practice for when you find yourself overstimulated or anxious.
I will be guiding you through somatic techniques that use sound,
Touch,
Subtle movement and awareness.
All you will need for this meditation is a comfortable and safe place to practice,
With simply enough space to sit or lay down.
Let's get started.
Take a moment to find a comfortable position for your body.
Sitting,
Laying down or standing are all options.
You can use props,
Blankets,
Bolsters,
Anything that brings you comfort.
And if at any point you want to move or change your position throughout the meditation,
You are free to do so.
The intention is to find physical support and comfort.
Let yourself take time to settle in.
As you're settling here,
Start to notice where your body is in contact with your environment around you.
Notice the ground underneath you,
Anything that is in contact with your skin.
Notice the air and space above you and around you.
Invite yourself to soften.
Invite yourself to become a little bit more weighted and held by your environment.
Start to draw your attention to the subtle sensation of being held,
Receiving that support from all of the contact that you have with your environment.
Start to tune into your breath here.
As you invite your body to soften and yield and receive,
See if you can begin to open to your breath.
You don't have to change your breath in any way.
Your breath can be exactly as it is,
But see if you can just become aware of your body breathing.
Notice all the movements of breath,
That subtle fluctuation of expanding and contracting.
And what would it be like to soften enough and relax enough to let the breath flow easily in and out and through your body.
Bring all of your attention to the feeling of breath.
In and out,
In and out.
Start to notice the fluidity of breath,
How your body might become fluid with this oscillation,
This wave-like movement of the breath,
Gently pulsating in and out of your body.
Feel as though your whole body is breathing.
Feel that every part of your body is breathing,
Respirating,
Taking in oxygen.
Feel all of the cells of your body breathing.
And here I'll invite you to bring in a subtle humming noise,
So taking in a slightly deeper breath,
Drawing the air in,
And as you exhale,
Gently press your lips together and make a hummmmm sound.
And invite yourself to come into a rhythmic cadence of humming with the exhale of your breath,
All on a timing that works for you.
You can play with different tones and pitches with your voice,
You can play with different pacing,
But simply allow yourself to take in the breath and with however long it takes to exhale,
Let the humming sound come out.
And I'll do this with you,
However you don't have to do it in the same timing as me.
And as you continue to hum,
See if you can relax all of those muscles in your jaw,
Your mouth,
Your throat,
Let the tongue really drop to the bottom of the mouth.
Allow yourself to drop deeper into your body and feel that subtle vibration,
The subtle resonance through your body here.
Feel how the sound vibrates through all of the fluids in your body.
Allow your body to release and relax as the sound moves through your body.
And if you feel called,
You can start to incorporate a little bit of self-touch and a little bit of movement.
You may already intuitively be doing this.
You can let your hands be placed on your body,
Any part of you that feels called to be touched.
Your belly,
Your chest,
Your head,
Your face,
Your feet.
Getting your hands to rest on a certain part of your body.
Or you can bring in some movement with the hands.
Some gentle squeezing,
Massaging,
Pressing,
Stroking.
And as you continue with your own rhythmic cadence of the sound exhaling out through your body,
Invite yourself to bring in a subtle rock,
A subtle rocking either forward and back or side to side.
Let this rocking move with the waves of breath and the waves of sound.
Very gentle,
Back and forth,
Back and forth.
Bringing awareness to any sensations that might be awakening for you in your body as you bring in this gentle movement and play with sound and breath.
Notice any particular locations of your body starting to wake up with vibration.
Notice your experience of temperature.
Notice your experience of weight.
Notice if there's any sort of energetic tone that you're feeling through your body in any direction moving upwards,
Downwards,
Side,
Expanding,
Contracting.
Simply notice.
Simply be with.
We'll take another few more moments to be here.
Feel free to continue this practice for as long as you need to.
However,
If you feel ready for this practice to come to a close,
You can start to pause the movement in your body.
Let yourself return to stillness.
Let yourself return slowly to silence.
Return to your natural state of breath.
Take another moment here just to simply notice.
Notice how you're feeling now,
What feels awake and alive for you now through your body,
And tracking any changes that have occurred from start to finish of this practice.
And if your eyes are closed,
You can slowly start to open your eyes back up,
Just gently letting the external world start to come back into your vision,
Taking in any light or shapes around you and taking in your space.
You can let yourself move your body in any way that feels good,
Maybe taking a stretch or just shifting your position in any way.
And to close,
You can bring some gratitude to yourself for showing up today,
For bringing your presence to this moment,
And thanking your body for all it does for you.
Thank you for practicing with me,
And have a beautiful day.
