Hello my friends,
Welcome to Mindful Minutes.
My name is Kalyani,
And I invite you to join me for a short and sweet,
Powerful break from your day.
Each Mindful Minutes practice is a soft landing,
A gentle reorientation,
A way of remembering yourself in the midst of the chaos of everyday life,
Bringing peace to your mind and ease to your body,
As we regulate our nervous system in small,
Bite-sized practices.
You deserve this time to feel better.
Today's topic is The Only Way Out Is Through.
Take a few long,
Slow breaths as together we push the pause button on our day,
Inviting the eyes to close gently for just a few moments.
The outside world begins to melt into the background,
As we give ourselves the gift of total awareness for this little sliver of time,
Shining the spotlight of your attention within,
Becoming curious without judgment.
Begin to feel the breath flowing in and out of your nose with ease,
Cool breath in,
Warm breath out.
As we begin to allow our body to soften into the present moment,
The breath just naturally slowing down,
No need to force,
Inviting the body to grow a little bit heavier with each exhalation,
Welcoming the sensation of softening all rough edges.
Right here,
Right now,
As we watch our breath falling in and out of our body,
All is well.
Please allow my voice to be that of a trusted friend and guide,
A loving anchor into the present moment,
A gentle reminder when things seem too much that you are not alone on this journey.
Remember,
You are so much stronger than you realize.
Give yourself credit for all that you have overcome so far.
Once you feel present and at ease,
Envision your hand being held by a trusted friend,
A beloved family member,
It could even be someone who is with you in spirit.
Feel their hand in yours,
Accepting that connection,
Welcoming their support,
And notice the sensations in your heart when you feel supported and seen,
Just as you are.
No need to be anything other than yourself.
You are enough.
Now together,
Call to mind something that has been weighing heavy on your heart and mind.
Remember the details of what you have been avoiding.
Calling to mind the feelings of loss,
Pain,
Feeling all alone or lost,
Choosing in this moment to stop running away.
No need to escape.
You are held and supported here.
From this place of ease,
We may see things from a different perspective.
Give yourself permission to really feel.
Do not numb it out.
Just feel it.
The only way out is through.
When we avoid feeling,
Everything amplifies.
Avoiding our pain causes it to fester and grow.
Transforming temporary distress into long-term suffering.
My teacher says challenges are inevitable.
Suffering is optional.
Step into the fire.
Allow yourself to feel the pain,
The grief,
The betrayal.
No need to analyze or judge what is coming up for you.
Allow the fire of transformation into your mind,
Your heart,
And your body.
Let the fire touch everything it needs to touch.
The fire element brings the power of the sun,
Heat,
Light,
Action.
No longer stuck,
Hiding,
And afraid.
Feel the body releasing,
Burning away everything that no longer serves you.
Maybe there are tears.
Let them flow.
Or yawning,
Perhaps a feeling that you need to move or shake.
Do it.
Listen to your body deeply.
Ask it,
What do I need in order to heal and move on?
Let it all unfold exactly as it is.
Nothing to stop or change.
Setting yourself free from the past.
Breathe out the old story.
Breathe out the old perception as you allow your body to process the past.
Now,
Together,
Let's breathe,
Inviting our nervous system back into regulation.
Inhaling and exhaling to a count of four together.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
In 2,
3,
4.
Out 2,
3,
4.
In.
Continue counting,
Finding that comfortable and easy rhythm of breath.
Earth breath.
Balanced breath.
Inhaling the stability of Mother Earth.
Exhaling all heaviness.
Now we will shift into ether breath,
Still inhaling to a count of four,
But now exhaling to a count of eight.
In 2,
3,
4.
Out 2,
3,
4.
5,
6,
7,
8.
In 2,
3,
4.
Out 2,
3,
4.
5,
6,
7,
8.
In 2,
3,
4.
Out 2,
3,
4.
5,
6,
7,
8.
Continue counting,
Focusing on the release,
The feeling of letting go.
And on our next round,
We will inhale to a count of four,
Then hold.
When we exhale,
It will be through the nose as we hum it out.
In 2,
3,
4.
Hold.
Resting in this brief moment of stillness,
When you are ready,
Exhale humming out slowly and controlled through your nose,
All the way down to empty,
And then hold again.
When you feel the first sign that you need to breathe,
Breathe,
Not holding the breath as long as you can.
Simply savor this brief moment of stillness,
Then come back to your slow,
Deep breaths,
Allowing the breath to find its own rhythm and pace once more.
The fire and the light are the same.
The places where you feel cracked,
Broken,
And exposed are where you allow the light to come in.
Imperfections,
Flaws,
And brokenness are all essential for our growth,
For our resilience.
In our brokenness,
We allow the light of grace,
Understanding,
And wisdom to enter.
We grow stronger,
Accepting that life is messy.
Stop striving for unattainable perfection.
We are all perfectly imperfect.
When we have the courage to face what seems unbearable,
We set ourselves free.
We are no longer prisoners to our thoughts and old beliefs.
Divine light enters,
Guiding us towards our purpose,
And change takes place.
So,
Next time you face a challenge,
Remember,
The only way out is through.
Take a moment to send gratitude into your body and mind for the ability to pause the of your day,
For this brief moment of awareness,
This reminder to rest in stillness,
To access that deep well of strength within that you sometimes forget about.
Thank you so much for showing up for yourself and doing the work.
Have a great day,
My friends.
