There are so many times when I completely lose my ground,
My presence and my center.
I get caught in a tornado of thoughts and emotions swirling with uncertainty on the inside,
Yet almost paralyzed on the outside,
Struggling to take a step in any clear direction,
Being everywhere but here.
Over the years,
I've come to realize that nothing changes until I turn towards my own breath and my own body.
When I realize how far away I am from myself,
I know the only thing that truly soothes me is my own loving presence and connection to something larger than the storm of emotions moving inside of me.
And in those moments,
I pray and I listen for how my body wants to express that prayer.
When I'm feeling hopeless,
I tend to fall to my knees,
Forehead on the ground,
Palms together,
Surrendering.
Other times,
I may stand,
Swaying side to side,
Hands on my heart,
Connecting.
Other days,
All I can do is lie on my back,
Doing my best to stay present in a moment I really want to distract.
And yet other times,
My body wants to move and find itself in nature,
Having a silent communication with the birds and the trees that remind me and the cells of my body of the deepest truths and brings my prayer to life.
So wherever you are today,
In body and in spirit,
Simply be there.
That is enough to be with your body and breathe.
Just be with the body and breathe.
And with the next breath in and the next breath out,
We pray.
Mother Earth,
God,
Creator of all that is,
In these moments of uncertainty,
Overwhelm and disconnection,
I place myself in your care.
I ask for the strength to trust and stay present,
For the wisdom to stay close to you and to stay close to myself,
Which is to stay close to life.
Help me stop the running,
The grasping for something more different or certain,
And to see things just as they are.
Give me the strength to carry only what leads me deeper into my life and into myself,
And the courage to lovingly set the rest down.
May my physical body release old emotions and blockages that have been held in pain,
And as they are released,
May healing energy,
Unconditional love,
Move through every cell of my sacred body.
May my energy body release fear and constriction around having enough,
Doing enough,
And being enough.
And may that energy transform into thoughts,
Feelings,
Experiences,
And opportunities that allow me to serve the world from truth rather than striving.
May I release the lease of worthlessness,
And remember instead that I am the work of God,
And that every cell within me is meaningful,
Purposeful,
And already participating in life in ways beyond my understanding.
Let my work be simple,
To stay clear,
Clean,
And centered,
To remain in alignment with life itself,
And through this alignment,
May meaning and purpose be revealed.
I offer my body attention and my trust.
I listen to its sensations,
Rhythms,
And limits,
And I allow them to guide my next right step.
I offer my feelings curiosity instead of judgment.
May they lead me towards what needs care,
Truth,
Or change.
I trust that when I meet this moment with presence and honesty,
I am already in relationship with a deeper intelligence guiding my life.
I trust that what is meant for me arrives through participation,
Not certainty.
I honor every part of my sacred life experience as I find myself centered in my body and in the present moment.
And so it is.
