Relax into a seated position with your back straight. When you are ready close
your eyes. Take a few moments to settle into your body. How is your body in this
moment? Look deeply. Is your body at peace?
And now rest your attention on your breath.
Notice how your breath travels through the nose and fills your chest and belly
and then flows gently back. Allow your exhalation to be long and fully squeeze
out all the air.
Each breath brings you closer to relaxation.
When you concentrate on your breath you're allowing your mind to rest. Just
let your breath fall back into a natural rhythm on its own.
Feel the weight of your whole body as it grounds down into the earth. Take a few
moments to observe your body as it sits.
Feel as you rest on your sitting bones or if you're laying down how the body
rests on the floor. Everything balanced and settling into place exactly how it
should.
Allow your body to relax and let your muscles go. There are certain hot spots
where you might be holding muscle tension, let's visit them one by one.
The first is your jaw. Even if you don't feel like you're storing tension there
allow yourself to release your facial muscles and jaw area. Visualize from
your ear down to your jaw line letting go of tension. Part your lips ever so
slightly and allow your tongue to rest behind your top teeth. Enjoy this
relaxation of your jaw.
The next area is to take care of are your shoulders and neck so pay attention
to any sensations there and notice your posture. Gently bring your neck back in
line with your shoulders and tuck your chin slightly allow your shoulders to
open up like a flower opening up to the warmth of the Sun.
Release the muscle tension you feel within your shoulders and neck showing
love and compassion for your body.
Finally the hot spot for so many of us is the stomach area. Breathing in and out
notice any tension or sensations around your midsection. Gently release the grip
that you are holding inside your stomach. Sometimes we hold on so tight we squeeze
our belly in. So give yourself permission to release that tension, it's safe to do
so.
Now that you are feeling fully relaxed it's time to take a short journey with
your imagination. So wherever you are right now imagine you are seated on a
soft white cloud about the size of a king-size bed. It's a mixture of
marshmallow fluffiness and a soft downy quilt.
Get yourself comfortable. This cloud you're sitting on slowly rises into the
air the roof opens up and you are being transported into the sky.
You are quite safe on this cloud. It's big enough for you to spread out comfortably
and enjoy the ride into the sky.
You are slowly being lifted higher and higher. As you glance down you see your
home, your neighborhood and as you get even higher still you can see your
entire town and county. Give yourself permission to relax sinking into the
cloud like a bed. Feeling fully supported feeling comfortable safe and warm.
The cloud gently and safely lifts you slowly into the sky. You go higher
enjoying this quiet moment as you leave all the sounds from the ground far far
away.
You're moving farther and farther away from your town and you enjoy watching
the sights looking at the earth from up high is so beautiful.
The light, the blue seas, the mountains the swathes of green forests. They are
breathing, living elements.
Being up with the birds is peaceful and puts life into perspective . There's
something about the vastness of this earth which makes any problems feel
small and insignificant. And from up here you can pinpoint every town and country
where all your friends and family are scattered far and wide.
Your relationship with the earth becomes different after seeing it from this
perspective. Your relationship with others becomes closer.
The importance of connection is wired within us. We reach out to others to be
comforted. And when you smile soon everyone else around you is smiling too.
Your happiness is not just your happiness. When you make someone smile
the happiness will nourish you too. So when you meditate like this and it makes
you feel good yes you sit for yourself but you also sit for your family, your
friends, your community, your teachers your doctors, your nurses, your fellow
mankind. And allow the wider world to receive that joy also.
When you love and take care of yourself you will be more helpful to others and
bring more healing and compassion into the world.
Accept yourself just the way you are.
Accept the world and all the people resting within it just the way they are.
Accept both the suffering and the happiness of the world.
Now it's time for you to return back home. As you start to drift back on your
cloud you take with you a feeling of connection with all beings on this earth.
You allow yourself to sink further into the comfortable fluffy cloud and trust
that it will find its way back you. Allow yourself to relax feeling warm safe and
happy.
Spend a few minutes now feeling the loving connection to yourself and to the
entire world. Feeling your body completely relaxed free of any tension
or stress.
If you find yourself during a day feeling disconnected from others or
feeling lonely take ten slow breaths to come back to yourself. Center yourself,
feel your energy and relight that shared connection with
others. And remember, looking after yourself is bringing more joy to others.
Continue breathing slowly as the cloud starts to slowly descend back to where
you began.
Gently passing through the roof and down to where you are positioned. Sense how
you are feeling.
How does your body feel now?
And when you are ready come back to the room and open your eyes.