So,
Find your seat,
Take these first few moments to check in with your body,
To notice what you've brought with you.
Notice your body's relationship to gravity.
Notice any tension you are carrying,
Any tightness,
Any holding in your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your back,
Your abdomen,
Your hips,
Your legs,
And using your breath,
Invite softness in these places of hardness,
Tension,
Holding,
And gradually allow your breaths to become deeper,
To fill you up,
To receive on the inhalation,
And then to release on the exhalation.
I invite you to use the words receive as you take an in-breath and focus on the word release as you take an out-breath.
Receive this breath as you bring it into your body and release this breath as you push it out.
Receive this breath through your belly,
Really fill up and release this breath from your belly as you push the air out,
Giving yourself one more full breath cycle and emptying out on the exhale and inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 4,
3,
2,
1,
Out 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 4,
3,
2,
1,
In 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 4,
3,
2,
1,
Out 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 3,
2,
1,
In 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 4,
3,
2,
1,
Out 4,
3,
2,
3,
2,
1,
In 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 2,
1,
Out 4,
3,
2,
3,
2,
1,
In 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold 3,
2,
1,
Out 3,
2,
3,
2,
1,
Return to your normal way of breathing,
Return to the intentions of receiving as you inhale and releasing as you exhale.
Receive this breath,
Release this breath,
Receive fully,
Release slowly.
Your breath is a metaphor for the natural balancing movements of your life.
As you take an inhale,
Receive the bounty the world has to offer,
Not only oxygen but also gifts of nourishment and wisdom.
And as you exhale,
It's the most basic act of letting go and giving back.
You're giving back carbon dioxide and you are also giving back your own nourishment and wisdom to the collective cache of universal knowledge.
As you are ready,
Begin to shift your awareness to the spaces between your inhales and your exhales.
That pause in between,
Become curious,
Become open.
It's in this space where you can feel the rhythm of your own heartbeat.
Therein lies its own rhythm of receiving and releasing with each contraction of your heart muscles.
There in that space where your heart and lungs are nestled together,
Therein lies its own receiving and releasing.
That dance,
That rhythm,
That relationship to and with each other,
Your heart and your lungs,
Working together,
Collaborating.
Notice the quality,
Rhythm,
Harmony of that interplay between your heart and your lungs.
See if you can rest your awareness on the current flowing through your body,
Orchestrated by the dance between your heart and your lungs.
Feel into the life and aliveness receiving and releasing.
Receive fully and release completely.
Leaving on this inhalation,
Releasing on this exhalation.
Resting your attention once more on your breath,
Noticing the texture,
The feel of your own breath against your skin.
Feel into your body,
Feel into the spaces,
The parts of your body that that is in contact with the surface beneath you.
Feel into the spaces around your body,
Feel into the space above your body.
Allow yourself a few more spacious breaths to reorient back to the world around you,
To reorient the rhythm of your day,
Gently reawakening your extremities by wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Circling out your wrists,
Your ankles,
Stretching,
Moving in any way that feels good and right in your body.
Placing one hand on your heart and the other on your belly,
Saying something kind to yourself.
Be proud of the work you are putting into living your best experience.
More aware,
More open,
More curious,
More receptive,
More trusting for your own good and for the good of those you love.
And with a big inhale,
Sweep your arms overhead,
Palms meet,
And with prayer hands on the exhale,
Floating them down to your heart center.
Close your practice today.
Thank you for allowing me to guide you in your practice.
May you be safe,
May you be healthy,
May you be happy.
May you be filled with peace and ease.
Namaste.
