Hello everyone,
And welcome to another mindful moment.
Life is an incredible journey.
Sometimes it feels like we're on a roller coaster.
And we're ready for the ride with maybe a little bit of nervousness.
As we strap ourselves in,
Excited,
And as we rise to the top,
We feel the anticipation building.
And as we rise to the top of the crest,
Ready,
And sometimes not ready,
For that drop,
For that huge rush of momentum catapulting us into a phase of exhilaration.
Sometimes we throw our arms up in the air,
Squealing with delight.
And other times it's all we can do but hang on for dear life.
And this is life.
Sometimes our journey is calm and a little bit of excitement,
Maybe some twists and turns that are a little unexpected.
And we can smile through it or at the very least,
Not be so terrified.
It's all a part of the journey.
I invite you to find a comfortable position.
Eyes open or closed,
Whatever feels good for you in this moment.
Feeling your breath.
Connecting to the inhale.
Feeling the rise of your chest and the expansion of your belly.
And feeling the softness of the exhale.
For today's practice,
I'd like to read you a poem.
When I wrote this poem,
I was in a very challenging part of life.
I was on the roller coaster and I was not prepared for the momentum that it was about to thrust me into.
And I was terrified.
And instead of resisting,
I threw my arms in the air with my heart racing.
Life had taken my breath away,
Tears blowing in the wind.
Instead of resisting,
I dove into the rush.
My heart bursting open,
First from pain.
And when I couldn't hold the pain any longer,
I let it explode.
Connecting to your breath.
And my path is full of turns and bends through places unknown.
Down valleys and mountains to new sights unseen.
Visiting dark skies with dazzling stars.
Basking in sunbeams.
Warming my face as it lifts towards the heavens.
A journey only I can take.
An experience of my own.
No wrong turns.
Only uncharted pathways.
Choosing the road less traveled.
Trusting the guide and faith in the process.
Breathing into the spaces less familiar.
Being always in the right place at the right time.
We are always in the right place at the right time.
Breathing,
Breathing,
Breathing.
Life is happening for us.
So often when we're on the roller coaster and we don't want to be,
We feel like it's happening to us and it can feel scary and overwhelming.
And in these moments,
If we can find our breath,
If we can find our connection to life,
It is possible in that space to have faith and trust that there is a pearl of wisdom deep within our experience.
There are gems of wisdom and gems of knowledge all around us waiting to be discovered.
And this is why we come together and we sit and we breathe so that we can practice connecting to ourselves and to the moment.
So when we are caught off guard,
We can ground ourselves again.
And it is called a practice because we show up every day.
And when we forget,
It's okay.
Letting your chest rise.
Often when we step off the roller coaster,
We feel invigorated,
Alive,
Vibrating,
Grinning ear to ear,
Eyes twinkling,
Filled with energy,
Ready to do it all over again.
And sometimes we get off the roller coaster and it's all we can do to find the nearest place to sit down and catch our breath.
We may feel nauseated,
Destabilized,
Discombobulated and think,
Oh my gosh,
I don't ever want to do that again.
Life is an incredible journey.
Some of the roller coasters are fun.
Some are scary.
Almost all of them take our breath away.
Some make us giggle.
Some may make us cry.
And this too is part of our human experience.
Feeling the laughter.
Feeling the tears.
Feeling into our breath.
As you go about your day,
May you enjoy the ride and remember that when we're on the roller coaster,
We are buckled in,
That we are safe and we are secure even when it feels like it's too much.
We are still safely on the roller coaster.
Hold on,
Dear friends,
Hold on.
Let's take one more deep breath together and exhaling.
I wish you an amazing ride,
An amazing journey.
Be well,
My friends,
Be well.
And may you have a beautiful day.
Wishing you the best from my heart to yours.
