Welcome everybody,
We'll begin today's practice by finding a very comfortable seat.
You can sit on the floor or on a block,
Cross-legged or in any position that feels comfortable to you.
If you'd rather sit on a couch or a chair or even lie down,
Whatever feels appropriate for you today,
Please go ahead and find that position.
Once you're there,
Allow your body to settle into that position.
Allow your shoulders to soften,
Feel your face relax,
Your forehead smooth,
Your jaw can relax down towards your throat,
Even your tongue can relax into the back of your mouth.
When you feel sufficiently settled in,
Begin by taking a deep breath in through your nose and slowly out through the mouth.
Take a few more deep breaths,
Just like this.
There's nothing you need to force,
There's nowhere else you need to be.
You are here,
Now.
Take a moment to feel the weight of your body.
Feel the stability of the surface you're sitting on,
The ground supporting you.
As you breathe gently,
Turn your attention inward.
Ask yourself,
What belongs to me?
What is truly mine?
Not the past,
It's already gone.
Not the future,
It's not here yet.
Not the actions or the opinions of others.
These are not mine to control.
What belongs to me is my mind,
My reason,
My choices.
Everything else is a river flowing past me.
I cannot stop the river,
But I can choose how I move within it.
Take another full deep breath and a long slow exhale.
Remind yourself,
If harsh words reach me today,
I will remember.
It is not their words that wound me,
But my judgment of them.
If failure visits me today,
I will remember.
It is not failure itself that harms me,
But whether I abandon my principles.
If fortune smiles upon me,
I will gladly accept it,
But I will not cling to it,
For all things in this world are borrowed.
I release what I cannot control.
I embrace what is mine,
My thoughts,
My speech,
My actions.
I choose wisdom.
I choose kindness.
I choose patience.
I choose courage.
Take a deep breath in,
And this time hold it with no tension,
And then release it gently.
Feel how light you become,
When you no longer carry the burdens that were never yours.
The Stoics teach us,
We are travelers on the road of life.
The road is not ours to shape,
Only our steps are.
There will be rain,
There will be sun.
There will be smooth paths and rocky ones,
But the road is not the enemy.
It is the opportunity.
Take a moment now to feel gratitude.
Gratitude for the strength that lives within you.
Gratitude for the lessons life has taught you.
Gratitude for this moment,
This chance to begin again,
To practice virtue once more.
You do not need to be perfect,
Only willing.
You do not need to know the future,
Only to meet it with courage.
Take another slow breath in,
And hold it,
And an even slower breath out.
Within you is a fortress no one can breach.
Your reason,
Your integrity,
And your free will.
No one can force you to act against your principles.
No one can take away your character,
Unless you give it away.
With each breath,
You return to your center,
Calm,
Steady,
Free.
The world may change,
But you remain anchored in wisdom,
In justice,
In courage,
And in self-discipline.
Breathe in strength.
Hold that strength in,
And breathe out peace.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes gently,
And step forward into the day with clarity,
With dignity,
With an open heart,
And an unwavering mind.
