This is Justin Michael Williams,
And welcome to your practice.
We are warriors for peace,
And warriors for love,
And warriors for change,
But we must,
Tend to the wars that are happening within our own selves.
When you don't take care of yourself,
You're just internalizing the same oppression that you're working so hard to fight against.
You are a lighthouse,
And your healing is essential to the liberation of us all.
This practice is going to help you regulate your nervous system,
Center yourself,
So that you can be the eye in the center of the storm.
And we'll begin this practice with the six count breath,
And it's simple.
All you have to do is inhale for six counts,
Hold for six counts,
And then exhale for six counts.
And I want you to try to breathe through your nose the entire time if you can,
But if breathing through your nose is hard,
It's all good.
Just breathe through your mouth instead.
So to align our breaths,
On the count of three,
I'd like you to exhale everything out of your system through your nose.
One,
Two,
Three,
Exhale everything out through the nose.
Now inhale through the nose for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And now just breathe normally.
Just letting your chest rise and fall with the natural rhythm of your breath.
We need you.
We need you.
We need you so grounded that we feel safe following your lead.
We need you so centered that you may never stray from your values.
We need you to shine your light so brightly that anyone who is lost can find their way.
You are a lighthouse.
You are a lighthouse.
And your healing,
Your self-care is worth it.
It's essential.
It's essential to the liberation of you and of us all.
I am full power.
I am light.
Repeat that with me,
Either in your mind silently or with a whisper,
Or you can say it nice and loud,
Whatever feels like it would give you the most care.
I am full power.
I am light.
I am full power.
I am light.
I am full power.
I am light.
I am full power.
I am light.
Keep repeating this mantra for the next 30 seconds on your own with the rhythm of your breath.
Feeling the light of all that you are.
Getting brighter and brighter with each inhale.
Take a deep breath in.
And a deep breath out.
Again,
A deep breath in.
And open the mouth,
Let it out.
Releasing any tension,
Any anxiety,
Anything that's left.
One more time,
Take a deep full breath in.
And let it all out.
This is empowerment.
This is healing.
This is leadership.
Go ahead and open your eyes if you're ready.
And I invite you to just take a moment to write down how you felt after you did that six count breath in this practice.
And maybe take a few notes on some easy things that you can do to take better care of yourself throughout the day.
Meditation is a great step,
But sometimes it's as simple as remembering to eat,
Or turning your phone on silent for an hour,
Or just going to sleep a little earlier or something.
So take a moment to just take a moment to just take a moment to just take a moment to write a few things down that you can do so that when you have some time or you feel like your cup is getting empty,
You have a list of tools to help you fill it back up.
It is a great honor to practice with you today.
I send you love,
Care,
And the biggest blessings.
Namaste.
