I'll invite you to go ahead and find as comfortable a position as you can.
You can do this lying down or seated and whatever is going to be most available to your body so that you feel secure and supported.
If you're lying down,
Placing something beneath the knees or beneath the head can be very helpful in taking pressure off the back and the neck.
And if you're seated,
Letting something hang out behind the back to offer a little support,
Just so that the head can stay straight and easeful.
I do encourage you to place a blanket or a shawl over your shoulders or over you if you're lying down.
This added layer gives the body a sense of safety and warmth and our body temperature drops when we practice.
So this just keeps the body warm so that we don't come out of practice because we're feeling chilly.
So taking any final adjustments that you need to get as comfortable as you can.
And once you're settled in,
Going ahead and closing your eyes.
And then taking a nice inhale through the nose.
Open the mouth,
Gently exhale,
Softening through the muscles in the face and the eyes,
The jaw.
And inviting another full breath in through the nose,
Pause there.
And again,
Open the mouth and sigh,
Exhale,
Letting out a sound as you soften through the shoulders,
The whole upper body all the way down to the fingertips.
And again,
Drawing the breath in through the nose,
Feeling the chest and heart expand.
And then open the mouth,
Exhale,
Sigh and let it go.
And gently allow the breath to find a natural rhythm where each breath is flowing fluidly one after the other.
And inviting the pinky finger and the ring finger to join the thumb tip,
Extending the index finger and center finger.
So holding this posture of the hands very gently,
Easefully.
For a moment,
Bring your awareness into the sensation of these fingertips touching the thumb tip,
Pinky tip and ring fingertip.
You might even sense the gentle pulse,
The echo of your heartbeat inside the fingertips.
The gentle echo of your heartbeat pulsing through the fingertips as the breath flows fluidly.
Now gently scanning the body from head to toe and toe to head.
Noticing any sensations,
Tensions that gather your awareness,
That call it your attention and welcome them.
Allowing the breath to travel in to any area that's calling for your awareness.
As you exhale,
Offering a breath of thank you to your body for bringing awareness to you.
Thank you,
Shoulder,
For letting me know that you need attention right now.
Thank you,
Forehead,
Belly,
Wrists.
And then gently scanning the body one more time and becoming aware of any emotions that are present with you today and welcoming each thing.
Oh,
It's okay that you're here.
Allowing each experience of you in this moment to be fully present riding the waves of the breath.
You might even visualize here a column of light,
The front of the body from the base of the spine up to the throat,
The soft column of light.
As you breathe in,
Imagine that column lighting up,
Breathing in,
Knowing that you're breathing in.
Exhale,
Traveling down that light,
Knowing that you're breathing out.
Inviting gentle attention to the inhale,
Root to throat,
Kind attention to the exhale,
Throat to root.
Continuing to breathe in this way.
And sensing and exploring if you can iron out the breath,
Allowing it to be as smooth as possible through each transition.
Breathing in,
Smooth,
Steady,
Traveling up to the throat,
Exhaling,
Smooth and steady,
Down to the root.
You might even say to yourself,
Breathing in,
I'm aware of my whole body right here.
Breathing out,
I'm aware of my whole body right here.
Aware of the body here and now.
Aware of the body here and now.
Feeling the whole body fully supported here and now,
Fully supported here and now.
Feeling the whole body fully supported here and now.
And then gently inviting in the emotion of fear,
Welcoming fear into this experience.
It's a subtle invitation,
A waving toward you saying,
Yes,
Fear,
I see you.
It's okay that you're here.
And noticing where the fear lives in the body.
Sense the fear,
Locate it as though you're observing,
You're entering and taking a seat.
The breath is soft and long,
Fluid and steady as you welcome fear into the body.
Sensing its location and noticing if the fear has a temperature,
The fear warm,
Cold,
Hot.
What is the texture?
Smooth,
Rough,
Spiky.
What shape does the fear show up in?
What is its form?
Its size?
Observing the fear as though it were an object or being in front of you.
What is its color?
In what way does it move?
Vibrate,
Wave?
What is the color?
Vibrating.
Allowing the breath to enter through the nose and travel down into the body around the resting space of fear in the body.
Breathing into the space of fear.
And envision the color of courage.
The yin to the yang energy of fear.
Its balancing partner.
Sensing the color of courage riding the waves of the breath,
Traveling in and enveloping the shape and sphere of fear.
See the fear and the courage merging together.
Swirling,
Forming and joining.
The breath is soft and long,
Fluid and steady as the fear and the courage dance together.
The fear is safe and protected.
From this space,
You might ask the fear,
In what way am I depleted right now?
In what way might I nourish myself?
You might ask the courage,
What can I trust in this moment?
What can I trust in this moment?
Is there a call for action here?
Allowing a long,
Steady breath to enter through the nose.
And the exhaling.
Feeling the breath flowing through the body.
The color of courage radiating through the body with each inhale and each exhale.
Each inhale draws in the light of courage.
Each exhale radiates this color,
This breath through the whole body.
Each exhale illuminating the body with courage.
75 trillion cells radiating in this present space.
With the courage to feel fully all that you are.
The whole body illuminated.
The color of courage pulsing,
Radiating the whole body.
Allowing all that needs to go and allowing all that needs to come,
To come.
Whole body illuminated.
And the next inhale,
Sensing this color of courage moving and resting into the center of the heart space.
And gently welcoming an image of yourself to rest here in the heart with you.
The whole body illuminated as you rest in the space of the heart.
Gently offering these words to yourself.
At this moment,
May I be kind to myself.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself in this moment.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself in this moment.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself in this moment.
May I trust that my courage is always present and available alongside the fear.
May I trust that courage is always present and available alongside the fear.
May I trust that courage is always present and available alongside the fear.
May I trust.
May I trust.
I trust.
I trust.
I trust.
Feeling the gentle vibration of these words move through the heart radiating into the body as you gently return your awareness to the soft,
Easeful flow of the breath.
Gently becoming aware of the points of contact between the body and the support beneath you,
Behind you,
Back of the head,
Shoulder blades,
Elbows,
Backs of the hands,
Hips,
Calves,
And heels.
The whole body fully supported.
Becoming aware of the whole body,
The whole body,
And the space around you.
Allowing the breath to deepen,
Taking a nice full inhale,
Letting the chest and heart expand.
Open the mouth and let a nice sigh release,
Gently letting go.
And you might release the mudra,
Gently opening the fingers,
Opening the palms,
And drawing all the fingers together into a gentle fist and then opening the hands again.
You inhale,
Drawing the hands closed together.
Exhale,
Opening the hands,
Spreading the fingers out wide.
Inhale,
Drawing the fingers together,
Exhale,
Slowly releasing and opening the fingers out wide.
You might invite the toes to join this movement,
Inhaling,
Closing the fingers,
Closing the toes.
Exhaling,
Spreading the fingers out wide and spreading the toes out wide and long.
Doing this a couple more times at your own rhythm.
And if you're lying down,
You might feel a desire to draw the knees into the chest and give them a hug,
Rocking side to side.
Taking a couple breaths here before you roll over to one side or the other.
Placing the hand closest to the sky on the ground in front of the heart and letting that support you as you come back to a seated position.
We all meet together,
Seated,
Supported,
Supported by the physical earth beneath us and the energetic qualities of this community,
All here breathing together.
You might feel a desire to roll the shoulders gently,
Inviting a little movement into the upper body.
You then find some stillness and taking another full breath in through the nose,
Holding here for just a moment and open the mouth,
Sigh it out and drop the chin to the chest and pause here.
And invite a soft grin to form on the lips,
A welcoming smile that says,
I'm here,
I see you.
Welcoming yourself back into the space as you gently open your eyes,
Seeing your own self,
Your own laugh.
And gently coming back to raise your gaze and come back to the space around you.
Welcome back.
