Welcome to your faith-based guided knee draw.
To start,
We're going to be in a comfortable seated position and we'll be focusing on our three-part breath.
So inhaling through the stomach,
Rib cage,
Upper chest,
And then exhaling and reversing through the chest,
Ribs,
And belly.
And just continue at your own pace with that.
Or if you get uncomfortable at any point,
You can return to your normal breathing.
Today we're going to be reading Isaiah 43.
But now listen to the Lord who created you.
Oh,
Beloved,
The one who formed you says,
Do not be afraid for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by my name.
You are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
You will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
You will not be burned up.
The flames will not consume you,
For I am the Lord,
Your God,
The Holy One of Israel,
Your Savior.
Another was given in exchange for you.
I traded his life for yours because you are precious to me.
You are honored and I love you.
In the seated position,
Start to lift and drop your chin.
Think to yourself,
Lifting,
I am aware,
Alert,
Alive.
And then dropping your chin to your chest,
I am safe,
Secure,
At rest,
At peace.
Lifting,
I am aware,
Alert,
Alive,
Strong.
Dropping,
I am safe,
Secure,
At rest,
At peace.
Moving into savasana now,
Come flat to your back.
You can keep your legs bent or straight out in front of you.
You can add blankets,
Place your arms,
However feels comfortable.
You can keep your gaze soft,
Or if you feel comfortable,
Close your eyes.
And then,
You can come back to your feet.
You can come back to your feet.
You can come back to your feet.
You can come back to your feet.
You can come back to your feet.
And then you can sit down and close your eyes.
Return again to your intention from Isaiah 43.
As you settle in,
Let it be a reminder of His voice speaking to your heart,
Soul,
Mind and spirit.
If at any point,
Feel free to change this form.
But now,
Listen to the Lord who created you.
O beloved,
The one who formed you says,
For I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name,
You are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
You will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
You will not be burnt up.
The flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel,
Your Savior.
Another was given in exchange for you.
I traded his life for yours because you are precious to me.
You are honored and I love you.
Let your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your jaw relax.
Allow your tongue to move away from the roof of your mouth.
Notice your throat,
The front of your shoulders,
Your arms,
The palms of your hands,
Your torso,
Your stomach,
The front of your legs,
Your kneecap,
Your ankles,
And the tops of your feet.
Now notice the back of your body,
The back of your head,
Neck,
Shoulders,
The back of your arms,
And the back of your hand.
Notice your upper back,
Lower back,
Glutes,
The back of your leg,
Knee,
The back of your ankle,
And the bottoms of your feet.
Notice the whole front of your body,
The whole back of your body,
The front,
The back,
Front,
Back.
If possible,
Think about the front of your body as light and the back as heavy.
Notice the front of your body,
Light floating,
Lifting toward heaven.
Notice the back of your body,
Heavy,
Grounded,
Rooting down into the earth.
Notice the front,
Floating,
The back,
Grounded,
The front,
Light,
The back,
Rooted,
Front,
Back,
Light,
Rooted.
Light rooted.
If you can try to pair your breath,
Inhale light,
Exhale heavy,
Inhale flow,
Exhale ground.
Inhale and exhale,
Light and heavy.
Deep breath,
Inhale and exhale.
Return to your normal breath if that feels comfortable.
In the next few moments,
I will introduce a series of words.
As I read them,
See if you can picture them in your mind.
If not,
Don't worry,
Just try.
Sunset over the ocean,
Quiet street,
A red bird,
A dark cave,
Tree in the winter,
Deep water,
Yellow daffodils,
Rushing river,
A young child,
White fluffy clouds,
Fire,
Jesus in a garden.
I'm going to read over Isaiah 43 one more time to you,
And this time as I read it,
Try to focus on what God is trying to tell you in this moment.
But now,
Listen to the Lord who created you,
O beloved.
The one who formed you says,
Do not be afraid,
For I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name,
You are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
You will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
You will not be burned up.
The flames will not consume you,
For I am the Lord,
Your God,
The Holy One of Israel,
Your Savior.
Another was given in exchange for you.
I traded his life for yours because you are so precious to me.
You are honored,
And I love you.
Start to bring awareness back to your body.
Feel its heaviness and lightness at the same time,
The whole body held and supported by the floor.
You are grounded,
Rooted,
Yet your heart is open,
Reaching.
Become more aware of your heart,
Your body,
And your soul.
Become aware of your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Become aware of your body,
The top of your bottom,
The bottom of your body,
Your whole body.
Bring yourself back by picturing the room around you.
Gently begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Roll to the side of your choice.
When you are ready,
I invite you to gently rise to a comfortable seated position.
Take a moment to call your intention back to mind one final time.
Bring your hands to heart,
Sit down,
And relax.
Bring your hands to heart center.
Thank you,
God,
For this practice together.
Thank you for letting us to have time with you to sit in your presence and hear your voice over our life.
I pray that we can bring this sense of peace into our everyday situations and that we can just hold on to you.
Thank you,
Lord.
Amen.
