For the next few minutes,
We will explore our bodies and where we store our emotions.
Settling into the body,
Noticing how your body desires to be placed.
Something that's eyes open or eyes closed,
Sitting down or lying back.
Simply just notice and listen to what your body needs in this moment.
Softening the brow,
Unclenching the jaw and sinking into your shoulders.
Settling into the breath,
Noticing the natural rhythm and flow of the breath as it enters into your nostrils,
The rising and falling of your chest and stomach and the release of air as you exhale.
And with every in-breath,
We welcome stillness and on every out-breath,
Inviting openness.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am aware.
Placing our attention to our toes,
The soles of our feet that connect us to the earth.
What emotions do you carry in your feet and in your legs?
Could it be the fast pace,
Hustle and grind,
Anxiousness and anticipation?
Or maybe your emotions lie in the tension and tightness built in your legs from trying to keep up day by day by day.
Taking a moment now to notice any sensations,
Any tightness,
Any tension,
Tingling,
Soreness,
Restlessness.
And when the mind begins to wander and tell a story and your thoughts begin to arise,
Simply acknowledge them and return to your breath.
Placing our attention to our hips.
What emotions do you carry in your hips?
Our deepest vulnerabilities charged with unspoken words and ruminating thoughts.
What emotions lie in your hips?
Maybe beyond their tightness and inflexibility lies freedom.
What emotions do you carry in your hips?
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I have arrived.
Now placing our awareness to our bellies,
What emotions do we carry in our stomachs?
Noticing the rise and fall of your belly with every breath,
The emotional center,
The solar plexus sitting at the pit of our stomachs,
Carrying anger,
Frustration,
Feelings of power.
Who have you been giving your power to?
What emotions do you carry in your belly?
When the mind begins to tell a story and thoughts arise,
Simply acknowledge them and return to your breath.
Shifting our attention to our chest.
What emotions do you carry in your chest?
Surprise,
Sadness,
Love,
Shame,
Envy,
The cage of our hearts.
What emotions do you carry in your heart?
And if they no longer serve you,
This is a time to release.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am enough.
What emotions do you carry in your shoulders?
Trapped with tension,
Our shoulders hug our ears.
Or maybe you've been carrying the weight of the world on them.
And now this is the time to release.
Giving yourself that permission to release what was not yours.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am safe.
Placing our awareness to our face.
What emotions do you carry in your face?
The muscles around our eyes never lie,
The grips of our jaw,
The expression of the unexpressed.
What emotions do you carry in your face?
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
This is my vessel.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
This is my body.
This is my home.
What emotions live in your body?
Where do they hide?
Where do they go?
What needs to be felt?
And what needs to be released?
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am enough.
Again,
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am enough.
And as this practice comes to an end,
We become present,
Present to our bodies,
Starting from the toes and working up to our shoulders,
Inviting movement back into our limbs.
Maybe you stretch,
Inviting feeling back into your body.
And whenever it feels right for you,
Slowly taking time to open your eyes,
Noticing the room around you,
The colors,
The vibrancy.
Nothing has changed.
Nothing is new.
And you are you.
