This is a guided attunement to be with and move through desensitization in the face of information overload or burnout and crafted with the intention to help awaken the senses and our innate creative capacity to be with ourselves.
Please take a moment to find a comfortable seated position or a comfortable position lying down.
Get situated in such a way that you can stay in this position for a short extended period of time.
Make sure you're warm enough,
That you've had some sips of water,
That you've taken care of everything you need to so you can sink into presence with my words and yourself.
Having arrived,
I invite you to soften your gaze or gently close your eyes,
Whichever feels accessible at this time.
And from that inward turning with the eyes,
We might begin to become more acutely aware of the breath,
Noticing the inhale and the exhale,
Noticing the temperature of the air as it moves in the body and how that might change as the air leaves the body,
Settling in to the eyes softened,
To the breath amplified,
Might feel peaceful and soothing.
It also might feel disorienting or even disturbing,
Taking this moment to release any judgment or shame or narratives of should around what's arising in this moment,
Around what you're feeling,
Focusing in on the breath as an anchor point to return to again and again with whatever arises in this moment.
There is nothing that you should or shouldn't do,
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to grasp,
Nothing to understand.
In this moment,
For this container,
For this stretch of time,
We get to practice being with ourselves just as we are,
A radical act in this moment.
Whatever thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations may arise,
May we return to the breath to breathe space for them to move through us.
And if nothing arises,
We get to honor that too.
We get to just notice the breath,
Its texture,
Its shape,
The ways in which it's moving the body,
Allowing the belly to rise and fall.
Your existence in this moment is enough and it holds so much to notice,
So much to be with.
Staying with the breath,
Staying with what is,
Continuing to breathe with whatever arises.
If you feel the call to move beyond what emerges to play and explore with the creative capacity of your curiosity,
You might want to extend your sensing beyond your current physical state.
Can you imagine sitting or lying down in a different landscape than where you are physically?
Perhaps imagining yourself at the beach or in a field of flowers or beside a waterfall or out in the middle of space.
What kind of landscape excites you?
Do you feel gravitate towards,
There's no right or wrong answer,
You can also stay just where you are.
But as we deepen into the senses,
Into the subtleties of our existence in this moment,
We get to play.
We get to explore with extending that.
Perhaps you can visualize the waves in front of you or the grass blowing in the wind or the milky way before your eyes.
Perhaps it's less visual and more sensory.
Can you imagine each little grain of sand against your skin or a soft breeze against your cheeks?
Can you hear the hollow ambient sound of open space or the birds chirping in the background?
Can you draw upon memories or movies or images or sensations you felt before to place yourself somewhere that feels resourcing,
Somewhere that awakens the mind,
Awakens the ability to dream while awake.
And whatever feelings emerge in this process of playing with immersion,
How can we return to breathing through them without judgment?
Whether this feels hard or easy,
Fun,
Absurd,
Annoying,
Whatever's arising,
Can we breathe with it?
Can we welcome it just for now,
Just in this container,
Sinking in to wherever we are and wherever we are breathing there?
I welcome you to stay here,
Inward,
Expanded,
Breathing,
Noticing,
As long as you want and need to.
I welcome you,
Before you leave whatever landscape you've been creatively envisioning,
I welcome you to leave some offering to that imaginal land.
You could plant a seed,
Pour some water,
Offer words of gratitude or affirmation,
Leaving some offering to wherever you've landed before you leave.
Again,
Taking as much time as you want and need there,
Whenever you feel ready to return to this physical space here and now,
I invite you to do so slowly,
Gently,
Maybe starting with some movement in the toes,
The fingers,
The wrists,
The ankles,
Eventually softly,
Softly,
Softly opening the eyes,
Breathing as you take in the shapes and colors and textures and sounds,
Where there's light,
Where there's shadow,
Around you in whatever space you're in,
Thanking yourself for trying this exercise on,
However it's unfolded,
And with wishes for continued curiosity as you re-engage with whatever else your day calls forth,
Thank yourself for exploring your own creative senses,
It's a beautiful thing to try on.
