Spiritual Rebirth

Soft Belly Meditation-Stephen Levine (preparation for Metta practice.


Taking a few deep breaths, feel the body as you breath in
Feel the body expanding and contracting with each breath.
Focus on the rising and falling of the abdomen.
Let awareness receive the beginning, middle and end of each inbreath, of each
out breath expanding and contracting the belly.
Note the constantly changing flow of sensations each inhalation, in each
exhalation and begin to soften around the sensations.

Let the breath breathe itself in a softening belly.
Soften the belly to receive breath, to receive sensations,
to experience life in the body.
Soften the muscles that have held fear for so long.
Soften the tissue, the blood vessels and the flesh,
Letting go of the holding of a lifetime.
Letting go into soft-belly, merciful belly.
Soften the grief, the distrust, the anger,
held so hard in the belly.

​Levels and levels of softening, levels and levels of letting go,
Moment to moment allow each breath its full expression in soft belly.
Let go of hardness, Let it float in something softer and gentler, kinder,
Let thoughts come, let them go,
floating like bubbles in the spaciousness of soft-belly

Holding to nothing, softening, softening,
Let the healing in-let the pain go.
Have mercy on yourself, soften the belly.
Open the passageways to the heart.
In soft-belly there is room to be born at last,
and room to die, when the moment comes.

In soft-belly is the vast spaciousness in which to heal,
in which to discover ourselves
In which to discover our vast unbounded nature.
Letting go into the softness of the belly
Fear floats in the gentler vastness we call the heart.
Open to the softness of the belly, open to the heart.

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