Welcome to this practice that honors the changing of the seasons.
From summer to fall.
A shift in rhythm.
The pause between.
To begin.
Getting yourself completely comfortable.
Making any shifts or adjustments.
Simply allowing your body to settle a little deeper into the support that's already here.
There's nothing you need to figure out from here.
Trusting that your body already knows how to rest.
Trusting that your deeper wisdom already knows how to receive.
Becoming aware of your whole body resting now.
Noticing the points of contact between your body.
And the supports around you.
Which might be laying on the floor.
Sitting in a chair.
Laying on a couch or in a bed.
Noticing your heels.
The legs.
The hips,
The back.
The shoulders.
The arms.
Head.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
Nothing to change,
Nothing to improve.
Simply observing.
Feel the body becoming heavier.
More settled.
More supported.
The muscles of the face softening.
The jaw releasing.
The shoulders melting.
The belly softening.
The hands resting.
The legs heavy.
The whole body settling.
This seasonal transition can carry a particular feeling.
Where the days are still warm.
The gardens are still blooming.
The sun lingers a little longer in the evening sky.
And yet,
There's often a subtle awareness that change is coming.
Summer has not quite ended.
Fall has not yet arrived.
We find ourselves at a threshold.
A space between what has been.
And what is coming next.
A pause between seasons.
A pause between chapters.
A pause between breaths.
This practice is an invitation to rest in that in-between space.
To soften.
To listen.
To trust that we don't always need to know what comes next.
For now,
Simply allowing yourself to be here.
Exactly as you are.
Bringing your attention now towards the space of the heart.
You may choose to connect with a Sankalpa.
A heartfelt intention.
Not something that you need to accomplish.
Not a goal.
Rather,
A truth that you wish to remember.
Could be something that you're already working with.
Maybe there's a knowing coming from within your body now that you want to hold.
If you need some ideas,
You could work with something like,
I trust life's unfolding.
I am supported through change.
I can rest in uncertainty.
Or maybe another phrase arises naturally.
Can you repeat your Sankalpa,
Your intention?
Three times.
And now can you imagine or simply sense a place where you feel supported,
Safe and at ease.
Perhaps it's a place in nature.
A favorite room.
A memory.
Or maybe it's more of a feeling than a place.
Whatever it is,
Can you notice the colors?
The textures.
The temperature.
The sounds.
Noticing what it is that allows your body to know,
I am safe here.
I belong here.
Nothing is expected of me.
Nothing's required.
Simply being is enough.
And can you rest in this space for a few moments?
Imagining now a soft golden light resting at the center of your chest gentle,
Warm and steady.
And with each point that's named,
Allowing this light to softly touch that place.
No need to visualize perfectly.
Simply noticing.
Simply sensing.
Beginning with the center of the chest.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
The heart center.
Right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm of the right hand.
Right thumb,
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow upper arm.
Shoulder.
Center of the chest.
Left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
.
.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm of the left hand.
Thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
SHOULDER center of the chest.
Throat.
Ciao… lips.
Tongue.
Right cheek,
Left cheek.
Sensing both nostrils.
And the nose.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows.
Forehead.
Crown of the head.
Back of the head.
The whole head.
The muscle of the mind.
Nah.
Into the upper back.
Shoulder blades.
Mid back.
Lower back.
Entire spine.
Sacrum pelvic bowl.
Right hip.
Thigh,
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle HEAL sole of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Soul of the foot.
Heal.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Me.
Bye!
Pelvic bowl.
Into the left hip.
Bye.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle Heal sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
.
.
Little toe.
Sole of the foot.
Heal.
.
.
ANKLE Lower leg.
Me.
Thigh,
Pelvis.
The whole torso.
Both arms together.
Both hands together.
Sensing both legs together.
Both feet together.
The whole body.
Whole body breathing.
Whole body resting.
Whole body held.
Bringing your attention now to the breath.
Observe the inhale.
Observe the exhale.
Nothing to control.
Nothing to change here.
Simply noticing.
Perhaps becoming aware of the pause.
At the top of the inhale.
The brief moment before the exhale begins.
And the pause at the bottom of the exhale.
The moment before the inhale returns.
Noticing these spaces between.
The thresholds.
The in-between moments.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Resting in the spaces between.
You now bring to mind the experience of summer?
Warm,
Long days.
Movement.
Expansion… Connection… Now sensing fall.
Cooler air.
Gathering inward.
Reflection.
Slowing down.
Summer.
And fall.
Expansion.
Gathering.
Light.
Darkness.
Movement.
Stillness.
Doing.
Being.
Notice the awareness that can hold both.
The awareness that remains unchanged.
Imagine or simply sense yourself outdoors on a late summer evening.
The day is beginning to soften.
The sun has dipped lower in the sky.
Air still warm against your skin.
Yet there's the slightest hint of coolness arriving.
A reminder that seasons are changing.
You find yourself walking slowly along a familiar path.
No destination.
No urgency.
Simply walking.
Simply being.
The sky glows gold.
Amber.
Rose,
Soft blue.
Colors slowly blending into one another.
Not day.
Not night.
The pause between.
You notice tall grasses moving gently in the breeze.
Goldenrod swaying.
Late summer wildflowers.
Perhaps a few leaves touched with the earliest hints of fall.
Everything is exactly where it belongs.
Nothing rushed.
Nothing resisting.
Simply changing.
As nature always does.
You arrive at a quiet place overlooking water.
A lake,
A river,
An ocean,
Or maybe simply a sense of open space.
The water's surface reflects the changing sky.
Light becoming shadow.
Shadow becoming light.
Notice how the water does not cling to either.
It simply receives.
Perhaps there's a part of you standing at a threshold as well.
You don't need to name it.
You don't need to understand it.
Simply noticing.
Simply allowing.
Trusting.
Notice what it feels like to rest here.
Held between what has been and what is still becoming.
Held between effort and ease.
Summer and fall.
Waking and sleep.
Nothing to figure out.
Nothing to force.
Only receiving.
Allowing the landscapes now to dissolve.
The water… the sky… Huh.
The season.
Releasing all images.
Releasing all stories.
Releasing all effort.
Nothing to imagine.
Nothing to understand.
Nothing to remember.
Simply resting.
Simply listening.
Simply being.
Aware of awareness itself.
Ever so gently… bringing your Sankalpa your intention.
Back into awareness.
Repeating it silently to yourself three times.
Allowing it to settle into the deeper layers of your being.
And if it doesn't come back right away,
That's okay.
The seeds have already been planted.
Without force.
Without expectation.
Simply trusting.
Beginning to notice the breath once again.
Notice your body resting here.
Notice the room around you.
The sounds.
The temperature.
The support beneath,
Around and inside of you.
Feel the breath moving through the body.
Feel awareness gradually returning outward.
And only when you feel completely ready,
You can begin inviting some small movements into your fingers,
Your toes,
Wrists and ankles.
A gentle welcoming of any stretches in ways that feel nourishing to your body right now.
And you can choose to stay in this space before movement and drift into sleep.
And if you choose to end your practice here.
Take your time.
There's nowhere to rush.
Whether this practice brought you stillness or movement,
Clarity or mystery,
Rest or simply a pause,
Trust that your experience was enough.
Trust that you don't need to rush toward the next season of your life.
Like nature itself.
You're allowed to unfold in your own time.
You are allowed to pause between chapters.
You are allowed to rest.
And when you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
