I'm truly honored that you spend this time here with me,
With us.
It's an important thing.
And so thank you.
Hopefully while I was sending out butt kisses,
Everybody started relaxing.
If not,
Please start relaxing,
Start settling in to your comfortable position,
Your favorite psychic sleep position.
Sort of setting the task,
Giving it over to the body to keep relaxing itself while while we do our messages from in between.
And this week the title is what's the rush.
Why is it so damned hard?
To relax.
Hurry and Worry are such lying pieces of crap on toast.
They act like they're helping,
But all they really do is occupy a large partition of our conscious bandwidth.
Listen to how funny I can say they take up mind space.
How many times have I told myself to keep going and then we can relax?
How many more of those turned out to be lies because I did nothing other than expect myself to just be immediately less anxious.
Easing up on self does not come magically to some of us.
The ever-moving finish line of,
Once this and that happen,
I'll let myself take a break,
Keeps getting pushed behind the tasks we discover along the way.
One worrisome thing to the next,
But we don't stop.
We all try to practice the art of relaxing while still doing things,
To make our self-imposed restrictions less strict while not compromising our good habits.
What's the,
What's the point of rushing if you don't let yourself relax.
Have you ever tried slowing down?
What a paradoxical rush,
Huh?
Fast has its place.
But some things are better enjoyed when you take your time.
Drew three tarot cards for us this week,
And ended up being the novice of Pence,
The Fool,
And Strength.
So in the week ahead,
Gentle opposition,
Gently.
And maybe.
.
.
Slow down and look around.
We all have that sense of personal pace.
And I think that now more than ever,
We realize that self-care includes setting and resetting our personal pace.
And what a cool thing that we can.
That even if we can't slow down immediately or relax,
We can,
We can work on it just like.
Relaxing into a comfortable position.
Trusting and allowing the body to let that happen.
Send a little scan through the body for two things.
One for any areas of tension or resistance.
And two,
To give yourself a baseline for comparison from now and how you feel.
To the end of the practice and how you feel afterwards.
A scan of.
Comparison.
Or for comparison,
Rather.
If you had to give a rating.
The quality of your relaxation at this current moment.
What would it be?
Favorable.
Not so favorable.
Whichever it is.
Trusting that by telling the body to relax and the intention for the body to relax,
That it will.
And lest we forget,
Distractions abound.
There will always be something to distract us.
Some level somewhere.
Some noise somehow.
And instead of fighting that.
.
.
Let's try just allowing it.
Even better,
Turning any noises that you hear or distractions that may bother you,
Turning them into cues,
Clues and cues to turn back into the self.
To turn inward.
The involution.
And so.
Being okay with distractions,
We also need to be okay with itches or twitches.
And if you need to move.
Move.
Move your body,
But.
If you do,
When you do.
Go slowly.
Go.
Gently so as not to disturb the self as we take ourselves into these more refined states,
These beautiful layers of relaxed body and awakened focused mind.
In a little bit.
I'll ask you to bring to mind once again your Sankalpa.
Which is.
.
.
As simple as a personal resolve framed positively,
All the way to a way of being and existing in and through the world around you.
Don't be afraid to make your Sunkultas grand.
Doesn't make them harder to achieve.
In your mind.
You set the limits and limitations.
Unless you've.
.
.
Delegated that to default settings.
But we can always go in and change the internal settings.
When appropriate.
So like you were wishing on a star.
Say your Sankalpa now three times in your head with reverence.
And then set your Sankalpa to the side.
We'll come back for it later.
Next up is everyone's favorite,
The body rotation.
And we take the mind through the body.
And you visualize to whatever degree or quality that you're at today,
Tonight.
Ease.
Notice how I took my time.
We're not necessarily going to tell the body to slow down.
But to shift into ease into things being easier that hint of relaxation All of that with those words or better.
Intend that ease.
To flow through the body just on the tail end of your awareness.
You'll be focusing on the body part in your mind.
You'll be knowing in the back of your mind that you are promoting and encouraging ease throughout the body.
Let's start with the right hand thumb.
Right first finger.
Right middle finger.
Right ring finger.
Right little finger.
Palm of hand.
Back of hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of chest.
Right side of waist.
Right hip.
Right by.
Me.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heal.
Soul of foot.
Top of foot.
Right big toe.
Right second toe.
Right third toe.
.
.
Right fourth tone.
Right fifth toe.
Allowing the body to become more relaxed,
The mind to become more focused.
And the intention of ease.
Continue to follow your awareness around and through the body.
Let's move on.
To the left hand thumb.
Left first finger.
Left middle finger.
Left ring finger.
Left little finger.
Palm of hand.
Back of hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of chest.
Left side of waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Me.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of foot.
Top of foot.
Left big toe.
Left second toe.
Left third toe.
Left fourth toe.
Left fifth toe.
Continue.
Circulating the awareness.
Through the body parts as they're mentioned and called to mind.
Allowing.
Ease.
And the intention.
Of ease to follow your awareness to and through.
All ten toes.
Both feet.
Both heels.
Both ankles.
Both calves.
Both knees.
Both thighs.
Both buttocks.
Lower back.
Mid-back.
Upper back.
Shoulder blades.
The space between the shoulder blades.
Spine.
Back of neck.
Back of head.
Top of head.
Forehead.
Eyebrows.
Temples.
Ears.
Cheeks.
Eyes,
All the muscles around the eyes.
Nose.
Nostrils.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chen.
Jaw.
Come.
Roof of mouth.
The back of throat.
Front of throat.
Collarbones.
Chest.
Abdomen.
Pelvis.
Right leg.
Left leg.
Right arm.
Left arm.
Right side of head.
Left side of head.
Right side of body.
Left side of body.
Back of body.
Front of body.
Whole body.
Whole body.
Whole physical body.
Letting this go.
Take your awareness to your breath.
And the sensations of it becoming smoother and deeper.
As you breathe.
Start to imagine.
That's your breath full of prana.
Is moved up the spine and down.
Polishing your spine.
With each breath.
Starting at 27.
Count your breaths backwards from 27 to 0.
Polishing.
Your spine.
With your breath.
If you get lost or finish early.
Simply start your count over.
At 27.
Where are you?
Where's your practice?
Polishing the spine with breath.
Whether you finished your count or not.
Letting this go and calling to mind and vividly throughout the body the following feelings.
Rest.
Feel it slow,
Where you were just feeling excited.
How scrumptious.
Can you make this feeling of rest throughout the body?
What does it feel like to feel no need to rush or hurry?
Be unbound by someone else's sense of time.
Restful.
Comfortable.
Where do you feel it?
Throughout the body.
That sense of calm and stillness throughout the body.
What would it feel like throughout the body?
To feel totally comfortable with not moving at all.
And yogic philosophy.
It talks of the three gunas,
The three states,
Two of which we've just practiced feeling,
Rajas,
Excitement,
Tamas,
Rest,
Inertia.
And there's this concept.
Of sattva.
Which is not excitement.
Nor stillness.
But a happy medium.
And neutral.
Quality.
Imagine feeling neutrality.
Throughout the body.
One that is not slow,
One that is not fast.
But a balanced.
In between states.
What feelings?
Lie in between.
Fast and slow,
For you.
Between excitation and inertia.
Without caring too much or too little.
A state that's between high and low.
Fast and slow.
Capable of becoming one or the other at any moment,
But maintaining.
Sustaining.
A sense of calm.
Throughout the body.
What does calm feel like in the body?
In your body.
Imagine some time in the week ahead.
Reaching.
For this sensation of calm.
Of reproducing what you are feeling right now.
In the future.
Maybe even a better sense of it.
If the subconscious has a day or two to chew over the concept of being calm,
Of being soft.
Sadhvi.
How might it change the week ahead?
In your favor.
Bye.
Reaching out.
Reaching to that internal sense of calm.
Maybe if we practice calm enough a sense of peace may follow,
But Just for now.
Imagine what it would feel like.
To be reminded when you need it most.
The thought of reproducing this internal state.
And changing the external states.
What might it feel like to feel more than a moment of calm?
Would you allow yourself two or three?
Once you try it out and find that it's safe to be calm.
Letting this go.
Letting this go,
Call to mind the following images.
A red book.
A red book.
A red book.
An old bookmark.
An old bookmark.
An old bookmark.
A clock running backwards.
A clock running backwards.
A clock running backwards.
Water flowing from a faucet.
Water flowing from a faucet.
Water flowing from a faucet.
Soap bubbles.
Soap bubbles.
Soap bubbles.
Three red balloons.
Three red balloons.
Three red balloons.
A balloon.
Floating on the wind.
A balloon floating on the wind.
A balloon floating on the wind.
A balloon floats on the wind.
Off towards the horizon.
Of a red-orange sunset.
You watch as the breezes take it further and further away.
Is the air inside the balloon still the air?
Was it filled with breath or helium?
Where does the air go when the balloon is popped?
Do you think it?
Regrets or mourns not being a balloon anymore.
Do you think it identifies itself?
As a balloon any longer.
Allow your.
Sight,
To travel.
To follow that balloon.
Allow yourself.
Become softer.
As you feel into the air currents around you.
Rushing you along.
As it did the balloon.
And at a comfortable distance from the balloon following a long You see people.
Down below.
Turn to look up and point at the balloon.
Not everyone notices it.
But quite a few do.
Do they see you?
Following the balloon.
Not if you don't give yourself form.
Can you?
Switch off the sense of a body and just be awareness floating.
Unseen behind the balloon.
And each time the balloon gets close to something that might pop it and the anxiety starts to build.
It miraculously.
Moves around.
Moves up and down.
Like the wind itself doesn't want the balloon to pop.
Past city and town.
Our forest and field.
And as you wonder whether any animals.
Might spot the balloon.
A bird flies up.
To join you in the balloon in flight.
As it inspects this newcomer to its territory.
And it almost seems like the bird has an awareness of you as well.
But you didn't drag your body along.
So it has nothing to see,
Only its senses.
With which to feel.
Take in information.
Realize the balloon is not a threat.
And then joins in a playful dance with the balloon.
Moving through the sky.
And you follow the balloon.
Beyond sunset.
Into the night.
Driven with.
What seems like purpose,
The balloon travels on.
And it travels by surrendering to the wind around it.
It does not have to flap any wings or create any propulsion.
It allows itself to be carried.
And after a while,
And maybe just past sunrise.
The breeze starts to slow.
The balloon gently wafts.
Take note.
At the end of the balloon's journey.
And where it decides to land.
This is its resting place.
Where it can be a balloon as long as it wants.
And it can just as easily give up being a balloon.
What does this resting spot?
Have to tell you.
About rest.
If you could have chosen a spot for the balloon to rest.
Where would you have chosen?
Compare your feelings of the balloon's chosen resting spot.
And the spot you would choose for it.
How do they feel different?
How do they feel the same?
What do each of these places have to tell you?
About the quality of rest.
Meanwhile you may feel sad for the balloon for a moment.
And story isn't done here.
So many things could happen.
It could be found by someone.
It could be picked up by this or that.
Infinite possibilities.
As the next step after rest.
Letting that go.
Allow your awareness.
To reside in Chittakash,
The mind space.
And just as the balloon surrendered to the wind,
Allow your thoughts.
To blow through you.
Watching them come and go.
No need to stop them,
No need to change them.
Simply.
Watch.
As you allow the thoughts to come and go.
Here in Chitticosh.
Where are you?
Where's your practice?
Observing the thoughts from the infinite space behind the eyes.
Between the brow.
The infinity inside your head.
Gently let that effort go.
As you carefully bring to mind your Sankalpa.
From the state.
Of focused relaxation.
You've worked so well to achieve.
Say your sankalpa three times with firm resolve from deep in this state.
Place.
Out of time and space.
Echo your Sankalpa out in all directions.
Saying it once for the conscious mind,
Once for the subconscious mind.
And the third for the unconscious mind.
Allowing it to echo out through all the realms,
All and any it needs to help bring your Sankalpa back to you.
Take a moment to indulge in the sensation of knowing something is working for your behalf.
Out there in the ethers.
Letting that go.
If you would like.
Go ahead and let all the effort go and allow yourself to drift into sleep.
Enjoying the lands of dreams.
Blessings on your way.
Feel good?
Feel well.
Be happy.
