Find a comfortable position.
You can sit down in a chair,
On the floor,
Or any appropriate pillow or bench.
Sitting in a way that feels comfortable for you,
While keeping your body symmetrical and your spine straight.
If you prefer,
You can lie down,
Keeping your back in contact with the floor,
Resting your arms on your sides.
I invite you to close your eyes,
Or if you prefer,
Keep them open,
And take a few deep cleansing breaths,
In and out.
With your eyes closed,
Or open,
Notice your perception of light.
It may be through your eyelids,
That gentle perception of opacity,
Or with your eyes open,
The quality of the light and colours around you.
Be with the light for a few moments.
Now gently bring your attention to any smells you can notice,
Or even the lack of them,
Of your perception of smell in the here and now.
Gently being a part of this moment and this space.
Now,
Allow yourself to perceive the sounds around you,
In other rooms,
The building,
Outside,
Simply being aware of what there is.
Now allow yourself to become aware of the sounds within you,
The sounds of your breathing,
The air moving through your nostrils,
The sound of saliva in your mouth,
Of swallowing,
Any other sounds that may be present in your body,
Or not.
Now,
Gently be aware of the taste in your mouth,
Being present with this perception,
And gently shift your awareness to your physical sensations,
The clothes on your skin,
Resting on your skin,
Your body temperature,
The sensations of what you are touching,
The pressure from your seating or lying position,
With the surface or surfaces,
The feeling of your body resting,
Centred,
As you gently breathe in and breathe out,
And as your heart rhythmically accompanies your breath,
Notice your breathing as it goes in and out.
If any thoughts come up,
Acknowledge that they did,
And gently let them go,
Without judgement,
Simply returning to your breath.
You can also allow thoughts to flow out as you breathe out,
Coming back to awareness of your breath.
Become aware of your body,
Beginning with your feet.
Notice how they are feeling as they rest where they are,
Becoming aware of any sensations in them,
Without any judgement,
Simply witnessing them,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Now,
Move up to your legs,
Connecting with their presence,
How they rest and are at this moment,
The sensations in the muscles of the legs,
And any sensations they are expressing,
Or simply their resting state.
Allow yourself to be with them,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now,
Gently move upwards,
Connect with your pelvis,
To which your legs and back connect,
Feeling the structure of bones,
Noticing how your pelvis feels now,
Being aware of the feedback,
As you breathe in and breathe out,
Present with your pelvis.
Now,
Move up to feeling your back,
Abdomen and torso,
The unity of the elements within,
Structure,
Organs,
Skin,
The movement as you breathe and the movement of the heart,
Noticing sensations in this area,
As though observing with gentle curiosity,
Breathing as you witness.
Now,
Notice your shoulders,
Arms and hands,
Resting as they are,
Being aware of their shape and constitution,
The sensations in them now,
Gently breathing with them and moving up,
Connect with your neck and head,
Feeling their presence and any sensations in them,
Gently observing as you breathe.
Now become aware of your whole body as you breathe with it.
Notice your breath entering your body,
Its energy coming in and going out,
The freshness of each breath coming in and the gentle warmth as it goes out.
Gently be aware of how your breathing is in this moment,
Observing without any expectations or attempts to change it,
Simply being aware of it,
Gently following its rhythmic pattern.
If you feel like doing a deeper breath at any time,
Feel free to do so.
Breathe as your breathing feels to come,
Simply being with it,
Aware of the next breath.
If any thoughts or distractions arise,
You can also be aware of them and through this awareness return to the breath.
Notice how you are resting your awareness on your breath,
Resting your beingness on your breath,
Gently following its movement,
Breathing in and breathing out,
The connection between the two as if they formed a circle which represents the movement of life,
Feeling the essence of life in our breathing and the presence that rests on it.
Now allow yourself once again to connect to your body and gently notice your physical sensations,
The lights,
The sound,
The smells,
The taste,
The feeling of the presence of your body,
Its temperature,
Touch,
Sensations.
You can start moving parts of your body,
Legs,
Arms,
Bringing your presence to the space you are in,
Noticing how it feels now and celebrating the experience.
