Hey friends,
Welcome back.
As we enter this time together,
I just want to start by recognizing showing up,
Being here.
Whether you've listened to the first four days in order at one time,
Or this is the first day that you're jumping into this seven days of wintering,
I just want to acknowledge the strength that that can often take to just show up.
So as we enter together,
I'd love to just settle in,
Give yourself a chance to take a deep breath,
Get comfortable.
So this is day five of our wintering series,
And today we are meeting a familiar voice.
Maybe you know it,
The one that says,
Go,
Push,
Fix it,
Hurry up,
Do more.
Sure I can do that.
I don't have 18 other things on the calendar that day,
I'll make it work.
And that voice is so beautiful because often it means we just want to support and be there for others.
Or maybe it can sound like motivation,
But oftentimes it's actually our nervous system trying to create safety through control.
It's the part of you that learned,
If I stay ahead,
If I do it,
I will be okay.
It can't go wrong.
So if in this season you've been feeling less driven,
Restless,
Impatient,
Trouble sleeping,
I just want to name that is so normal.
And we're not going to shame that part of us.
We all have that voice,
But our intention today is to soften it.
Because we don't need more pressure or some giant resolution to change.
What we need is safety.
And so as we lean into that safety,
I'm going to ask you to settle into your spot,
Wherever that is.
And if you're feeling safe to,
Maybe close your eyes and place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.
And take a big,
Deep belly breath into your nose for 4,
3,
2,
1.
And out for 4,
3,
2,
1.
And I want you to keep this breathing up.
And just notice what your body does as I mention the next few words.
Hurry up.
Why didn't you do this?
Oh,
I'm sure you'll figure it out.
Notice what that inner push feels like in your body.
Did you feel it in your chest?
Maybe an urgency,
A tightness.
Maybe your jaw clenched.
Or maybe your stomach just all of a sudden started getting into knots or your legs feel like they need to move.
Just notice.
No fixing required.
And let your exhale begin to lengthen.
Maybe you count to 6 on your next inhale.
And 7 on your next exhale.
And on your next inhale,
I want you to quietly repeat to yourself,
Whether in your head or as you breathe out,
This intention.
I can slow down without falling behind.
I can slow down without falling behind.
Now,
I want to offer a gentle reframe because so many of us grew up believing that pushing through whatever it is gets us the life that we want.
But the truth is,
Pressure can create movement,
Momentum,
And speed,
But not direction.
And winter asks for direction.
It asks,
What is essential?
What can wait?
What is true?
What needs to be felt,
Tended to,
Held?
So as you continue with this long inhale and lengthened exhale,
What are you pushing away right now that actually needs to soften?
Just let something come up naturally.
There's no judgment.
If a billion things pop up into your head,
That's perfect.
Find one that lands.
Maybe you're pushing yourself to feel better when you're just exhausted.
Maybe you're trying to force yourself to make a decision.
Be productive,
To be healed,
To get over it.
Now bring your attention to your breath again.
And we're going to do a simple nervous system practice that has helped me shift my body out of that urgent state of mind,
That rushed state of being,
And into that softness.
And what we're going to do is take two deep belly breaths in,
And then one longer belly breath out,
All through our mouth.
It may feel a little weird at first,
And that's okay.
But what this does is,
Psychologists say that when you breathe in through your mouth,
You actually bypass the brain and allow yourself to get into your body.
If you've ever done breath work,
Often this is why facilitators choose to breathe in through your mouth and out through your mouth,
So that you may have a release from your brain being activated.
And so it's going to sound a little something like this.
So we're going to do that together four times,
And then I'm going to let you,
At your own pace,
Do it for another four times.
So it's in for two,
Deep into your belly,
And out for one.
So let's begin.
Final one.
And now,
At your own pace,
Maybe it's a little deeper,
A little slower,
In and out.
But take this time for you.
And as you near your final breath work,
Notice how your body feels.
Maybe it's a little tingly,
Or you feel slightly activated.
What this does is it signals to your body that you don't have to carry it all.
So I'm going to offer us three phases as you come back to your normal breath.
Choose the one that lands most for you today,
And may you take it with you.
The first is,
Nothing is required of me in this moment.
Nothing is required of me in this moment.
The second is,
I release urgency and choose presence.
I release urgency and choose presence.
And finally,
My peace is at my pace.
My peace is at my pace.
So whatever landed,
May you say it to yourself a couple times as you breathe in and out.
I am so incredibly grateful to have practiced this with you,
And to remind you that you don't have to push your way into peace,
That you actually can soften your way into alignment.
You can take the practice of breath work with you at any time if you felt that it was nourishing to yourself.
Tomorrow is day six,
And we'll focus on small,
Tiny rituals I call small lights,
To hold you through the rest of the winter season.
I'm so grateful for your mind,
Your body,
And your soul for showing up for yourself today.
And until next time,
Be gentle.
