Welcome,
I am Claire and today I invite you on a gentle summer journey inward.
From the bright heat and motion of the season to the quiet,
Cooling stillness at your center.
In these long golden days,
When the world hums with life,
You may feel that same fire stirring inside.
Movement,
Energy,
Activity.
Summer calls us outward to bloom,
To celebrate,
To connect.
But even in this vibrant season,
We are invited to return inward.
To find a cool,
Calm balance that let us soften and glow,
Without burning out.
Let's take a moment to step into that balance together.
Summer has arrived.
The days stretch wide and golden,
Filled with sunlight that lingers long into the evening.
The air carries the sweet scent of blooming jasmine and fresh fig leaves,
Mingling with fresh cut grass and the earthy warmth of sun-baked soil.
A breeze moves gently across your skin.
In the distance,
You hear the hum of bees,
Cicadas,
And the laughter rising of children playing in cool water.
All around you,
Summer pulses with life.
Vibrant.
Joyful.
Outward.
And yet,
Somewhere just beneath the noise,
There's a pause.
A moment.
A whisper to slow down and listen more deeply.
Gently bring your awareness to your body.
Wherever you are,
Feel the support beneath you.
Allow yourself to settle and to arrive fully in this moment.
Breathe in slowly and breathe out long and soft.
With each breath,
Feel the warmth and movement of the season begin to soften.
As you inhale,
Imagine a cool breeze gliding over your skin,
Soothing and refreshing.
As you exhale,
Release any heat,
Tension,
Or busyness,
Letting it melt like twilight into dusk.
If you feel especially warm,
You might try a gentle cooling breath.
Breathing in slowly through your mouth,
Forming a gentle O-shape with your lips,
As if you are sipping air through a straw.
Let the air cool your tongue and throat,
Then breathe out softly through your nose.
This technique is called Siddhali Pranayama.
This cooling breath is wonderful for calming heat and refreshing the body.
Just take a few breaths like this,
Then return to your natural breath.
Breathing in and out through your nose,
Naturally and effortlessly.
Breathing in softly and breathing out to release.
Let your shoulders drop.
Let your jaw soften.
Let your chest open gently.
Bring your attention to the center of your chest,
Your heart space.
Feel a steady warmth here.
Not burning,
But glowing softly like a safe,
Steady flame.
Now imagine yourself walking through a lush garden at twilight.
The air is soft,
Touched by gentle lunar light that bathes everything in silver blue calm.
Petals close gently for the night.
The heat of the day gives way to a hush of coolness.
Fireflies hover and dance silently over a still pond,
Their tiny lights flickering like whispers in the dusk.
The surface of the water mirrors the flame glowing gently in your heart.
Steady and calm.
Here in this garden,
Your shen,
Your spirit,
Is like the clear pond.
Deep,
Serene,
Luminous.
And it reflects the infinite sky above.
It is a still presence beneath the summer blaze.
The place inside you that remains undisturbed.
Let yourself rest here.
Sink deeper into this peaceful garden within and visualize a candle flame.
It dances gently between warmth and coolness,
Movement and stillness.
It does not flicker wildly in the breeze,
But it bends gracefully.
This light does not burn out.
It glows with steady calm.
And feel this radiant calm spreading gently through your body,
From the inside out.
A light that holds you,
No matter what.
As you rest in this garden,
Feel the sacred balance help here.
The dance of yin and yang.
The cool water meeting the warmth of fire.
Movement and stillness.
This garden holds the balance of summer's vibrant energy and evening's cooling calm.
This garden lives within you.
You are both the gardener and the garden.
The breath and the wind that carries it.
The seed and the soil that nourish it.
You are the flame and the vastness that holds it.
You are the wave and the vast ocean it rises from.
You are the universe.
Aham Brahmasmi.
Let yourself rest here a little longer in this serene luminous stillness.
In summer,
The energy all around you is bright,
Active,
Expansive,
Calling you outward into motion,
Connection,
Light.
But without moments like this,
Without turning inward,
That fire can grow too fierce.
You begin to burn out instead of shine.
This calm you feel now,
It was never something to chase,
Never something to earn.
It returns when you slow down,
When you breathe consciously,
When you remember the way back to your serene,
Calm,
Radiant self.
This serenity you feel is born in balance between the warmth of the sun and the cool shade of stillness.
Between long lively days and a gentle exhale that follows.
It's the breath that steadies you when the world moves too fast.
This calm is your true nature.
A steady flame held deep inside.
A serene rhythm that whispers,
You don't have to do it all to be enough.
It's not something distant or to be one,
But the essence quietly shining within.
Let it you not only through doing,
But through being.
Return here often.
Another quiet flame that glows beneath the sunlit sky.
When you're ready,
Feel the ground beneath you.
Feel your breath moving gently through you.
And the spaciousness you have created within.
Let your body move.
Maybe a gentle stretch,
A sigh,
A smile.
Breathe deeply.
Feel the steady rhythm of your heart.
And let this harmony of heat and cooling calm flow gently within you.
May you dance with summer's light and find rest in the peace that follows.
