Welcome to this practice in Asmita,
Where we explore the yoga philosophy of identity and self-story using guided imagery and art making.
We will begin with a grounding breath and a gentle body scan to help you settle the nervous system.
Then,
I will guide you through the ball of light practice to clear space for honest inquiry.
From there,
We will move into a somatic exploration of what you are carrying,
The stories,
Roles,
And definitions that have shaped who you have been.
Then we will close with an art prompt designed to help you see what you are holding so you can choose,
With clarity and care,
What belongs on the next leg of the journey.
This practice is for anyone who is in a season of transition.
It is for anyone who suspects that the story they've been living may have quietly outgrown its fit.
It is also for anyone standing at a threshold and wondering what to bring with them.
Let us begin.
Find a comfortable seat,
Placing your feet flat on the floor or legs crossed,
Whatever feels most supportive for your body right now.
Let your hands rest softly in your lap.
You may close your eyes if that feels comfortable,
Or let your gaze soften towards the floor in front of you.
Begin simply by noticing your breath.
Not changing it yet,
Just noticing the natural rhythm of the inhale and the exhale.
Notice where the breath is moving in your body.
Is it staying high near the collarbones?
Or can you feel it moving down into the heart space or the belly?
Begin now to breathe a little more deeply.
Notice the gentle expansion on the inhale,
Take a brief pause,
And then on the exhale,
Slow and complete,
Again pausing at the end.
Inhaling.
Pause and exhale.
Continue for a few more rounds of breaths.
On your next exhale,
Imagine a warm ball of light at the base of the spine.
As you inhale,
Imagine that ball of light moving slowly up the front of the spine.
And as you exhale,
Imagine it moving down the back of the spine.
Continue without a gap between the inhale and exhale.
Simply follow the ball of light as it travels its gentle circuit.
Now,
As the ball of light moves upward along the front of the spine,
Imagine that it acts as a quiet magnet,
Gently gathering whatever you are carrying that does not serve you,
Such as worry.
Fear,
Old stories,
The weight of roles that you've been holding.
On the exhale,
Imagine releasing,
Creating space,
Openness,
And room to breathe.
Again,
On the inhale,
That ball of light gathers negativity.
And on the exhale,
It opens a space for ease.
Continue for a few more rounds of breath.
And you might notice where the ball of light pauses in the body.
It may not reach the crown of the head.
That is perfectly fine.
Simply observe where it rests,
Sticks or lingers.
And continue.
Now,
As the ball of light moves upward and into the heart center,
Allow it to pause there and allow your breath to return to natural.
Simply observe this ball of light and imagine that it begins to expand,
Moving out through the arms and legs,
Moving out through the hands and the feet and the crown of the head,
Until this ball of light surrounds you fully and completely.
Within this space,
You are emotionally safe.
You are grounded.
You are able to see clearly without needing to defend or change anything.
From this grounded,
Spacious place,
I invite you to turn your attention to the stories you carry about who you are,
Without judgment and with curiosity.
Think of the roles that have defined you,
The titles,
The relationships,
The identities.
Perhaps you are the capable one,
Or the creative one,
Or the one who holds everything together.
Maybe it's your professional self or the self that others have come to expect.
Notice what happens in the body when you bring these to mind.
Is there a sense of weight,
Familiarity,
Comfort?
Or perhaps there's a tightening or a feeling of something that has quietly become tight or small.
Just notice,
You do not need to release anything.
We are simply taking inventory.
Now bring to mind a threshold,
A transition you are moving toward or already in the middle of.
Perhaps this is a season that is asking something new of you.
And gently ask,
What am I bringing with me as I cross this threshold?
What stories,
Roles,
Or definitions of myself am I carrying?
Some of what you find may still feel alive and true,
Something that is genuinely yours and belongs on the next leg of the journey.
Some of it may feel like it no longer fits for where you are going.
Simply notice there is no right,
Wrong,
Or best answer here.
The story that carried you to this moment deserves to be seen and held with care.
In yoga philosophy,
This kind of honest self-examination is called svadhyaya,
Or self-study.
And the confusion between the self and the story.
Between who you truly are and the roles that you have accumulated.
This is called a smidda.
Not ego in the negative sense,
But simply the self-story,
Or the identity we have grown attached to.
The invitation of Asmita is not to abandon the story,
It is to examine it and to choose consciously and with clarity what you carry forward.
Take one more breath here.
And when you are ready,
Let the eyes open gently and we will move into the art prompt.
You will need your journal or a piece of paper and whatever materials feel right,
Whether that's drawing materials,
Paint,
Collage,
Whatever wants to be in your hands.
And today's art prompt is one word.
Baggage.
You are invited to create an image of what you are carrying to the threshold.
Not a judgment of it,
But an inventory.
You might draw a suitcase and fill it with words,
With shapes,
With colors,
With whatever rises when you ask,
What am I bringing?
You might draw what you carry on your back,
In your arms,
Or in your hands.
You might work entirely in color and texture,
The felt sense of weight and history and love,
And maybe a little drag.
As you work,
Hold these questions lightly.
What in here still feels alive and genuinely mine.
What was mine once and served a real purpose,
But belongs to a chapter that is closed.
What would it feel like to choose deliberately and consciously what you carry forward?
Let the materials do the knowing.
Let the image say what the mind may not yet be ready to say.
When your image feels complete,
Step back and look at what you've made.
Spend a few minutes in quiet dialogue with it,
And then write,
Using stream of consciousness,
With your non-dominant hand if that feels available.
Right from the perspective of the image itself.
You might ask,
What of this is still truly mine?
What was mine once,
But belongs to a chapter that is closed.
What would it feel like to choose deliberately,
Consciously,
What I carry forward?
And what luggage can be set down?
And what luggage moves forward with you?
Let yourself be surprised by what your art already knows.
As we close today's practice,
Thank you for taking the time to turn inward.
The stories you have carried about yourself are not the enemy,
They got you to here.
What we are practicing today is not about abandonment,
It is discernment,
The quiet,
Courageous act of looking at what you are holding and ask it,
Does this belong on the next leg of life's journey?
And if so,
Do I carry it by choice or by habit?
That is some of the most important work that we can do.
Thank you again for being here.
As we close today's practice,
The goodness in me honors the goodness in you.
