If it feels comfortable,
Begin by closing the eyes or softening your gaze,
Taking a deep breath in through the nose and following the sensation of breath down the throat and into the belly.
And then exhaling fully from the mouth,
Following the sensation of breath as it reverses up and out.
Do this three times at your own pace,
Following the breath in and back out,
And if it's possible,
Make the exhalation slightly longer than the inhalation.
When we exhale,
Our heart rate naturally decreases,
And so when we extend our out-breaths,
The heartbeat slows,
And that sends a signal to the brain that it's safe to relax.
Breathing naturally now,
Allowing the breath to find its own rhythm,
And taking a moment to anchor into the body,
Starting at the crown,
The very top of your head,
Just notice any sensations there,
And then bring to mind a soft,
Warm light spilling over you.
And follow this light as it gently relaxes your scalp,
Your forehead,
Your temples,
Your eyebrows and the space between your eyebrows,
Your jaw,
Your mouth.
Just in relaxed awareness of your face and head,
Bathed in soft,
Warm light,
Now visualizing the light moving down over your throat to your shoulders and collarbones,
Down the upper arms and the forearms,
Soft,
Warm light inviting surrender to the palms and fingers,
Letting go of any tension,
And let the warmth of this light soften and relax the muscles of your upper back and chest,
Your middle back and belly,
Lower back and pelvis,
And feeling the light move gently into your lower body,
The hips and thighs,
The knees and lower legs,
Ankles and feet,
Paying special attention to any sensations you notice in the toes,
Any tingling,
Any aliveness,
Warm light caressing you from head to toe,
Tension melting like an ice cube on a summer day,
Safe and held,
Cocooned in light,
Winter is nature's time for rest and renewal,
The darkness encourages a hibernation of body and soul,
A deep,
Dark sleep,
At times it can feel bleak,
Bitter,
Unyielding,
And yet through the harshness,
Quietly,
Covertly,
The seeds of rebirth are readying themselves for the coming spring,
And when the youthful sun begins to pour her light upon us and to gently coax tiny blossoms to breathe their way into being,
We see the wisdom the wind-tossed seeds knew all along,
That their time would come when the moment was right,
This cycle of freeze and thaw,
Death and rebirth,
It requires no effort,
Nor can it be controlled,
It simply calls to us to trust,
To remember that even in our darkest moments,
Even when warmth can't be easily felt,
And light can't be seen,
Both are there,
Working for us,
Guiding us through the winter of our souls,
Until the days grow longer and warmer once again,
Rabindranath Tagore said,
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark,
Today may you allow your inner light to lead you to your own blooming,
May you wrap yourself in the trust that the sun shines both upon and within you,
And may you bow in gentle surrender to the radiance of your own being,
Namaste.
