Welcome,
I'm Nola Bloom.
And this is the art of receiving.
Meditation and Dharma talk on trust,
Surrender,
And support.
This meditation is for those moments in life when you feel like you're doing all the right things.
You're showing up.
And they're caring deeply.
You're giving deeply and holding everything together.
Yet beneath it all,
There can be this quiet feeling that somehow everything is still resting on your shoulders.
And perhaps you're that person that everyone relies on.
The one who remembers things,
Who checks in,
Who holds space,
And who makes things happen.
After a while,
Carrying can become so familiar.
That we forget what it feels like to be held.
And just take a moment and simply notice if any part of that resonates with you.
And I've noticed this in myself too.
There have been moments where I felt that if I relaxed my grip even a little,
Things might just completely stop moving forward.
That if I wasn't planning,
Organizing.
Remembering creating and preparing.
That things might just start falling apart.
Maybe you felt that too.
An effort is beautiful.
We practice,
Learn,
Care,
And devote ourselves to things that matter.
Effort is a part of life.
Yet sometimes effort quietly becomes something else.
Without even realizing it.
Effort can become gripping.
Holding,
Leaning forward into life.
Always thinking a few steps ahead.
Always remembering what needs attention.
Always quietly carrying.
As I reflect on this feeling of carrying and holding.
I find myself returning to a teaching from the Yoga Sutras that has supported me many times in my own life journey.
There is this ancient teaching called Ishvara Pranidhana,
Which is often translated to surrender.
And for a long time,
I imagined that surrender meant stepping back from life somehow.
Releasing everything and floating into trust.
Over time,
I've become to understand this a little differently.
Perhaps surrender does not mean releasing our participation in life completely.
Perhaps surrender means releasing the belief that we are carrying life all alone.
And perhaps that means remembering that we are part of something larger.
Supported by the earth beneath you.
And supported by.
The people around us.
Supported by unseen currents of life quietly moving alongside us.
Perhaps you've been caring more than you realize.
And tonight's practice is simply an invitation to soften the grip just a little.
To pause,
To breathe.
And to remember what it feels like to be held and supported.
And as we gently transition into the practice,
I invite you to get yourself a little more comfortable.
Either seated or lying down.
Use cushions or blankets as needed.
Just find whatever position allows the body to soften completely.
And allow your hands to rest naturally.
The eyes to gently close.
And settle the breath.
Take a long,
Nourishing breath in.
And a soft and easy breath out.
And feel the body relaxing just a little more with every exhalation.
Feel the weight of your body arriving here.
Your body settling naturally into support.
Allow the breath to find a gentle rhythm.
Flowing in.
And flowing out.
Life moving through you.
Allow a small seed to be planted into the fertile earth.
And gently repeat I allow myself to be supported.
I do not carry everything alone.
I soften into trust.
And just allow the words to settle into the heart.
And gently bring awareness into the body.
And notice places where effort quietly lives.
And the jaw.
Shoulders.
Hands.
In the belly.
In the space around the heart.
Simply noticing.
Becoming curious.
Allowing awareness to move a little more through the body.
Where am I holding?
What am I preparing?
And where am I leaning forward just a little too far?
And you may notice that simply becoming aware.
Begins to create that space that we need to soften.
And feel the shoulders releasing.
In the belly becoming a little more soft.
And the breath flowing a little easier.
Little by little.
Now imagine a gentle feeling of support beginning to surround you.
Warmth is moving towards your body.
Needs.
Moving towards your body.
A feeling of being cared for.
Moving towards you.
Like warm sunlight softly touching the skin.
Feel a gentle wave of ease moving through you and around you.
Effort begins softening.
Receiving begins to open.
Allow life.
To gently meet you Imagine.
Support finding you.
Kindness finding you.
Moments of grace holding you.
Unexpected help arriving.
A right conversation.
Unfolding.
The right person beside you.
Guidance becoming more clear and intuitive.
And small moments of support that remind you.
That you never have been carrying everything alone.
Simply receiving.
Simply allowing.
Notice what this feels like in your body.
Notice if anything is softening.
If there's any parts of you.
That feel like they're taking a deeper exhale.
And just rest here in this gentle awareness of support.
Take another deep,
Nourishing breath.
Inhale.
And exhale.
I just have this feeling of letting it all go.
And the shoulders release a little more.
Watching the gentle rise and fall of the chest and belly.
Let's take a nice sigh together.
Take a nice big inhale.
Open the mouth and.
.
.
Sigh.
Gentle,
Audible exhales.
Or something that you can repeat anytime.
And always brings you back into presence.
Perhaps this moment is already offering exactly.
What you need Perhaps the practice is simply noticing the moments in life where support is already present.
And gently bringing awareness.
Back into your body.
As you move back into the rhythm of your day.
Perhaps move with a little more spaciousness.
Remembering.
Ishvara Pranidhana Surrender.
And remembering that support.
Is always moving alongside you.
You are held.
You are supported.
Life is already meeting you here.
And gently flickering the eyes open.
Thank you,
Everyone.
Namaste.
