Take a moment to arrive,
Feel yourself here,
In this body,
In this season,
In this exact breath.
You might imagine that we're sitting in a forest at the edge of fall,
The air outside is cool and sweet,
The leaves are just beginning to loosen their hold.
Everything around us is practicing the art of release.
Let's take three slow breaths together,
In through the nose and out with an audible sigh.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Inhale.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Last one.
Inhale.
And exhale.
These audible sighs are called psychological sighs,
And they are proven to help the body release stress.
So as you go throughout your day,
If you're able to take a deep breath in and really just let an audible sigh out,
You will be doing yourself a favor.
Now see if you can take stock of the space around you.
Just look around at the room in which you are currently residing,
And just take note of the everyday objects,
Maybe a glass of water or tea,
A lamp,
Piece of art,
Plant.
And just notice that in this moment,
In this exact moment,
You are safe.
And with this realization,
Allow your eyes to close or soften.
Feel the weight of your body resting on the chair or the cushion or the floor.
Feel gravity holding you,
Reminding you,
You don't have to do all the holding all the time.
Allow yourself to be held right now.
Today,
Our theme is the soft art of letting go in celebration of this transition into fall.
So as we consider the soft art of letting go,
Let's begin with the body.
We're going to use a short practice called progressive muscle relaxation.
And this is where we tense and release different areas of the body to find deeper ease through contrast.
So when we contract and release the muscles on purpose,
It helps the nervous system recognize what true relaxation feels like.
And that is something we often forget when we're chronically tense.
So see if you can start with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
And let's begin with our feet.
If you curl your toes tightly together and hold for just a few seconds.
And release.
Notice the warmth that moves in as the muscles like.
Now tighten your calves,
Hold for a count of three,
Tighten them really,
Really tight,
And then let them soften.
Really let it get heavier than it was before.
Now draw your attention up to your thighs.
See if you can squeeze them tightly for three,
Two,
One,
And exhale,
Release.
Give it a few breaths and see if you can notice the melting muscles in your legs,
Getting heavier and heavier.
Allow them to really sink into the earth.
Now take your hands,
See if you can make fists and feel the effort squeeze them tight for three,
Two,
One,
And then soften.
See if you can really let them soften.
See if you can consider your core body,
Your stomach muscles.
See if on an inhale,
Take a big deep inhale and tighten for three,
Two,
One,
And release.
Letting your belly be soft.
And move up to your shoulders.
If you give them a few circles and lift them up towards your ears,
Tight,
Tight,
Tight for three,
Two,
One,
And then let them drop down.
What do you notice?
A little more space,
A little more softness.
And now finally your face.
See if you can scrunch everything together,
Your eyes,
Your nose,
Your mouth,
And hold it for three,
Two,
One,
And release.
Let the space between the brows soften.
Let the muscles in the cheeks relax.
Inviting your scalp to soften.
Let the breath deepen naturally like a river remembering its flow.
And notice how aliveness returns every time you release.
What a metaphor.
Now I'll guide you through a brief visualization.
So in your mind's eye,
Imagine that you're standing beneath a great old tree in autumn.
The branches stretch above you heavy with leaves ready to fall.
And in your hands you hold a small satchel filled with what you've been carrying.
And imagine in that satchel there's habits and stories and pressures that no longer serve you.
There's nothing wrong with them,
They've just simply done their work.
What habits or stories are no longer serving you?
What are you carrying?
And when you're ready,
Imagine loosening the drawstring and emptying that satchel at the base of the tree.
The earth receives it all without judgment.
The soil knows how to turn what's finished into nourishment.
And as the leaves fall around you,
You might quietly say to yourself,
It's safe to let go.
I trust the ground to hold what I release.
It's safe to let go.
Let those words ripple through your chest and notice what softens.
Be with yourself.
Here in this moment.
And if you find yourself not sure of what to let go of,
Or even if you do,
I invite you to listen to your body to see if there's anything else.
And the way I like to do this is inspired by one of my meditation teachers,
Sarah Blondin.
And the invitation is to put your hands on your heart.
Feel your strong spine.
Feel your soft front body.
Feel your chest move up and down with each breath.
And say this phrase to yourself.
I love you.
I am listening.
Repeat after me.
I love you.
I am listening.
And one more time.
I love you.
I am listening.
And let that reverberate through your body for a few minutes as you allow whatever needs to surface,
Come to the surface to be heard.
I love you.
I am listening.
I am listening.
Noticing anything that arises from your body.
And see if you can give it some assurance that it's safe to let go.
And notice what softens.
And if you want to return your hands to your lap or anywhere that's comfortable if you haven't already,
We're going to transition to a focal point meditation.
So the invitation is to bring your awareness to one steady anchor.
Maybe it's the gentle rhythm of your breath.
Perhaps it's the flicker of the candle flame before you.
Or the steady beating of your heart.
Whatever you choose,
Rest your attention there.
When the mind wanders,
As minds do simply notice and return without judgment.
If you'd wandered,
Simply notice and return.
Return to the rise and fall of your breath.
Return to the light.
Return to the pulse that keeps you alive.
We'll give three more minutes here with this noticing practice,
This anchoring practice.
Really give yourself a chance to practice focused attention and re-bringing it back when it wanders.
This is the practice.
The last 60 seconds of this anchor practice,
See if you can commit yourself fully to anchoring in on your focal point with gentle attention,
Compassionate redirection.
This is how we practice letting go.
Not by force,
But by coming back again and again to what is here now.
It is a muscle to build.
It is a skill to cultivate.
And in times of stress,
Worry,
If you have practiced this skill,
It will serve you in sometimes unexpected ways.
So as we come to a close,
Take a final scan of your body.
Notice where ease has arrived.
Notice where breath moves freely.
In this moment,
Be like the trees,
Beautiful in your shedding,
Trusting in your roots,
Open to what's next.
Willing to let go.
To make space.
Let's close with three breaths together one last time in through the nose.
And an audible exhale.
And exhale.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Last one.
Inhale.
And exhale.
When you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
And if there is a candle lit before you.
I invite you to blow it out as a symbol of release and completion.
Carry the softness with you into the rest of your day.
Let this be a reminder that letting go is not a loss.
It is how we make space for what's next.
Thank you for being here.
