Hello and welcome.
I'm Bethany and I am honored to be here with you today.
Let's begin by allowing yourself to arrive.
Be right here,
Right now.
And begin to notice your breath,
Breathing in through the nose and allowing a long,
Slow exhale through the mouth.
Like a sigh of relief.
Like something is releasing.
You don't have to be ready for this.
You just have to be here.
I invite you to imagine yourself or feel yourself in a small clearing in the forest.
You've been walking through tall trees and now you emerge into open light.
Ferns line the edges.
The air is soft and cool.
And there's something about this space that feels different.
More open.
More able to hold you.
Find a place to sit on the moss,
The soft earth,
And let the openness settle into you.
And allow your muscles to relax and let yourself be held in this beautiful landscape.
Now bring your awareness to the center of your chest,
Anahata.
This means unstruck or unhurt.
It's the place inside that no matter what has happened,
It remains untouched at its core.
Notice what sensations are here.
There may be warmth or tightness,
A fullness or an ache or emptiness.
If it feels right for you,
You may place one hand over your heart and let your own touch be one of the first things it receives today.
Gently ask with curiosity from your heart into your heart's space,
Is there a part of me that is closed around my heart to protect it?
This may be a part that learned,
Quite wisely,
That keeping some distance prevents the kind of hurt that takes too long to recover from.
If you sense this part,
Thank it.
This part closed for good reason.
It may have been all it knew how to do at the time.
Ask this part,
What were you afraid would happen if my heart stayed open?
And listen for what comes.
Allow the answers to arrive.
The heart doesn't close for no reason.
Grief that didn't have a space to land.
Love that wasn't returned.
Moments where staying open actually costs too much.
These protectors that have protected you and guarded your heart are loyal.
They have worked so hard.
And underneath,
Notice,
Is there something that still aches?
A tenderness or vulnerability even that has been waiting.
You don't need to go all the way there.
You might just sense it from a distance and just let it know it hasn't been forgotten.
That you're here now.
Imagine a soft green light,
Like new leaves in the beginning of spring,
Like moss in the morning.
Allow this soft green light gather at the center of your chest.
There's no need to force anything open.
Simply make space.
We're creating the conditions where opening becomes possible on your terms.
In your time.
From the most whole,
Steady part of you,
Yourself,
Let this move toward what is held and protected.
It may be a warmth.
It may be a light.
It may be a gentle presence.
If you're feeling anything like that,
Allow it to move toward the part and see if these words land for you.
You are worthy of love.
Not because of what you've done or how well you've managed.
You are worthy of love because you exist.
Because love is what you are made of.
Beneath everything else.
You are worthy of love.
Because you are love.
Now see if you can let these words land wherever they can inside.
Even if you can let in a sliver,
A percentage.
That's enough.
Notice what happens to your parts and to your system as you begin to receive those words.
Let your parts know that you have started this healing process and that you will return now that you've made this connection.
And bring your awareness to the clearing that holds you.
The light that comes in.
The trees that move gently in the breeze.
And bring these words with you.
Play with them.
Experiment with letting them in.
Notice how they land.
My heart is safe to open.
I can grieve and still love.
I am connected.
My heart is safe to open.
I can grieve and still love.
I am connected.
Bring these words into your day,
Allowing yourself to return to them and the possibility of truly feeling them in your body throughout your day.
As we close,
I invite you to bring your awareness back to your body,
Releasing that connection to that beautiful space in nature.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes softly,
Allowing yourself to gently look around the room.
Your heart is not broken.
We are gently breaking it open,
Allowing the process for healing in a gentle,
Compassionate,
Kind way.
You are the one you've been waiting for.
And today you've arrived.
Bye for now.
