Namaste.
I'm Hannah Leatherberry,
And today's daily insight is a reminder of what you already know.
You are composed of the same energy found in nature.
You are never alone because you are never separate from all that is alive within you and around you.
Today's practice is a ritual to honor our teachers and nature through movement and simple phrases.
It's a practice that I have repeated for hundreds of mornings since joining Insight Timer,
And each time,
It reminds me that I am supported and that I am resting within a great current of wisdom.
If you'd like to join me in moving with today's practice,
Come to a solid standing position facing east.
If you aren't sure where to find east,
Face the direction you imagine the sunrise first appeared today.
If you wish to remain still and seated or reclining,
You can imagine the image of a sunrise before you.
I'll offer guidance for movement,
And if you desire something different,
You can replace it with your own.
Now take a few easy breaths to acknowledge your arrival here.
Rediscover the body nature gave you.
Let your weight shift forward.
Let it lean slightly back in space.
Now explore your right side and your left.
Having found what off-center feels like,
Find yourself centering.
Find the middle.
You are firmly grounded and steady.
Breathe as if you are settling into being here for a long time.
Facing east,
You greet the direction of the rising sun and the qualities of springtime.
Lessons around new beginnings abound here.
Inhale your arms out to your sides and bring your palms to touch overhead.
Exhale your arms wide and bow forward over your legs.
Take a few breaths in this forward bow,
Releasing tension in the backs of your legs by bending your knees slightly.
Supporting your back by resting your fingers on the earth or on your legs wherever they touch naturally.
Relax your head and your lower body.
From the east come teachings of using curiosity to find clarity and using clarity to step forward in courage.
We welcome in the guidance,
Wisdom,
And support of our teachers and ancestors from the east.
Inhale your arms out wide,
Lengthening your spine to return to standing.
Exhale your palms together,
Resting at the center of your chest.
These teachings will be here to guide us as we move through this day.
Rotate your body 90 degrees now to your right,
Turning to face the south.
Facing south,
You might picture the full moon in the sky and welcome in the qualities of summer.
Inhale your arms out to your sides and bring your palms to touch overhead.
Exhale your arms wide and bow forward over your legs.
Take a few breaths here.
Support yourself as needed.
Soften unnecessary holding.
Lessons around abundance and celebration live here.
These are the teachings that name gratitude as the highest form of prayer and uncover joy in the midst of difficulty and becoming.
We welcome in the guidance,
Wisdom,
And support of our teachers and ancestors from the south.
Inhale your arms out wide and return to standing.
Exhale your palms together,
Resting at the center of your chest.
These teachings will be here to guide us as we move through this day.
From here we turn to face the west,
Facing the direction of the sunset and welcoming in the qualities of autumn.
Inhale your palms to touch overhead.
Exhale bow forward.
Breathing here in humility and gratitude,
Lessons of detachment and faith are found here.
These are the teachings of offering up the results of our efforts and of trusting that all that we are receiving comes for our highest good and arrives at just the right time.
We welcome in the guidance,
Wisdom,
And support from our teachers and ancestors from the west.
Inhaling to standing.
Exhaling palms to heart center.
These teachings will be here to guide us as we move through this day.
Now turning to face the north,
Imagining the dark moon hanging invisibly in the sky and welcoming in the qualities of deep winter.
Inhale arms above.
Exhale forward.
Breathing here we honor lessons around rest and nourishment.
These are the teachings of finding time to be still,
Of making room for people,
Places,
Food,
And art that feeds and inspires us.
We welcome in the guidance,
Wisdom,
And support of our teachers and ancestors from the north.
Inhaling to rise.
Exhaling palms to heart center.
These teachings will be here to guide us as we move through this day.
The poet Rumi reminds us of how to move with nature and with our teachers.
Move within,
But don't move the way fear makes you move.
Talk to the well.
Turn as the earth and the moon turn,
Circling what they love.
Whatever circles comes from the center.
May these teachings turn within you,
Moving you closer to what you love.
Thank you.
