or you can continue to stay standing if you prefer…
Spending these next few minutes with your velvet blanket… Allowing its warmth and silky comfort to envelop your whole body… envelop your whole mind… your whole spirit… Noticing any parts of your body that are tight… and allowing them to relax… to completely relax under the beauty of this comfortable blanket that is soothing your body…. your mind… and your spirit...
Taking this time just for you… enveloped in your velvet blanket… allowing its softness to help you soften on the inside too… just a little bit somewhere…
And you are noticing that the velvet blanket is softening your heart a little bit… in just the right places that need to be softened today… The softness of this blanket is softening and relaxing your mind… It is calming your thoughts as well…
The blanket is gentling your body… It is giving you permission to relax even just a little bit more… It is giving you permission to continue
to envelop yourself in comfort and beauty… which you so deserve…
It’s almost time to start thinking about coming back from this inner journey…
so go ahead and take a moment to thank your blanket for being there for you… and if you like… name the gift that you received from your blanket today… maybe it was peace… perhaps comfort… or simply a much needed rest...
Naming the gift that you received today…
And as you are preparing to return… you can either choose to keep the blanket wrapped around you… or you can take the blanket off… knowing that it will always be here for you in your imagination… It will always be exactly the right color that you need in that moment…
I invite you now to come back to your breath… Notice the air as it comes into your body and fills your lungs… Then notice how it feels to release the breath through your nose or mouth… maybe releasing the breath with a sound or a sigh… remembering where you are… noticing the feel of your feet… legs… hip… back… neck… head…
And following the sound of my voice back to this present moment... If it feels good to do so, you might want to stretch your legs and arms… maybe move your head slowly from side to side… grounding yourself back into your body in whatever way feels just right to you in this moment…
When you feel ready… you can gently open your eyes… taking your time... I will wait for you…
Remembering that all is well.
Lotus Flower of Self-Blessing
Begin by getting as comfortable as you can… and closing your eyes when you are ready…
or you might prefer to keep a soft gaze downwards… whatever feels right to you today…
Giving the weight of your body
over to the support of the chair you are in… resting… surrendering… and also…
giving the weight of your thoughts and feelings over to the presence of the Divine…
however you imagine the Divine to be for your life right now…
As you breathe in and out … as your thoughts are coming to stillness…
as you become more and more relaxed… I invite you to imagine yourself near
a beautiful pond… Notice the weather… Can you tell if it is daytime or nighttime?... Find a place to sit on the edge of this pond… What sounds do you hear?...
What do you see?… Are there any animals or insects present with you… as you sit quietly by this lovely little pond?...
Taking a closer look at the surface of the water… you are noticing one beautiful lotus flower close to you… It seems to be beckoning to you… What color is this lotus?… As you are paying attention to its color… you are also noticing the layering of so many petals opening out from its center… noticing that this lotus has grown up through the mud at the bottom of this pond… and has turned into a gorgeous flower… just for you…
Now… in your imagination where all things are possible… you are noticing that you are becoming smaller in size… and then a bit smaller… until you are just the
right size to hop over to this lotus… your lotus... and sit in the center of it… Ahhhh… Noticing how at home you feel here… Taking a moment to observe the petals that now surround you… Each of these petals represents a part of yourself… a part of your soul… Some of the petals may be whole and lush… Some of them may be a bit withered or damaged by the sun or by bugs or whatever… but each of the petals is yours… Each of these petals has something precious to give to the life of your soul… Each petal contributes to the whole of you… to the whole of your flower…
I invite you to listen to these words from the poet Galway Kinnell now:
The bud
stands for all things,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness, to put a hand on the brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing…
Knowing within that where you are sitting right now… is your place of self-blessing… So just resting here for a while… in the center of your lotus blossom… and listening to the whispering petals of your soul… knowing that they are blessing you… You are listening to them… You are feeling their love… and… if you choose… you are inviting their wisdom…
This is the place where you can… whenever you choose to… return again and again to reteach yourself your loveliness… This is the place where you can rest in the sanctuary and safety of your own soul…
Now it is nearing time to leave this pond… and your lotus flower… So find a way to thank your flower… Maybe even bowing to the petals one by one… or blowing them kisses… feeling so full of gratitude and grace… feeling so full of self-acceptance and gladness to be exactly who you are…
And now you are sensing your body getting a little bit bigger… and bigger… until you are your normal size now… leaving the pond behind… and coming back
to the present moment… following the sound of my voice… hearing your own steady breath… noticing how your legs and back feel resting against the chair… becoming more and more aware of your surroundings… Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes… Maybe stretching your arms and your legs… Rolling your neck from side
to side if that feels good to you…
And when you are ready… only when you are ready… opening your eyes…
taking your time… I will wait for you… There is no rush… Remembering that all is well…
Touching Peace
If it feels good, take a deep breath… in… and out… And just give your body permission to relax and be comfortable for this next little while…
Allow your body to experience the contact that it makes with the chair and with the floor… and let it adjust itself in any way it needs to in order to be just a little bit more comfortable… Shifting any part of you that needs to move for that settled feeling of ahhh… You can close your eyes when it feels safe
and comfortable to do so… or you might choose to keep a soft gaze downwards…
As you tune in to the rhythm of your breathing, imagine that when you inhale… you’re inhaling a little bit of the sky… and it’s very clear and very refreshing… And
as you exhale, imagine that you’re letting go of whatever you don’t need right now… Inhaling the light, clear sky… Exhaling that which does not serve you right now…
Letting the rhythm of your breath be just what it is… a simple and beautiful process of taking in what’s fresh and clear… and letting go of what’s no longer needed…
Each breath you take relaxes and refreshes you… Your breathing and your mind are becoming clearer and clearer… Your body is relaxing a little bit more with each inhale and exhale…
Allowing your imagination to be open and receptive… Continuing to breathe in… and breathe out… I invite you to take a little journey now… a magical journey to your inner world where you are
always safe… where everything is always exactly as it should be…
And in your imagination… if you choose… take yourself to a large beautiful lake…
You find yourself walking around the shore of the lake… The sky is clear… Noticing if it is daytime or night time… Is the sun shining… or is the moon luminescent on the water?... What are you noticing here besides the water?… What sounds do
you hear?… What scents are sweet to inhale?... Noticing how your body feels near this lake… Maybe it is looser… Maybe it’s more relaxed… Or maybe it’s feeling something else… Let it all be okay…
Take a moment to pause and look at the water that makes up this inner lake… Now… using your imagination… if you choose to... go ahead and step into the water… or stay on the shore if you choose that… Give yourself permission to step into the shallow water… or to stand on the edge of it…
If you are choosing to enter the lake… know that it doesn’t matter what you are wearing… because this is an inner journey… so just stepping into the water and now
continuing to walk out to the center of the lake… If you want to swim to the center
of the lake, that’s okay too… This is all happening in your own imagination so you can control whatever happens here… The waters are safe… You are safe… And if you are standing on shore… perhaps you can just watch yourself walking to the center of the lake… or you can choose to meander around the edge of the lake for the next little while… and see what there is to see…
Now… if you are in the lake… when you find yourself in the middle of the lake… go ahead and dive down… down… all the way down to the bottom of your warm, calm lake… As you slip through the water… you are surrounded by a profound silence… and you are awed to see that the bottom of the lake bed is carpeted with beautiful white pearls… If you want to, go ahead and lightly touch one of those pearls now… simply touch it… knowing that as you are touching it…
you are touching a deep peace that always… always lives inside of you…
Now picking up just one of these shimmering pearls and holding it in your hand… As you do so, the knowledge comes to you that at any time your world becomes chaotic or out of control… you can dive down deep right here in this inner lake and touch peace… because peace lives right here… inside of you… all the time… just waiting for you to sense and feel and touch it…
If you want to hold onto this pearl that you have picked up, you can do so… knowing that there are many more for you to find when you return… And now you are swimming back up to the surface of the lake… and swimming or walking back to the shore… Bringing yourself back to dry land now…
Drying yourself off by the water’s edge… and now spending a few more moments in silence near your beautiful inner lake… Remembering that all you need to do to touch peace is to dive… or float down… into its center…
Now it’s time to start thinking about leaving your inner lake… so… I invite you to focus a little more closely on the sound of my voice… following the sound of my voice back to this present moment… paying attention once again to your breath… remembering that you are not just in your imagination but that you are in a body as well… breathing a little more deeply and consciously…
You might want to shift in your chair… Stretch your body in any way that feels good to you…
Opening your eyes when you are ready to do so… Taking your time… I will wait for you… Remembering that all is well.
The Mirror
Taking a deep breath and allowing your eyes to close… Giving your body permission to relax and be comfortable… As comfortable as it can be right now…
Allowing your body to feel… really feel… the contact that it makes with the chair and with the floor… and letting your body adjust itself in any way it needs to… in order to be even a bit more comfortable for now…
As you tune in to the rhythm of your breathing, imagine that when you inhale… you’re inhaling a little bit of the sky… and it’s very clear and very refreshing… And as you exhale, imagine that you’re letting go of whatever you don’t need right now… Inhaling the light, clear sky…
Exhaling that which does not serve you right now…
Letting the rhythm of your breath be just what it is… a simple and beautiful process of taking in what’s fresh and clear… and letting go of what’s no longer needed…
Each breath you take relaxes and refreshes you… Your breathing and your mind are becoming clearer and clearer… Your body is relaxing a little bit more with each inhale and exhale…
Now… in your mind’s eye… I invite you to imagine a large mirror… It can be any shape… and made of any materials that you want it to be made of… as long as it’s
a large full-length mirror… You can see it standing several feet away from you now… and you are imagining yourself standing up and walking slowly… very slowly…
over to this beautiful mirror…
Noticing how you are feeling as you are walking towards the mirror… just noticing… and accepting however you are feeling about looking at yourself in this mirror… Accepting your feelings… your thoughts… Not judging whatever is going on
inside you… Treating it all with kindness… It’s all okay… You are truly safe here...
And now you are standing in front of the mirror… gazing at your reflection for a moment… and as you’re looking… I invite you to listen to these words from Saraha… one of the greatest yogis of India in the late 8th century:
Here in this body are the sacred rivers…
here are the sun and moon as well as all the pilgrimage places...
I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body…
Noticing now how it feels to think of your own body as a temple… a sacred place…
We’re going to scan the sacred rivers of our bodies now… We’re going to offer our often-neglected bodies some attention… some kindness and love… some gratitude…
Starting with your feet… See them in the mirror, really see your feet… Thank your feet for all the places they have taken you… all the journeys they have led you through…
Sacred rivers, pilgrimage places… sacred rivers, pilgrimage places…
Now look at your legs… Really see your legs… How have they held you up lately?... How have they supported you?... And thank your legs for their service to you…
Spending some time now looking at your hips and pelvic area… See your hips, really look at your pelvis for a moment… What pleasures have these parts of your body given you throughout your life?... Have they helped you bear children?...
Have they given you sexual pleasure?... Take some time to thank your hips and your pelvis… for all that they have done for you over the years…
Sacred rivers, pilgrimage places… sacred rivers, pilgrimage places…
Now it’s time to look at your stomach… See your stomach, really see it… Maybe place your hands on it if that feels good to you… Just spend a moment
appreciating your stomach… How has your stomach served you throughout your
life?... Can you find it in your heart to thank it for its service to you?...
Spending a little time now gazing at your chest… Really looking at your chest in the mirror… Leaving behind any judgments coming from any of your Inner Committee members… Leaving behind any criticisms for now… How has your chest served you?... If you are a woman, have your breasts given you pleasure?... Have they been a source of nourishment for a baby?... Also noting that your chest contains your heart… and your lungs… taking some time now to shower your chest…
your heart… your lungs… with appreciation and gratitude…
Sacred rivers, pilgrimage places… sacred rivers, pilgrimage places…
Now your arms… look at them in your imaginary mirror… and your hands… How have your arms and hands assisted you in your life lately?...
Holding… reaching… healing… so
othing…
And now gladly thanking your arms and hands for their service to you…
And finally… your head… Gaze for a moment into your own eyes…
What color are they?... Thank your eyes for their gift of sight… And your mouth… Is it smiling?... Thanking your lips and tongue… your nose… throat and larynx… Thank them all for working together to serve you through your five senses…
Sacred rivers, pilgrimage places… sacred rivers, pilgrimage places…
Now looking at your whole body for a moment again in the mirror… Your beautiful body… made up of skin and bones… muscle and tissue…
cells and memory… Sacred rivers… Pilgrimage places… Your whole body…..
Placing your hands together in prayer position, in front of your chest…
bowing to yourself… your magnificent, beautiful self… and spending a moment
thanking your body… for being a blissful temple for your spirit… all these years…
It’s time to come back to this time and place now… Finding a way to thank your mirror for its true reflections today… paying attention to your breath once again… feeling your chest rising and falling with each breath… noticing how your body feels against the chair you’re sitting in… feeling your feet against the floor…
maybe even stretching gently a little bit in your own way…
And now… gently opening your eyes whenever you are ready… taking your time… I will wait for you…
Remembering that all is well…
Light Up Your Holidays
I invite you to rest for a few moments now… Taking a deep breath in… and letting it out with sigh or some other sound… letting your breathing be whatever it wants to be today… holding the intention of being kind to yourself for the next few minutes… adjusting your body however it needs so that you can become just a little bit more comfortable… just a little bit more relaxed… continuing to breathe in… and breathe out… in… and out… in… and out…
Magical Inner Journeys Page 5