Let's begin this meditation by

finding a comfortable position.

Perhaps in the seated

posture or lying down.

And allowing yourself to rest as

you prepare for this practice, which

will support you in grounding in

the elements of self-compassion.

And bringing awareness to the

various elements that comprise

your physical being in this moment.

So as we settle into the meditation,

perhaps noticing again, the

points of contact between the

body and the ground beneath you.

If you're seated in a chair, just feeling

the way in which the chair is connected to

the floor, and to the floor to the earth.

Similarly, if you're lying down,

just noticing how it is that

you are in this moment being

held by the support, the earth.

And allowing your attention

to encompass awareness of

breathing in and breathing out.

And as you do so, noticing again

here, how just simply breathing is

in and of itself, a manifestation

of the preciousness of your life.

And the way in which we are

always held in this broader,

magnificent mystery of life itself.

And as we settle into this practice,

feeling the body as a whole resting

in the position that you've chosen.

Breathing in and breathing out

and noticing perhaps the edges of

the body and the points of contact

between earth, chair, clothing.

Allowing the spacious holding

of the body as a whole to

support you and just relaxing.

Just being present.

In your life in this moment.

Take in, perhaps a few deeper

than usual breaths for you.

And just then allowing yourself to rest

and a rhythm and pace of breathing as

comfortable for you in this moment.

And as you gently allow your attention

to focus on the sensations of breathing.

Perhaps noticing the way in which

that sensation of the in-breath may

be known by allowing attention to

rest on perhaps one place where you're

really feeling the breath coming in.

It might be the region of the belly

button down beneath that diaphragm,

where if you allow yourself, and feel

just the beginning of the in-breath.

Drawing in and feeling the expansion

of the abdominal walls, as you breathe

in and naturally reach that point

where the body wants to breathe out.

And breathing out, we can feel similarly

the collapse, the falling backwards

of those abdominal muscles and walls.

So breathing in and breathing out,

having this point of contact as an

additional ground to connect you

with your experience, to anchor you

in the sensations of this moment.

Now you can allow yourself to more

deeply anchor into this moment by sensing

into the quality of the earth that is

inherently a part of your own being.

The solid qualities of the

musculature of the body, bones,

as you breathe in and out.

And noting the way in which these

more solid qualities are here.

Feeling this sort of depth of your being

as you rest, sitting in this dignified

posture, lying in this dignified posture.

Just allowing gravity to hold you,

and just feeling the ground of your

being and the connectedness between

the body and the earth below.

But also, sensing into these earth

elements that are in the body.

As you breathe in and out,

noticing that you are comprised

of earth element in this moment.

Solid, grounded like a mountain as you

sit, or perhaps rooted like a tree.

Feeling, calling forth, in your

own way, a sense of the earth

element in the firmness with which

you are resting in this moment.

As you breathe in and out, sensing

that solidity which is the earth

element in the body, Allowing

it to dissolve in this moment.

And resting in the sensations

of breathing in and out.

Now, perhaps calling forth a

quality of warmth within you.

Accessing the region as a heart.

Perhaps, as we allow our or tend to,

to feel the sense of warmth in us

as were coming to the core of our

being, the muscles of the midsection.

And in this moment, sense into a fire

element in the body, that which is alive

energetically, that which is transforming.

Perhaps emotions of difficulty

into the energy of change.

Perhaps literally transforming

the foods that we eat into the

nutrients we need to strengthen us.

Whatever way seems natural to you, will

you invite an inquiry into the fire

element in your own body and being.

The warmth.

Your energy of powerful transformation

that exists in you in this moment.

Breathing in and breathing out

and sensing the way in which

you are indeedcomprised of fire.

Heat.

Light.

Warmth.

And now allowing the imagery and

the sensations that have arisen

in this moment to dissolve.

And coming back to the sensations

of simply breathing and sitting.

And calling forth the water element

within you, knowing that the body

is comprised of more than 50% water.

Sensing into that which is in flow in

you, even as you sit, relax, and rest.

So breathing in and breathing out,

noticing the fluid nature of your being.

Calling forth in ways

that resonate with you.

What aspects of your being right now

carry the mark of the water element?

Strong, able to flow, able to change,

able to support you in flowing and being

with what arises the gentle strength.

The water element in you.

And finally, as we allow the water

element or the imagery around

that to dissolve, coming back to

the sensations of just breathing.

And as you do, so noticing

this as the air element.

Breathing in and breathing out

with the quality of the air in this

moment as a part of your being the.

Wind element.

Breathing in and breathing out, joining

now with the winds and feeling as

you do so the way in which your whole

being is flowing in, rustling as

the wind, shifting asthe wind does.

Sensing the quality of the wind and air

as a part of your being in this moment.

And now, as you allow the focus on the

sense of the air and the wind element as

a part of who you are to gently dissolve,

feeling now just the spaciousness.

And allowing this invitation to attend

to the spacious quality of your own

being, the way in which the earth

element, fire element, the water element

and the air element are all here.

Feeling again, the way in which you belong

as a part of this earth and always have.

And feeling how it is that when you are

reminded of your inherent connection

with the entire earth, itself is a way of

bringing a loving, compassionate support

to you, for whatever difficulty you may

be experiencing in this moment or beyond.

Keep practicing like this when and

as might need the extra support of

reminding yourself of the elements in

you, the strength in you, the ability

to flow in equanimity with what is.

Thank you for your practice.

May you be well, safe and connected on the

journey from this moment into the next.