Thank you for practicing.
Welcome to your bliss breath.
Welcome to this meditation on choosing what's yours and releasing what is not.
Make sure that you're sitting or laying in a place where your body feels relaxed and safe.
Make sure it's comfortable because our growth only happens when we allow the body to be supported in its most foundational way.
This is not a growth of striving,
Of trying,
Of putting in more effort.
This is a growth of allowing and of opening to what might be just beyond our current state of consciousness.
Gently feel the breath in your nose.
Notice if it feels cool or warm.
Allow it to soften through your nasal passages.
Allow the breath to soften down your throat.
Allow the breath to soften the lining of your lungs and feel how that creates more space for a breath that feels truly expansive,
Refreshing,
Inviting in new sensations that we don't get to feel on a regular basis each day.
We breathe in and out all day long,
But can you allow these new sensations to bring you into a deeper state of breathing?
Keep your attention gently focused on the sensation of your breathing in your nose,
In your throat,
In your lungs,
Radiating down your legs all the way to the toes,
Spreading across your chest through your abdomen,
Encouraging softness in your shoulders,
Your jaw,
Relaxing the place where your head meets the earth,
Releasing the need to be anywhere else but exactly where you are.
Today we're going to use a concept pulled from the Hebrew tradition.
There's a phrase,
Sheli,
Which defines ownership.
It literally means,
It's mine.
And a complimentary phrase,
Lo sheli,
Which means,
Not mine.
This phrase is used in everyday language in Israel as a general term for saying that something is or is not yours.
It's also used in a more philosophical context to state concepts,
Feelings of what we do or do not align with energetically,
Spiritually,
Mentally,
And emotionally.
So coming back into your breath,
Letting these sensations of breath in your body be primary in your attention,
And then noticing the first thought that arises,
Like bubbles in water,
And gently recognizing,
Is this a thought or a feeling that feels in true alignment with the essence of who you are right here in this moment?
Is it a thought or a feeling that serves you in your progress,
In your day,
In your life?
If it is,
Claim it,
Sheli.
Let it rest in your body,
And if it feels like you're grappling with it,
Or you want it to be a part of you,
But it's missing that core resonance that we all know as intuitive truth,
Then release it.
Gently allow yourself to stay in the safety,
In the warmth,
In the home of your body,
And let the thought or feeling be released,
Lo sheli.
May you find peace that the truth of this thought or feeling is yours to claim or let go.
