Welcome to Seasons of Living Gently through Cancer.
I'm so glad you've chosen to spend these next few moments here.
In this session we are entering the season of love.
Not only romantic love,
But love in all its many forms.
The love of family and friendship.
The love found in a familiar voice.
A hand held during a difficult moment.
A message that arrives at just the right time.
The kindness of someone who truly listens.
The love that is held within so many beautiful memories.
And the love that we can also slowly learn.
To offer yourself.
So wherever you are today,
Find your comfy space warm and cozy.
Feel your body begin to soften.
Your shoulders are melting.
Your neck is soft.
Your jaw is releasing.
Maybe you are just simply taking a quiet pause in the middle of your day.
And just allow yourself to be here now.
Notice the surface beneath your body.
And just feel the support there.
Relax the muscles around your eyes.
And just slowly close them.
And gently bring your awareness towards your breath.
There is no need to deepen it.
Just simply notice the breath moving in.
And the breath moving out.
Breathe in and out.
And as you breathe out just release any stress or tension,
Tenderness.
Just come back to the natural rhythm of your breath.
This quiet movement of life within you.
Gently place one hand over your heart.
Or anywhere on your body that feels reassuring,
Maybe your shoulder or your belly.
And just feel the warmth of your own touch.
Just rest it there,
This small gesture of care.
And now take a gentle breath in.
Feel the expansion and as you breathe out Letting go.
Breathe in.
.
.
And breathe out,
Creating a little more space around your heart.
Simply make room for whatever is here in this moment.
Sometimes living with cancer can change the way we experience love.
It can bring certain relationships closer.
It can show us who is able to sit beside us in uncertainty.
It can also reveal where sometimes we are unable to express what we truly need.
May be people who want to help but really don't know what to say.
There may be moments when you are so surrounded by deep love.
Yet you still feel alone within your experience.
There may be days when you don't want advice,
You just simply want someone to listen.
And there may be days when you want company.
And other days when love looks like being given space to rest.
And maybe you just want to continue with your beautiful life.
Your journey.
And all of this is understandable because love doesn't always arrive perfectly.
Sometimes through practical help.
Are left to an appointment.
A meal left at the door or a text that simply says I am thinking of you.
It might be someone who is asking how you are and being willing to hear the real answer.
So love in these moments can be quiet,
Ordinary.
And it can appear in moments that might easily be overlooked.
So take a comfortable breath in here.
And as you breathe out just allow yourself to think of one person.
Maybe an animal,
A place or memory that brings a beautiful feeling of warmth.
Just simply notice what arises.
Maybe you see a face of a loved one.
You hear a voice.
Or you remember a beautiful place you have visited.
Maybe it's feeling the warmth of your pet resting beside you or recalling a moment when someone showed you genuine care.
I'll just let that feeling rest gently in your awareness.
Just breathe with it.
Breathing in,
Receiving.
Breathing out softening.
Or silently say to yourself.
I allow myself to receive love.
I allow myself to be supported.
I do not have to carry everything alone.
Just notice how those words feel.
It may be comforting.
They may bring some emotion.
Let each feeling move at its own pace.
Living with cancer can sometimes create a sense that the body has let us down.
You may feel disconnected from it or tired of the attention that symptoms,
Treatment and medical appointments bring to it.
You may need more rest.
Or require care in ways you never expected.
And there's no need to pretend that these changes are easy.
Loving your body does not mean loving every sensation or every change.
But perhaps love for your body can begin more simply just by recognizing what your body is carrying,
By listening when it asks for rest.
And by responding to discomfort with tenderness.
Maybe you can speak to yourself in the same way you might speak to someone you deeply care for.
Just take a soft breath towards the area.
That needs your attention and perhaps quietly offer your body these words.
I am listening.
I know you are carrying so much.
I will meet you with kindness today.
Good.
There may be days when these words feel natural.
And days when they do not.
But that is okay.
Remember that love can begin as an intention.
A willingness to become a little gentler with yourself.
Now you see yourself sitting in a peaceful place,
Maybe a garden in soft light,
A quiet woodland.
Or somewhere that is known only to you.
This space feels so safe and welcoming.
Here you don't have to reassure anyone or feel strong,
You are just simply allowed to be,
To be with yourself.
And now.
.
.
There is a soft light beginning to appear.
Maybe it's rose gold or a warm white,
Soft green.
Any colour that feels comforting for you.
Now this beautiful light represents love in all the forms that have held you throughout your life.
Those people that have truly cared for you.
The kindness you have received.
The moments of true connection.
Love of those who may no longer be physically beside you yet remain part of your heart.
The love that you have given to others,
The care and kindness you have offered,
And the lives that you have touched,
Often in ways you may never fully know.
So just let this gentle light surround you.
Feel its presence,
Its soft presence around your body.
This is your reminder.
That love is not measured only by what can be seen.
Because love lives in memories,
In words,
In gestures.
And in the way your own love continues to ripple through the lives of others.
So just take a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
You feel this light moving gently around your heart.
Just feel it there offering companionship,
Warmth and care.
Sometimes there might be people you wish might be able to understand more,
People you miss or people you wish were closer.
Sometimes there might be a sadness within love because they sit very close together.
And we miss someone because we have love.
So there is room here for both tenderness.
And maybe sorry.
Can treasure what you have and still long for what might be missing.
Now just let your breath make space for all of it.
Breathing in gently.
Breathing out slowly.
Spring to mind now the love that you have given throughout your life.
Maybe you have comforted someone,
Encouraged,
Listened,
Cared,
Protected,
Created,
Or maybe a shared laughter.
And just repeat silently to yourself.
My love has made a difference.
My presence matters.
I am worthy of the care I so freely give to others.
Just breathe those words deep into your heart.
Love is such a wonderful part of connection.
It gives those who care about you a way to stand beside you.
Because you are allowed to receive.
You are allowed to need and you are allowed to be helped.
Let's take a slow breath in here.
And let your breath leave softly.
Now the light around you is becoming a little warmer.
It's flowing around your shoulders,
Down your arms,
Into your hands.
Across your heart and around your back.
It's moving through your whole body now.
It feels so soothing.
And this light carries a simple message.
You are loved for who you are.
So just take a little time to rest with that.
You are loved for who you are.
Cancer may have changed many things,
But it cannot erase the love that you have shared,
The bonds that you have formed and those beautiful memories you carry.
Even the light your life has brought into the world.
To bring your awareness once more to your breath.
Feel the inhale arrive.
And the exhale gently leave.
Here you are simply breathing,
Simply being,
Simply allowing love to meet you as you are.
Sometimes love is the next kind choice.
And just repeat.
I will receive the love that is offered.
Today I will treat myself with tenderness.
So slowly and gently maybe just move your shoulders a little,
Stretch in any way that feels comfortable.
Before you return fully to your day,
Place your hand once more over your heart.
Feel your own warmth,
Your own presence,
Your own quiet companionship.
Remember that love may be found in the smallest places.
The breath that stays with you,
Your hand placed gently over your heart.
The person who listens,
The memory that still brings warmth in the kindness you offer your body.
So may love meet you in the places that feel tender.
May it support you through those moments that feel so uncertain.
And may it arrive through familiar faces and unexpected kindness.
And may you feel the love of those who walk beside you.
And the love of those you carry within your heart.
You are allowed to be human,
To need comfort,
To receive kindness.
And your love will continue to move through the world in many ways.
So take a gentle breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Slowly carry these words with you.
I am worthy of love.
I am open to receiving care.
I will meet myself gently today.
Beautiful.
So thank you so much for sharing this season of love with me and may you move through the rest of your day held by kindness,
Surrounded by love.
And reminded that you never have to carry everything alone.
Namaste,
My friend.
