Good evening everybody and welcome to our Sunday meditation. This month, December, the year has flown by and this lovely chilly Sunday evening. So welcome tonight.

I hope you're sitting or lying nice and comfortably ready for the meditations ahead. So just a little update from from my side and the inspiration for where my meditation for tonight has come from. So the past, I think I mentioned last time about you know, moving out to my family home and that non-attachment and letting go.

So from since then I've been moving around quite a bit. I've moved house about 3 times just moving in and out of friends and until we move into the next house while my parents do, will be. And I'm actually going to be going away for a few months to further my yoga training and my mindfulness and meditation training, so.

At the moment, I feel a little bit all over the place, which is why I've decided that night I think returning home, meditation, just yeah, everything, the like the events that are happening at the moment inside this evening's meditation to return home. So we'll be doing it through breath work and a body scan as well. So just on the note of going away for a few months, obviously, especially for January, I won't be able to attend January, January's Sunday meditation and more than likely for the following few months.

So we will update you on what's going to happen with the meditation sessions. But if, if they continue for the first few months, I won't be here. But we will, we will update you, but as far as things are set at the moment, we will be continuing with Mike, and as I say, I'll be, I will be attending for the next few sessions, but hopefully when I return around April, then we'll be able to, I'll be able to come back on the meditation.

So I just thought I would update everybody this evening and let you know what is going on. So I will pass you over to Mike to do his mindful check into your emotions, which would be, I'm really really looking forward to and we, we will continue. So thank you very much everyone, sit back, relax and enjoy tonight's meditation.

Thank you very much, Meg. And, you know, welcome to everybody and lovely to be with you. I do look forward to these because it's just, I've done, I've had a very meditative day, actually.

I did some mindful walking, when I was out with Billy this morning, and I've meditated a couple of times already today. And so this is like an extra bonus. And my thoughts were that, this time of the year, As it gets towards Christmas, I can't tell you the amount of the people that I'm working with who are experiencing a sort of surge in, in emotion because of the memories and because of the Well, to be frank, sometimes, some of the difficulties that seem to arise around family occasions, and I thought that maybe this would be a really useful meditation.

I sometimes use this for myself and, and for people I work with when, when there's a lot of emotion about and it's a very simple meditation. It's just, I, I, I just call it my mindful checking. So, Let's see if this can be as useful to you guys and and as enjoyable, really.

There's a little slight, Health warning comes with this one. In a little while, you will hear me say that and ask you to, reflect back on a specific experience of anxiety in the recent past, . And just to reflect on it.

When we do that, can you try and choose something that, is, is, is just anxiety? So let's say, no anxiety is one, absolute blind panic is 10. Let's choose something that that sort of bubbles around about 5 or 6 on that scale, because that will allow the meditation to work better as you practise with this sort of just sitting with me with sitting and meditating with emotion and as you work with it more and more and more we find that we can work with some of that stuff that's up there with a 9 or a 10 and Allow ourselves to just sit with it, but early days, it's usually best for a 4 or 5.

So there's my little Bit of advice on that one. So let's start. So if we just get ourselves into a comfortable experience, into a comfortable position.

In order to just allow Whatever experience comes. Remembering that whatever comes up in the practise. Is the practise.

So as we sit, Comfortable but not too comfortable. Let's just take a few minutes. 2 moments.

To acknowledge how you're currently feeling. In your body, And in your mind. How are you?

Being mindful of. Whatever it is that you go and find. Acknowledging it.

Letting it all be. Because it comes Because it goes. Just recognising there's nothing.

That needs to be fixed. Or analysed. Also.

Just allow your experience. And let it be. And now if we can Just escort our attention.

To our breath. Becoming mindful of. Breathing in.

And breathing out. Bringing an awareness to wherever you feel. Breath most.

Prominently. And distinctly. Green Mindful curiosity, too.

Where do I? Feel my breath. Perhaps at your nose.

Your chest. That just someone that Experiences more in your belly. Or maybe even somewhere else.

Just find it. Notice that there's. Nowhere else you need to be.

Nothing that you need to be doing. Just sitting Online Breathing. And if your mind wanders.

Away from the breath as it surely will. Just acknowledge wherever it went. Where did you go?

Where did my mind wander to? And then gently gather it. As you would Gather a child that's just.

One it all. Pop our arms around them. No words.

Just a smile. And bring them back. Once more we find ourselves breathing.

And And breathing out. And now just ask you to reflect on a specific incident or experience of A time when you got a little bit anxious. Perhaps something that's so recent that you can remember it.

And as you Recall the experience. In detail, Just try and recall it so that you can re-experience the emotion. As you invoke some of that anxiety now in this present moment.

And as you Reimagine the experience and. Ease yourself into it. Just be mindful of how the anxiety feels now.

In your body. And just stay with it. With whatever sensation show up.

Your only job. In this moment, Is to feel And acknowledge whatever physical sensations. You experience and let them be.

No need to change them. Just let the sensations run their course. Perhaps think of This process is being like a ripple on a lake.

And that ripple I gradually just assimilated. Into the entirety. Of the body of water.

In that same way, We sit with the anxiety memory. With the emotion. I allow it to ripple.

And lose energy, and subside. Now just feel in to any emotions that emerge. Out of this exercise.

Maybe be fear Anxiety, sadness, confusion. Whatever you feel. Just as with those physical sensations.

Just acknowledge these emotions and let them be. Simply Acknowledging whatever is in your direct experience. Just letting it be.

Whatever comes up in the practise. Is your practise. Now bring a curious.

Awareness to this anxiety that we've just re-experienced. And bringing awareness to the fact that When we focus on our anxieties, it does sometimes amplify. There's anxious feelings.

That's OK. That's normal. And the intensity Will subside.

As you open up to. And acknowledge whatever you're experiencing. Make space, allow the ripple.

To run across the surface of the lake. Losing intensity. Until it Simply Just simply there.

Continue now just. Feeling into the anxiety. Allowing any feelings in the body.

And the mind Letting them be What we're doing together tonight is we're cultivating. Balance, and we're finding. The mindful fortitude.

To just be with things as they are. And smile. And be pleased with yourself because the very fact That you're acknowledging anxiety.

And allowing it, rather than turning away from it. Is ultimately healing. And as you continue, To acknowledge your physical sensations.

And emotions. If you're like me, You may begin to reveal. A host of memories.

You may experience thoughts, feelings. And a physical expression. That may have In the past created limiting definitions of who you think you are.

As you just sit. Hello. You may begin to see more clearly into how these old patterns, old scripts.

I've just driven your anxiety. And this anxiety If we just allow it. Misunderstanding.

About just allowing and making space. I can just set you free. And as the ripple dissipates.

Is assimilated into the lake. Gradually transition your attention. To your breath.

Breathing mindfully. Breathing in And that. And shift your awareness now from your breath.

Right into your heart. Take some time to. Find The self compassion that so often lodges there.

And acknowledge your courage. And just sitting. Allowing anxiety.

Just recognising that this sitting. Allowing In a way, Moves it so that anxiety becomes your teacher. Helping you to just open your heart.

And to find compassion. And A's. Within your very being.

As we bring this meditation to a close. Just to find that mindful smile. To make that level of commitment that Just allowing It's so much better than pushing away.

When we're ready, Very gently. Just open your eyes. With a bit of a wriggle.

And let's prepare ourselves for Meg's returning home, body scan. Lovely, Mike, thank you very much. Thanks.

Thank you, and that was lovely. It was perfect preparation for the next, the next meditation. So the two come come together really nicely, both focusing on the body and internalising our awareness.

So, perfect. Thank you very much, Mike. So I'll just go straight into the next meditation seeing as .

After, after Mike's meditation. So just doing any adjustments that you need to, and then we'll go straight into our returning home body scan. So if you haven't already, just begin to close the eyes, was taking away any external stimuli.

So the eyes don't get distracted. And settling back into the breath. Breathing in and out of the nose.

If you breathe in and out, just start to have a sense of the position of the body, whether you're lying on the floor or you're in seated meditation. To contact the body with the ground, which parts of the body are touching the ground, which parts are elevated. Just getting a sense of the position of the body.

And we're gonna start to focus more. Deeply into certain areas of the body. Really internalising our awareness.

But before we start to get deeper into our body scan. Just come back to that breath as you breathe in and out. So it just helps to Channel the focus internally.

It's bringing your 100% of your focus onto the breath. So you become the breath. Maybe it helps to repeat, I am breathing in.

And I am breathing out. And that helps just to keep that focus there with the breath. I'm breathing in and I am breathing out.

We're going to start our body scan at the bottom of the body, going a bit deeper into our awareness of the body starting with the toes. Socially with the toes with the right foot. To start to repeat to yourself, I am aware of all five toes on my right foot.

And just internally. That sense of smiling to your toes. I smile to my toes.

This just helps to encourage the toes to relax, so I'm aware of my toes on my right foot. I smile to my toes. Switching your awareness to the left foot.

I'm aware all five toes on my left foot. I smile to my toes and just get that sense, that inner smile, encouraging the toes of the left foot to release and relax. Switching your awareness back to now the whole of the right foot.

I'm aware of the whole of the right foot. I smiled the whole of my right foot, encouraging allowing the right foot to feel heavy and relaxed. I'm aware of the whole of my left foot.

I smiled to the whole of my left foot, allowing the whole of the left foot to feel heavy, released and relaxed. I'm travelling west back to the right side of the body. To the whole of the right leg, so the shin, the calf, the knee, top of the thigh, the back of the thigh.

Becoming aware of the whole of the right leg. From top to bottom and bottom to top. I smile to the whole of my right leg.

Do you have that sense of smiling, just feel the whole of the right leg to start to release any tension it may be holding on to. So as we go through this body scan, you may notice areas of pain in the body. And if that's the case, just hold your awareness a little bit longer in that particular area.

I was switching the awareness to the whole of the left leg. The shin, the calf, the knee, the top of the thigh, the back of the thigh. I'm aware of the whole of my left leg.

I smile to the whole of my left leg. Allowing the whole left leg to feel heavy released. And relaxed.

Bring the awareness to the torso. To the stomach, the chest. The sides of the body.

To the waist, the rib cage, the back of the body all the way down the spine. Focusing on each vertebrae, muscles between each vertebrae. The lower back.

So just taking the time to focus on Each part and the whole of the torso. I'm aware of the whole of my torso, both front, sides and back. I smile to my torso front.

Sides and the back. Allowing the whole of the torso to feel heavy, released and relaxed. The chest softens, and if you're lying down, start to feel the back sink to the ground.

And just sitting upright, try not to slouch, keep that posture, that upright posture but soften into the posture. Gain any areas of tension, tightness or pain. Just breathing and spend a little bit more time to focus there.

Now coming back to the right side of the body. The right arm from the shoulder all the way down to the wrist. I'm aware of the hold of my right arm from shoulder to wrist.

I smiled to the whole of my right arm. Gain allowing the whole of the right arm to feel heavy, released and relaxed. Before switching your awareness back to the left side of the body, from shoulder to wrist, and the whole of the left arm.

I'm aware of the whole of my left arm. I smile to the whole of my left arm. Allowing the whole of the left arms feel heavy, released, and relaxed.

Gain breathing into any areas of tightness, keeping your awareness there. Back to the right side of the body, becoming aware of all five fingers on the right hands. The palm of the hands, the back of the hand.

Becoming aware of the whole of the right hand and say I'm aware of the right hand, I smile to the right hand. Hold of the right hand is heavy, released and relaxed. Into the left hand, all fingers on the left hand, the palm and hand, the back of the hand.

I'm aware of the left hand, and I smile to the left hand. It is perhaps when you begin to release and relax the hand, the fingers start to gently curl and with just observing you know to see. And then finally to finish our body scan, become aware.

Of the face All the muscles in the face, the scalp, the top of the head, the back of the head, and the neck. I'm aware of the whole of my head. I'm aware of the whole of my head and I smile.

To the whole house. OK, allowing all the muscles to release, relax. The head now feels heavy if it's lying on the ground.

Was it stacked on top of the spine? Finally, become aware of the whole of the body. I am aware of the whole of my body and I smile to the whole of my body.

Just noticing as we come to the end of our body scan, how the awareness has shifted internally. This is also arriving home. You can return home at any time.

Your true home lies here. And it's not limited to time or space, nationality or race. Somewhere we can come, no matter what.

And when you're ready, just start to take deeper breaths in and out. Maybe move the body very, very slowly, moving the fingers and toes. Gently in your own time if you want to, you can open the eyes.

Thank you everybody. That was the returning home body scan, so well done everyone. We had somebody just come in, Mag, saying that, during the, my meditation.

That we did the first one that they sort of experienced sort of like a they described it as a human lava lamp like with the emotion but then the Just the letting of, just the letting of it go, I think, and, if that person found it, useful, I'd happily share the, I haven't got a recording of that one, but I'd happily share the script. It's, it's a meditation by Bob Stahl. Who's just a fabulous mindfulness practitioner.

I've, I've, I've just sort of adapted Bob Stahl's one, but I do have the script somewhere. I'll have to dig it out of the computer. I think it was Catriona, but Capture, if you'd like the script to that one, I'd happily.

Share that with you. Yeah, oh, that's lovely, Mike, thank you very much. Ah, yes, you just, first time I've made the live, oh, I know you, you haven't been able to get to it for a while, have you, so it's lovely to have you back, but, obviously the recording will be available after tonight, so it's something but to have the script is a nice idea.

Put my email down. Yeah. And then if if you, if you want to email me, I'll just send you on there.

If you found it really useful, that one. Perfect, that would be wonderful if . Oh brilliant.

Can you, can you see that? I think that's that. Yes, so you've got, if you've got my email address, but if for some reason you need this again just email into the office tomorrow and I'll get that over to you.

That's wonderful. Any other questions? I'm sorry we have gone over a little bit tonight, but if there are any other questions after either the meditations, please feel free to pop those in, .

In the chat's just say that. Really enjoyed tonight and Nice to attend a live session. It's lovely, isn't it?

And that, that sense of the anxiety rippling away is powerful, isn't it? That's, that's why I really like that one. It's Bob Starl does that.

Like I used to have a recording of Bob Starle doing that one, but I can't find it anymore, but certainly I have the script. So people want that just yeah, lovely, lovely to have you on board as well, but. Then he says hello to everybody.

Oh, Billy was fabulous. Oh, there's that little bark because he no, he just did a little sort of bark. You must have heard, heard us talking about him, he was very well behaved.

It always comes for the meditations, hi, Billy. I know it wouldn't be the same without him, would it? He's he's lying on his back with all four paws up in the air, fast asleep.

You'll have to get a photo of him. Take a photo. We'll have to meet him one time.

Maybe he can come on when we start doing videos, we can get the mindful dog to come on video. Yeah. Lovely, everybody, I think that's lovely, but yes, have a lovely Sunday evening.

Thank you so much as always, Mike and if I don't see you, have a lovely trip. Oh, thank you so much. Thank you.

I'm sure I'll chat it before again. Thank you everybody. Have a lovely rest of your evening.

Any questions that come up after the meditation, feel free to email, either myself or Mike as always. Thanks everybody. Bye now.

Have a wonderful Christmas. I've just realised it'll be Christmas, won't it? Have a lovely Christmas.

All right, thank you, bye now.