Sit comfortably,
Either on a cushion or chair,
With your back upright,
Not rigid,
Expressing presence,
Dignity,
Awareness.
Rest your hands gently in your lap.
Close your eyes softly or lower your gaze in front of you,
And take a few gentle breaths,
Allowing yourself to arrive fully in this moment.
Breathing in.
I know that I'm breathing in.
Breathing out.
I know that I'm breathing out.
There is nothing else to do,
Nowhere else to go.
Nothing else to think about.
Our only intention right now is to show up fully to the experience of our lives in this moment,
And find our connection to ourself,
To our home that is the present moment.
And follow the natural rhythm of our breath,
Not trying to change or force it,
Just letting ourselves carried by it,
Like rivers floating on a riverbed,
Or leaves being carried by a river.
With each inhale,
Be white,
Calm.
With each exhale,
Release tension.
Breathing in.
I know that I'm breathing in.
Breathing out.
With each exhale,
Release tension.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
If you find it helpful,
You can place your hand gently on your lower belly to feel the rising and sinking of your abdomen with every breath,
Signaling the rhythmic motion of your body and spirit.
When we feel ready and connected to our current state of being,
We can invite awareness to be directed at the changing of the season as it takes place outside and inside of ourselves.
We can imagine the golden light of late summer,
The warmth,
The fullness of fruit,
The buzzing of insects,
The richness of life.
Try to imagine all the different colors and textures and smells.
Engage in your imagination,
All the senses,
To embody the experience of summer,
Of abundance,
Fullness,
Ripeness,
Fulfillment,
Recognized beauty of summer,
Still present in your memory and in your body,
How it feels.
Be summer.
What it means to you.
To experience it,
To feel it.
Breathing in,
I touch the gifts of summer.
Breathing out,
I smile in gratitude.
Breathing in,
I embrace all that nature is giving me.
Breathing out,
I smile in gratitude.
And if our senses and imagination and body is filled up with all the gifts,
All the memories,
All the feeling of summer,
We gently move on to reflect on impermanence,
The ever-changing nature of things and beings,
The only constant that is transition.
Now call to mind the sense that the air is cooling.
The light in the morning is softening.
The days gently getting shorter.
The night is stretching in longer and longer hours.
And notice how the seasons turn without resistance.
Summer does not cling to itself.
You may notice some discomfort in you.
Maybe there is resistance.
Maybe there is fear.
Change is uncomfortable.
Many times,
But it doesn't have to be.
Here we can choose to connect the lead of nature and allow and soften instead of resist or hold on to something that is moving on.
Nature is giving way to autumn,
Naturally,
Beautifully.
Colors are changing.
Ripening maybe moves into decay.
It's time to harvest.
All the seeds we've sown.
To collect the fruit of our labor.
To prepare for more darker,
Introspective times.
To give way to more rest and reflection.
Breathing in,
I know that I'm part of this rhythm.
Breathing out,
I know that nothing is lost.
Everything transforms.
Just like my in-breath into my out-breath.
Breathing in,
I embrace change and impermanence.
Breathing out,
I rest in the truth of nature.
Just like nature,
We are also invited at this time to practice letting go.
It's an important skill and knowledge to maintain balance and health in our lives.
As the trees release their leaves,
What can we release?
With each exhale,
Allow yourself to let go of what no longer serves you.
An old worry,
A tension,
An expectation.
It's time to select,
To declutter,
To make space.
You don't need to force anything or name it.
It can be just a feeling of release.
Simply breathe and soften.
I breathe in,
And I know that I'm breathing in.
I breathe out,
And I release and soften.
Breathing in,
I see the leaf.
Breathing out,
I let it fall.
By watching leaves fall in our imagination from the tree of life,
We can practice trust that letting go makes space for renewal.
It is necessary for new life to be born when the conditions are right.
Dying is a necessary condition.
We have nothing else to do,
Nowhere else to be.
We are resting in the silence that follows letting go.
Once again,
Connecting with our bodies,
The physical container that holds us,
Nurtures our spirit,
Enables us to live in this life as people.
We feel its edges and borders as we are sitting on a cushion or chair,
Feel the earth supporting us.
Again,
Connecting back to our breathing,
Which is steady and strong and alive and always present,
Always anchoring us to our true home,
Which is the here and the now.
While we are feeling the gentle turning of the seasons within ourselves,
We experience transition and stability at the same time,
Anchored by our breath and bodies.
And as we are coming to the end of this practice and meditation,
We can offer ourselves and nature some gratitude by bringing to mind once again the gifts of summer,
All the warmth,
Joy,
Growth,
Fulfillment that we've received.
And offer thanks to all the nature,
All the creatures,
People,
The animals,
Plants that enabled it,
Through our experiences,
Through meals,
Through just gazing at the stars.
If you feel comfortable,
You can place a hand or two on your heart,
Strengthening your intention of gratitude and softening your heart.
While you experience gratitude to be alive and to welcome autumn with the space that has been created during this practice in your inside,
There is a bit more clarity,
There's a bit more balance and rest.
Breathing in,
I feel grateful.
Breathing out,
I offer openness.
Continue to breathe naturally for the next few breaths.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes gently,
Stretch a bit your neck,
Arms or toes and fingers and carry this open,
Spacious awareness into the next moment of your day.
