Before we begin.
I just want to take a moment to acknowledge that each of us arrives carrying the experiences of our day.
The conversations we've had.
The responsibilities we've been holding.
The thoughts that still may be moving through our minds.
Today is an opportunity to simply set those things down for now.
Allow ourselves to be supported in a space of calm.
Reflection.
And connection.
As we gather here.
We are also in a quiet transition in nature.
Winter has slowly given way to spring.
Beneath the surface of the earth,
Seeds are beginning to awaken,
Even though we may not see them yet.
In many ways,
Our inner lives move in the same way.
Growth often begins quietly before we even recognize it.
So let's create some space.
For that quiet awakening within ourselves.
There's nothing you need to do other than simply be present.
In whatever way feels right for you.
You are welcome to participate.
And as much or as little.
As feels comfortable.
So let's begin by settling in.
Allowing the body to relax.
And gently arriving.
In this moment together.
Before we begin our meditation,
We'll spend a few moments allowing the nervous system to settle.
Just like nature this time of year.
We are in a quiet moment of transition.
Winter has slowly given way to spring.
Beneath the surface of the earth.
Seeds are beginning to awaken and sprout.
Our nervous systems work in a similar way.
When we slow down and create safety in the body.
Something begins to gently awaken inside us as well Allow yourself to settle in.
Let your body be supported.
Feel the surface beneath you,
Whether it's the chair or the floor,
Holding your weight.
There's nothing you need to hold up right now.
Nothing you need to carry.
That the muscles in your body begin to soften.
Just a little.
You might gently notice the shoulders.
And allow them to fall away from the ears.
Softening the jaw.
Unclenching the teeth.
Letting the hands rest.
With nothing to do.
If it feels comfortable.
Allow the eyes to settle more.
Relax the muscles.
Simply notice that you are here.
Nothing to fix.
Nothing to change.
And just begin to notice.
That you are arriving.
No need to go anywhere.
No need to become anything.
Just here.
Just arriving.
Now begin to bring attention to your breath.
Take a slow breath in through the nose.
And gently exhale through the mouth.
As you breathe out,
Imagine letting go of anything the body no longer needs to hold.
Again.
Let's take a slow inhale through the nose.
And hold at the top.
And a longer,
Softer exhale.
Just like the earth softening as winter releases its grip.
We allow the body to soften.
Let's take a few breaths together.
Let's inhale slowly for 4.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
Four.
And let's exhale for six,
Two.
3.
Four.
5.
Sex.
Let's do that again.
Let's inhale slowly for four.
2.
Three.
Four.
And exhale for six,
Two,
One.
Three.
Forward.
Fine.
Sex.
With every long exhale,
The nervous system receives a signal that it is safe to settle.
Now let's breathe in calm.
And then breathing out tension.
Let's do that one more time.
Breathing and calm.
Hold at the top.
And breathing out.
Tension.
Now we'll allow awareness to move gently through the body.
Just like warmth slowly moving through the earth as spring approaches.
Let's bring your attention to your feet.
Notice the contact with the ground.
Imagine the feet becoming heavy and supported.
Bring awareness to the legs.
And allow the muscles to gently soften.
Bring awareness to the hips and pelvis.
Let the cushion or floor fully hold your weight.
As the body softens.
The nervous system begins to settle.
Now let's bring awareness to the belly.
Let the belly soften with each breath.
And a soft belly tells the nervous system,
I am safe.
Now notice the heart area.
Imagine space around the heart.
And bring awareness to the shoulders.
Just allow them to gently drop.
Now the arms and hands.
Let them rest naturally.
Bring awareness to the neck and throat.
And allow the throat to soften.
And finally,
The face.
Relax the jaw.
Relax the eyes.
And relax the forehead,
Specifically the space between the eyes.
Just like seeds resting quiet in the soil,
The body knows how to settle when given space.
Now bring your attention to the center of the chest,
The heart space.
Imagine breathing in and out through the heart.
With each breath in.
Imagine drawing in calm and warmth.
And with each breath out.
Allow that calm to spread throughout your body.
Just like the first warmth of spring gently touching the earth.
You may even imagine a soft light in the heart.
That light slowly spreading.
Through the chest.
Through the shoulders.
The arms.
The entire body.
Awakening gently.
Nothing forced.
Simply allowing.
Now notice how your body feels in this moment.
Notice the breath.
Notice the quiet in the body.
Just like the earth preparing for spring.
Something within us may also be quietly awakening.
We don't need to rush it.
We simply allow it.
From this calm and regulated place.
We will now move into our meditation.
Let's take one slow breath in.
And gently exhale.
Before we begin,
I would like to introduce you to you.
Today's meditation theme.
Way closing.
And way opening.
They both refer to the energetic guidance we experience in life.
Not just external circumstances.
A way closing is when something no longer aligns.
Felt as resistance.
Heaviness.
Or the need to force.
A way opening.
Is when something is in alignment.
Felt as flow.
Ease.
And a quiet sense of being supported.
Way closing and opening.
Are not opposites fighting.
They are partners in your unfolding energy.
One clears.
And one opens.
For example,
Instead of asking,
Why did this happen to me?
We can ask ourselves.
What is this making space for?
Where am I being guided?
And this meditation.
We will learn to recognize these energies within ourselves and gently move with life rather than against it.
Winter ending,
Spring arriving.
Now that the body is quiet and the breath is steady.
Bring your awareness to an image.
Imagine you're standing on a quiet path in nature at the end of winter.
The ground beneath your feet is cool and firm.
The trees are bare.
The air is still.
Everything is quiet.
Not empty.
Not wrong.
Just still.
This is the energy of a way closing.
A season completing itself.
Now notice very gently.
That something begins to shift.
A drop of water falls from a branch.
The light softens.
The air feels slightly warmer.
Here and there,
The earth begins to show through the snow.
Dark,
Rich,
Alive beneath the surface.
This is the energy of a way opening.
Not loud.
Not rushed.
Just beginning.
Let yourself feel both at once,
What is ending and what is beginning.
No need to choose.
Just witness.
Walking into the closing path.
Now imagine that you begin to walk slowly down the winter path.
Each step is deliberate.
You hear the soft sound of your feet on the cold ground.
Ahead of you,
The path becomes less clear.
Frost gathers.
Mist settles in.
And then you come to a place where the path is blocked.
Perhaps by a fallen tree.
Perhaps by a gate.
Perhaps the path simply disappears.
Stand here for a moment.
Notice what arises in you as you face this closed path.
Do you want to push?
Do you want to force your way through?
Do you want to make it become something it no longer is?
And now let yourself feel the quiet truth.
This path is no longer open.
Bring your awareness into your body.
How does closing feel here?
Notice any heaviness,
Any tightness.
Any contraction.
Any sense of effort.
Where do you feel it the most?
In the chest?
The throat?
The belly.
Now ask gently within,
What in my life feels like this?
Let something arise without effort.
A situation.
A relationship.
Oh.
An old identity.
Now ask,
What am I holding onto here?
And then,
What may be ready to be set down.
Imagine placing that burden down at the edge of the path.
Not with fear.
Not with failure.
But with honesty.
Feel what happens in your body when you stop carrying what no longer moves.
Let the ground hold it.
The in-between.
Now,
Slowly turn away from the closed path.
Not in defeat,
In awareness.
You are not being rejected.
You're being redirected.
As you turn,
You notice another direction.
Not fully formed.
Just an opening.
You begin to walk.
The ground is softer here.
Snow is melting.
The earth is damp beneath your feet.
This is the in-between,
Neither winter nor fully spring.
Neither ending.
Nor fully arrived.
Walk slowly here.
Notice what it feels like to move without a clear destination.
Notice any impulse to rush.
To figure it out.
To demand certainty.
And gently let that impulse loosen.
Now Ask Within.
Can I trust this space even without clarity?
Take another few steps.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Openly.
Let yourself simply be in the becoming.
Discovering the Open Path.
As you continue walking.
You begin to notice another change.
The air feels warmer now.
The light is brighter.
There's more color around you.
The ground beneath you feels firmer,
More supportive,
More steady.
Ahead,
The path opens wider.
Clearer.
More alive.
You see small green shoots rising from the earth.
Tender leaves.
Early blossoms.
Signs of life returning.
And you feel something in yourself,
Respond.
Not pressure.
Not urgency.
But invitation.
Walk onto this path.
Notice how your body feels here.
Perhaps the breath deepens.
Perhaps the chest softens.
Perhaps there's more room inside you.
Now ask,
What in my life feels like this?
Let something arise gently.
A direction.
Possibility.
A truth that feels quietly alive.
Now ask,
What feels naturally alive here?
What is asking to be trusted.
Take a few steps farther down this opening path.
Feel that the ground meets you.
The path supports you.
You don't have to force what is already beginning to open.
Silently say within.
I allow myself to move toward what is opening.
Conclusion.
Now pause where you are.
From this place,
Look back for a moment.
Far behind you is the path that closed.
And here you are now.
Standing where the path opens.
Feel both truths together.
Something has ended.
Something has begun.
They are not separate.
They are part of the same unfolding.
Now ask quietly within.
Where am I forcing?
Where am I flowing?
Where am I being asked to stop pushing?
And begin listening.
Now let your body lean,
Even just inwardly,
Toward the feeling of flow.
Toward what opens.
Toward what gives life.
Silently affirm,
I release what is complete.
I allow what is opening.
I trust the timing of my life.
Begin to return your awareness to your body.
To your breath.
And to the room around you.
There's no need to rush this moment.
Begin by bringing your awareness back to your breath.
Noticing the natural rhythm of breathing.
Notice the body.
Supported by the floor beneath you.
Become aware of the space around you again.
Take a slightly deeper breath in.
And slowly release it.
Perhaps gently move the fingers or toes.
Maybe roll the shoulders.
Allowing the body to wake up slowly.
Notice how you feel in this moment compared to when we began.
As we move into the rest of our day.
I invite you to carry this calm and gentle awareness with you.
Just like early spring.
Sometimes the most meaningful growth is happening quietly beneath the surface of our lives.
Trust that whatever's unfolding within you is happening in its own perfect time.
Let's take one slow breath in together.
And a long breath out.
Namaste.
