We'll begin by taking a comfortable position,
Choosing a posture in which you think you will be able to remain mostly unmoving for the next 15 or 20 minutes.
And you might want to have your spine straight,
But not rigid,
Just allowing the body to remain upright while keeping the natural curvature of the spine.
Your eyes can be open or closed,
Whichever you prefer.
If your eyes are open,
You might rest your gaze on the floor in front of you,
Maybe two to three feet,
And just keep the focus soft so that you're not staring at the floor,
But you're just resting your gaze gently in front of you.
Now using the breath,
Allow the busyness of the speedy thinking mind to drop down into the steadiness of the feeling body.
You might imagine this,
That it's as if you dropped a handful of salt into a warm glass of water.
And all those thoughts and ideas and emotions are just like all those grains of salt dissolving down into the feeling of the body as you're sitting on the cushion or the chair.
Letting your awareness drop down towards the core of the body.
And bringing your attention to the weight of the body,
Feeling the way that gravity is gently pulling you down towards the earth.
Notice the feeling of the body in this shape as you're sitting on the cushion or the chair.
What does it feel like to be sitting in this shape?
Letting your attention drop down even further,
Noticing your connection to the earth beneath us.
You might even have the sensation that your body is growing roots down into the earth below us.
Notice the steadiness,
The solidity,
The sense of connectedness of this body's groundedness,
Its connection to earth,
And the sense of the earth supporting you from below.
Feel the sense of rootedness in your own experience.
Whatever arises,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Sounds,
Maybe sensations,
There's this feeling of the body at the center,
The body that is firm and grounded,
Interconnected,
Stable.
Really sense into and relax with that sense of stability.
Now bring to mind a moment from your past,
A moment in which you were present with another person or perhaps with a pet,
Perhaps even in a place in the natural world.
Bring to mind a moment in which you felt completely okay to be just who you are,
A moment in which you were seen and loved and accepted for being just who you are.
Imagine that that moment is occurring again right now.
That person is present with you,
Maybe in the space in front of you,
Gazing at you right in this moment,
Or that pet is with you,
Or you find yourself back in that place in the natural world where you could simply relax and be okay just as you are.
Imagine that that person or pet or place is communing with you now in the deep goodness of your very being.
They are taking joy in you and wishing you deeply well.
Imagine that this loving wish comes toward you like a shower of gentle healing energy that permeates your whole body and mind.
Receive this radiant energy into every part of your body,
Letting any holding or grasping or physical tension soften under its touch,
Just as if you walked outside into the warmth of the sunlight and felt that radiant energy dissolving into all the pores of your body.
Nothing for you to do.
You're just receiving,
Receiving into tension or holding or grasping in the physical body and allowing the body to relax.
Imagine that this loving wish comes toward you like a shower of gentle healing energy that permeates your whole body.
Feel too that you are receiving this warm,
Accepting,
Kind energy into every part of your mind.
So you're receiving into any difficult emotions that might be present,
Feelings of sadness or worthlessness,
Fear,
Anxiety,
Stress,
Longing.
You're just receiving this radiant energy into any emotional feeling that may arise.
Just allowing that emotional energy to receive exactly what it needs.
Just allowing that emotional energy to feel okay.
Just giving your whole being permission to be just as it is,
Held in warmth and acceptance and kindness,
Just as it is right now.
And if you notice any resistance arising to receiving this loving energy,
Just receive into that resistance.
Okay.
And now this radiant,
Loving energy becomes even brighter,
Even warmer.
And it fully saturates every cell in your body,
Filling your body with radiant light.
And that light is so brilliant it dissolves the images of your person or pet or place.
And you feel yourself merging into oneness with that gentle energy.
Allow your mind to release all of its tensions,
Its frameworks.
Let it relax and fall completely open.
And just rest,
Allowing yourself to be just as you are in this moment,
In this body,
In this place.
Exist.
You
