Hey yogis and friends,
Welcome to Soul Snacks,
Bite-sized yoga meditation sessions to nourish mind,
Body,
And spirit.
I'm Sarah Rohn and I'm so glad you're here.
Let's pause,
Find stillness,
And breathe together.
For this practice,
I invite you to find a quiet and comfortable space.
Do your best to allow for limited or no distractions or interruptions.
Maybe light a candle,
Burn some sage,
Or diffuse your favorite essential oil.
What will help you clear your energy and your space right now?
To make the most of your experience,
I recommend the following props.
One or two yoga bolsters or large firm pillows.
Two yoga blocks or a substitute of some sort,
Maybe stacks of books,
Shoeboxes,
Tupperware,
Foam roller.
And one to two yoga blankets or folded blankets that have some weight to them.
In this meditation,
We explore a gentle opening of the heart space,
Aligned with breath work,
Visualization,
And a practice of self-nourishment.
Set up your yoga mat with an extra blanket on top for cushion.
Then create a ramp at your desired height using one or two blocks and a bolster.
One end of your bolster will be on the ground,
The other lifted by the block.
Find a seat with your low back to the end of the bolster that's on the ground.
Now set up another bolster,
A pillow,
Or a rolled blanket and place that under your knees.
Your legs will extend,
Knees supported by the second bolster,
And your feet will stay about hip width distance apart.
Place a folded blanket across your upper thighs.
Lay back gently,
Spine supported by your bolster,
And begin to soften.
Take a moment to notice if raising,
Lowering,
Or keeping your bolster at the height that it's at,
Will support you best today.
Allow yourself to make adjustments if needed.
Now allow yourself to settle in,
Supported by your props.
Feel the weight of the blanket on your thighs.
Set your eyelids off into a close and begin to bring your awareness to your breath.
Slowly and gently begin to deepen your breath.
Notice where in your body can you most connect to and feel your breath.
And wherever you are in your breath,
Gently exhale everything out,
All the way.
Find empty.
Come empty,
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose.
Your belly expands in all directions.
Feel all the way up to the top and then gently pause,
Soften your physical body,
Soften your jaw,
And then your lips part softly,
Exhale.
All the way to empty to fill right back up.
Deep breath in.
Belly expands,
Ribs expand,
Fill all the way up.
An audible sigh,
Let it go.
One more full deep breath just like that.
Fill all the way,
Belly expands,
Ribs expand.
Maybe heart lifts gently.
Gently pause at the top,
Feel the fullness of your breath.
Big audible sigh,
Let it go.
Continue with deep full belly breaths.
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Invite a little space between your teeth and allow your tongue to drop from the roof of your mouth.
Let it take up space.
Feel your tongue widen in the bottom of your mouth,
Soften.
Now begin to imagine your physical body as the garden bed of your truth.
The fertile soil that nourishes who you are and who you have yet to become.
Allow your awareness to gently scan your garden bed,
Searching for any spaces of physical tension,
Tightness,
Or gripping.
Let these spaces represent the weeds that when unkept may grow and take over your garden's true potential.
With a sense of compassion,
Begin to use your breath to clear and cleanse each of those physical spaces.
Focus on one at a time and with at least three full breaths or as many as you need today,
Cleanse that space.
Allow your out breath to exit with a sense of release and letting go.
Let it cleanse and clear the weeds,
That space,
Any physical tension or tightness.
Then begin to imagine your in breath as nourishment,
Replenishing the soils of your full potential.
Can you truly let go with each exhale,
Holding the intention of clearing space and letting go?
And can you welcome in,
Can you receive each inhale as nourishment?
See and sense it enter your body,
Delivering exactly what you need to thrive.
Now with your awareness resting at your heart space,
Take the next few deep full breaths to acknowledge and feel the fertile soil of your garden bed,
The full potential that is you,
Your truth.
Just out in front of your heart,
Visualize a tiny seed.
Notice what color is it,
What shape,
Does it have a texture?
What qualities can you notice about this tiny seed,
The seed that holds your spirit,
Your full potential?
When nourished,
This tiny seed has the ability to grow and thrive into the full expansion of all that is you.
Truly place and plant this seed deep within your heart space.
Breathe life into that seed like water,
Sun,
And air.
Deep full breath in,
Feel it enter.
Full breath out,
Feel the seed receive all the nourishment it needs right here,
Right now.
Feel free to remain here with deep nourishing breaths as long as you need.
When you feel complete,
Let yourself wake slowly,
Gently coming back to the present,
Moving forward into your day,
Your week,
With the seeds of all that you need to thrive.
Thank you for sitting with me today,
For setting time and space aside for stillness,
Breath,
And attention to the world inside.
I hope to sit with you again soon.
Namaste.
