As we begin,
Find a position that feels natural and comfortable for you.
If it feels right,
Then it is right.
To let your spine be straight,
Yet relaxed.
And if you haven't already,
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a deep,
Steady breath in.
And as you exhale,
Slowly,
Allow yourself to settle fully into this moment.
Just breathe and become aware.
Allow me to guide you with a few grounding breaths.
Inhale slowly through your nose.
No need to force it,
Just let the breath flow naturally.
And exhale through your mouth.
Smooth and steady.
Inhale again,
Through your nose.
Slow and easy.
Feeling yourself as much as feels comfortable.
Excellent.
And then exhale,
Gently through your mouth.
Long and controlled.
Letting go of any tension.
That's it.
Okay,
One last deep inhale through the nose.
Steady and deliberate.
And as you exhale through the mouth,
Feel yourself settling fully into the here and now.
Many of us know what it feels like to try to control everything.
Trying to control people.
Trying to control situations.
Trying to control how life unfolds.
And for many of us,
That struggle can be exhausting.
We cannot control everything.
And strangely,
That truth can become a source of peace.
Because when we stop gripping so tightly,
We begin to breathe again.
Letting go is not weakness.
Letting go is trust.
Trust that life can move forward without us carrying every burden.
Through breath,
The body softens.
Through awareness,
The mind becomes calmer.
Through letting go,
The heart becomes lighter.
So the intentions for this practice,
To calm the body and mind through breathing.
To release the need to control what cannot be controlled.
To practice surrender through gentle awareness.
Let's open ourselves now to breath.
To release and to the peace that comes from letting go.
So let's arrive in this moment.
Take a slow breath in.
And a long breath out.
And again,
Breathing in slowly through the nose.
And breathing out softly.
One more time.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Now allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm.
Easy.
Steady.
Unforced.
Just breathing.
As it notes the rise of the chest as you breathe in.
And a gentle release as you breathe out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Allow the shoulders to soften.
Allow the jaw to relax.
Allow the body to arrive here.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Just this breath.
Just this moment.
Now gently deepen the breath.
Breathing in slowly.
And breathing out slowly.
Let the exhale be slightly longer.
So breathing in,
Calm.
Breathing out,
Release.
Again.
Breathing in.
Awareness.
Breathing out.
Letting go.
You might quietly say to yourself,
Breathing in,
I soften.
Breathing out,
I release.
Breathing in,
I allow.
Breathing out,
I let go.
In.
And out.
And if the mind wanders,
And it will,
Just simply notice it and return to the breath.
Again and again.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
So letting go of control.
Now gently bring awareness to something you may be trying to control.
Could be a person.
A situation.
A worry about the future.
Just notice it.
Notice how the body feels when we try to control what we cannot.
Often there is tightness.
Pressure.
Now take a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine loosening your grip.
So breathing in.
Awareness.
Breathing out.
Release.
And again.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
That's it.
Breathing out.
Letting go does not mean we stop caring.
It simply means we stop carrying what does not belong to us.
We allow others to walk their own path.
We allow life to unfold.
And we return to what we can choose.
Our actions.
Our attitude.
Our breath.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Now we will take a few breaths together.
Practicing surrender.
Take a slow breath in.
And hold it gently for a moment.
Now slowly breathe out.
Letting the shoulders drop.
Excellent.
Again.
Breathing in slowly.
Holding softly.
And breathing out.
Releasing.
Okay,
One more time.
Breathing in.
Holding gently.
That's it,
Gently.
And breathing out.
Letting go.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine placing whatever you are carrying down.
Just for this moment.
You do not need to solve everything today.
You do not need to control everything.
Just breathe.
And let it go.
Now let us return to a natural breath.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Notice the space that appears when we loosen our grip.
Notice the calm that slowly grows.
Breathing in.
Peace.
Breathing out.
Trust.
Breathing in.
Calm.
Breathing out.
Surrender.
Life moves.
Life changes.
And we are allowed to move with it.
One breath at a time.
Stay here for a few quiet breaths.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Soft.
Steady.
Present.
As we come to the close of this practice,
Take a slow deep breath in.
And a long gentle breath out.
Excellent.
Remember this.
We cannot control people,
Places or things.
But we can choose how we meet life.
With awareness.
With compassion.
With willingness.
Each breath is a new beginning.
Each breath is an opportunity to let go.
Take a slow breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
Allow the body to rest in this calm space.
You are loved.
And you are enough.
