As we get started,
I encourage you to imagine lengthening your spine in the back of your neck,
Simply starting to notice all the little muscles,
Ligaments that are connected to your spine,
Shifting a little bit side to side,
Raising one shoulder up and the other down,
And vice versa,
Feeling those muscles move,
Even gently moving into a cat-cow in yoga language,
That's simply curving the spine and opening up the chest,
And then coming to a place of stillness,
Letting out a deep,
Heavy exhale with an audible sigh,
And placing both of your hands on your abdomen.
I'm going to do some simple body mindfulness here,
So as you breathe in and breathe out,
Notice what it feels like to have your abdomen rise and fall with each breath,
Maybe even being a little playful to see just how big of a breath you can take,
Just how much you can have that abdomen fill up with air,
Maybe being playful with the rhythm of your breath,
Speeding it up and slowing it down,
Just noticing the connection of your hands to your abdomen,
And that breath as it enters and leaves your body.
As you continue to breathe and notice what's happening inside,
Any little nuances of movement that you feel,
Not only in your abdomen,
But in your lungs,
Your chest,
Your back,
Your neck,
Your throat,
Your jaw,
Really tracing that breath,
Tracing what happens as you breathe in and breathe out.
I'm going to read briefly from Psalm 139,
The NIV translation.
For you created my inmost being,
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
That's verses 13 through 16.
I'm going to read them one more time as you continue to breathe,
And if you'd like,
You can leave your hands where they are on your abdomen.
You can also place one hand over your heart if you're feeling some tension around your jaw or your neck or back.
You can also move your hands there if you'd like.
Just being mindful to think about how your body was knit together,
Was woven together,
And just the rich mysterious depths of that that we get to breathe into each day.
So continue those nice deep breaths.
You can simply let yourself listen,
Starting at verse 13.
For you created my inmost being,
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Before we close,
Just be mindful to see how that sat with you.
There are some times that scripture feels very sweet and soothing to the depths of our soul.
There are also times that certain verses or words in scripture can feel painful,
Can feel uncomfortable,
Even feel hurtful to certain parts of us.
And so however that scripture is sitting with you,
I encourage you to simply notice,
Without judgment,
Just with curiosity,
And even consider bringing that reaction to God.
Maybe starting by bringing it to a trusted friend or mentor,
If that feels safest,
To navigate how to bring something like that to God.
Anything that you experienced as a sweet gift in your day,
I encourage you to relay that gratitude to God as we close with a short prayer and a deep breath.
Lord,
I pray that as we breathe in life each day,
Could help us savor the mysteries of our embodied beings,
The mysteries of your goodness and your greatness that's beyond what we can comprehend,
But that we somehow intersect with and embody and breathe in each day.
I pray that you would help us to find rest in you and any part of our soul that can't quite seem to rest.
Would you set a safe place for those parts of our souls to find rest in you?
Would you cultivate what is needed and tend to those parts of us in a way that only you can?
Amen.
