And when you're ready,
Beginning to settle into your posture,
Either sitting or lying
down,
Perhaps closing down your eyes or finding a steady gaze at a point in front,
Consciously
softening through your face,
Neck,
Shoulders,
And your back,
Allowing yourself to sink a
little bit deeper down into the support of the surfaces beneath you,
And as you start
to draw your awareness inwards,
Allow yourself to connect with the gentle rising and falling
of your breath,
Experiencing the breath flowing in and out of your body without any effort
or control,
And your breath as your faithful companion,
Grounding you here in the present
moment as best you can,
Seeing if you can meet yourself here in this moment as if you
were a lone monk deeply at peace in a cave of contemplation,
Welcoming in a sense of
contentment and friendliness within your own company,
With the gentle rising and falling
of your breath as your companion,
Allow yourself to recognize that loneliness is here,
And that
that's okay,
Even though you're alone in this moment,
Know that you're here with yourself,
With the soothing rhythm of your breath,
And that you belong as best you can,
Allowing yourself to experience this feeling without resistance or reaction,
Simply meeting yourself here with a sense of kindness and compassion,
Once you scan your awareness throughout your body,
Start to notice the sensations that are
present,
Perhaps there's a feeling of longing in your heart,
A heaviness or fatigue throughout
your body,
Perhaps there's a sense of coldness or emptiness,
Simply being aware of the subtle
details of what it feels like in your body to experience this uncomfortable emotion,
If tears come,
Let them come,
Taking your time to be here in this moment,
Allowing the feelings to arise little by little,
Layer by layer,
As best you can,
Meeting yourself here as if you were sitting with a dear friend or child,
Grounding yourself here in
this moment,
With the gentle rhythm of your breath,
Seeing if you can experience this moment
of loneliness as an opportunity to strengthen your sense of connection with your own heart,
Your own breath,
Your own self,
Allowing yourself to really lean into the sense of
connection with your authentic heart,
Giving yourself permission to really belong to yourself,
Knowing that it's perfectly okay to feel this way,
All you have to do in this moment is breathe,
Meeting yourself as you are with a sense of tenderness and care,
Not needing to change
anything at all,
Continuing to rest here in a state of gentle awareness,
Your breath as
your companion flowing through you,
Resting here with your tender heart,
Knowing that there's
nothing more you need to do,
Other than simply meet yourself here as you are,
Right now in this
moment,
Simply allowing yourself to be,
As you strengthen your connection with yourself,
Resting in this sense of unconditional friendliness and care for the final few
moments of your practice,
When you feel ready,
Slowly beginning to draw your breath in a little
bit deeper once again,
Finding small movements through your fingers,
Your toes,
Taking any
movements or stretches that you need,
Allowing yourself to ease your way out of this practice
slowly and mindfully,
When you feel ready,
Drawing the practice to a close.
