Welcome.
Make your way into a comfortable seated position when you're ready.
Then I invite you to close your eyes.
Taking three deep breaths to collect your awareness,
Breathe in through the nose.
Open the mouth to sigh it out.
Breathe into the nose.
Open the mouth,
Sigh it out.
Breathe in through the nose.
Open the mouth,
Sigh it out.
Breathing normally and allowing the breath to find its own rhythm and its own pace,
Allowing it to serve you as it naturally does each and every day.
As your body further relaxes and deepens into a softening where all muscles release,
Tension and shoulders drop,
Abdomen releases,
Jaw softly opens,
Tongue falls away from the roof of the mouth,
Forehead muscles smooth,
Eyelids rest,
Mind opens and expands.
I invite you to bring your attention to your thoughts.
Where have you been focusing your attention the past day or two days?
Has it been on the past?
Or have the thoughts been directed towards the future?
What is the storyline that is on repeat over and over?
Have you been dwelling about what could have been or should have been?
Have you been planning for the future,
Worrying,
Strategizing,
Hoping,
Or yearning?
What is the tone of your thoughts?
Is it critical,
Unsure,
Or fearful?
Attending to these thoughts with a simple curiosity and openness as you become the observer of your own mind,
Watching them as they arrive and then as they pass and dissolve.
Bring your attention now to the breath,
Allowing the breath to create a space between each passing thought,
As if the thoughts are slowing down and moving at a less rapid pace.
Visualize each thought that comes to mind as if it were a cloud passing by,
Seeing it,
Observing it,
And when it passes,
Come back to the breath.
Knowing that you are not your thoughts,
You are instead the awareness behind them.
To identify and attach ourselves to each thought is when we cause ourselves to believe in doubt,
Worry,
And fear.
So let's take a journey with our mind.
Imagine you are standing on rich soil,
Deep red in color at the bottom of a steep,
Forested mountain.
You bend down to tie your hiking boots.
With both laces fastened tight,
You rise up.
You feel a sense of empowerment before you even begin,
Because you know you are capable,
Strong,
And determined.
But with that,
You also carry the pitted feeling of fear,
Fear of the unknown,
Fear of what's to come as you enter deep into the forest to climb to the top.
So you take a deep breath in,
And a slow breath out.
As you begin your voyage up the enormous,
Steep,
Forested mountain,
The air is crisp,
Fresh,
And earthy.
Breathe in to fill your lungs completely,
And as you breathe out,
You feel refreshed,
Revitalized.
The sun filters through the tops of the trees,
Creating long,
Shadow silhouettes along the ground before you.
The beaming rays of light offer a comforting warmth as you make your way higher.
You hear the birds sing and the dance of the trees as they sway and shift from side to side.
Completely immersed in every shade of green,
Noticing how some trees are delicate in nature,
While others strong,
Wise,
Withstanding the elements of their time.
You take another deep breath in,
And a slow breath out.
Further up the mountain you go,
Keeping a steady pace,
You begin to let go of that feeling of fear.
You realize as you look around,
There is nothing to be afraid of,
Nothing you cannot accomplish.
With your head up and eyes focused,
You see the top of the mountain from afar.
You begin to gain elevation as you move upward,
You feel light and relaxed as your journey continues.
The smell of fresh soil,
Pine,
Honeysuckle,
Mixed with damp moss,
Cedar,
And fresh flowers linger on your nose.
As you near the top of this forested mountain,
You see the trees part,
Making way to an open landscape at the surface of the mountain.
As you rise to the top,
Making your way through the lush forest and into the bare sunlight,
Nothing but soft grass to stand on when you arrive.
You look down at how far you've climbed,
Then you look out into the horizon.
You take in the wonder as you see the other mountaintops in the distant,
Faint and green,
Vast valleys beneath you.
You sit and you take in its glory.
A warm breeze washes over you and you feel the essence of freedom.
What does freedom mean to me,
You ask?
Limitless,
Infinite,
Independence,
Endless possibility,
Boundless,
And wild.
What do I feel when I feel freedom,
You ask?
Spacious,
Light,
Open,
Rejuvenated,
Completely capable,
Rooted,
Accelerating power.
And then you realize that this is your birthright.
This is your essence.
You are freedom.
And from this moment on,
You tell yourself,
I can go anywhere.
I can do anything.
I can be anyone.
There are no obstacles.
Fear is an illusion.
In any moment,
There is only you in all your righteousness,
Spaciousness,
And infinite potential.
You are right on time.
You are right where you're meant to be.
You are exactly who you are meant to be.
As you breathe in,
And as you slowly breathe out,
No matter how lost you sometimes get in thoughts of lack,
Worry,
And fear,
Who you really are is always the same.
Peace,
Wisdom,
Clarity,
Love,
And freedom.
And when you are ready,
You can bring yourself back into your body,
Back into the room,
And back into the space that surrounds you.
