Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
Allow your body to soften.
Let your shoulders drop.
Uncrunch your jaw.
And release any tension that you might be holding onto.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze if that feels good and comfortable for you.
And take a slow,
Deep breath in.
And then slowly exhale.
Again,
Breathing in.
And letting go.
With each breath.
Allow yourself to arrive a little more fully into this moment.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing else that needs to be accomplished right now.
For these next few minutes.
Simply give yourself permission to be here.
Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a beautiful autumn forest.
The air is cool and crisp against your skin.
There's a gentle breeze moving through the trees.
Carrying the earthy scent of fallen leaves.
All around you,
The landscape is changing.
Foliage of deep reds,
Golden yellows,
Warm oranges,
And beautiful shades of brown surround you.
Some leaves are still holding on to their branches.
While others have already begun to fall.
Gently floating toward the earth.
Take a moment to notice how naturally this happens.
The trees don't struggle to hold on to every leaf.
They don't question the changing seasons.
They simply allow themselves to transition.
And perhaps there is something we can learn from that.
Autumn reminds us that change is a natural part of life.
And as you stand here.
I invite you to begin to reflect on your own life.
What season are you moving through right now?
Perhaps something within you is changing.
Perhaps.
You're outgrowing an old version of yourself.
A familiar pattern,
A belief,
An expectation,
Or a chapter of your life.
Maybe there are things you've been holding onto.
Simply because they're familiar.
And maybe there are parts of yourself.
You're finally feeling ready to release.
You don't have to force an answer.
Simply notice what comes up.
And imagine placing those things onto the fallen leaves around you.
The expectation.
The old stories.
The things that no longer feel aligned with who you are becoming.
Allow yourself to release them one breath at a time.
Remember.
Letting go doesn't mean something wasn't meaningful.
Doesn't mean you failed.
And it doesn't mean you have to forget where you've been.
It simply means you're making room for whatever comes next.
Next,
We're going to shift our attention to the trees surrounding you.
Although their branches may appear bare.
There is still life within them.
Beneath the surface,
Beneath the soil,
Something is happening.
Roots are growing deeper,
Energy is being restored.
The trees are preparing for a new season even when there is no visible evidence of that growth.
And perhaps you are too.
Not all growth is visible.
Sometimes growth is choosing differently.
Sometimes it's setting a boundary or resting.
Beginning again,
Or finally listening to yourself.
Sometimes growth is simply recognizing that you are no longer the person you once were.
You don't need to rush your becoming.
You are allowed to be a work in progress.
You are allowed to change your mind.
You are allowed to grow in ways that others may not understand.
Take a moment to imagine a small seed resting beneath the earth.
Quietly,
Patiently holding the possibility of everything it has yet to become.
Imagine that same possibility living within you.
There is still so much ahead of you.
There's so much to discover.
So much to experience.
So much of yourself that you have yet to meet.
And as we begin to close.
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself.
Acknowledge just how far you've come.
The things you've survived,
The lessons you've learned.
The ways that you've changed.
And even the versions of yourself that you had to leave behind.
You don't have to have everything figured out.
You don't have to know exactly what's next.
You can trust that even in the quieter seasons,
Something within you is growing.
Take a final deep breath in.
And slowly release.
As you prepare to leave this autumn forest,
Gently repeat these words to yourself.
Maybe placing a hand on your heart if that feels comfortable.
I give myself permission to change.
I release what I have outgrown.
I trust the seasons of my life.
I honor the person I have been while welcoming the person that I am becoming.
I understand that growth doesn't always look like blooming.
Sometimes it looks like letting go.
Begin to bring some awareness back into the body.
Noticing the surface beneath you.
Gently wiggling your fingers and toes.
And whenever you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
