Allow yourself to close your eyes or soften your gaze and begin to take a few deep breaths and with every exhale allowing some muscles to loosen,
Some tightness to fall away,
Letting your shoulders drop ever so slightly,
Letting your belly hang loosely,
Your hands rest comfortably on your lap,
Taking a moment to scan through your body,
Letting go of any areas of noticeable tension and tightness,
Noticing the way your body is relaxing with each natural breath.
Allow your full attention to focus on the inhale and exhale.
Is it possible to be with the sensations,
Feeling intimately every part of the air coming in through the nose or mouth,
Filling up your lungs and noticing the way the air is flowing out of your body only to be filled up again.
Allow the breath to resume its natural rhythm in and out.
As you breathe you might notice that there is a little space at the top and bottom of each breath.
Take a moment to notice that space.
Any other sounds that you might hear,
Allow them to be a part of your experience too.
You can still find this space.
What do you notice about this space?
Inhaling and there's a pause.
Exhaling,
Feeling your body suspend its expectation between the exhale and next inhale.
Are there certain sensations in this pause?
Are there feelings that arise?
Beliefs that you might hold?
Continue to breathe normally as you practice being with this space between each breath,
Inviting whatever feelings are coming up as part of this experience.
This is the practice of being with the in-between,
Letting go of the expectations,
Witnessing what's present.
Is it possible to reflect?
Are there other beliefs about this in-between spaces?
Maybe outside of the breath but in your own life.
What might need to shift to allow a little more ease,
A little less struggle in the in-between phases of your life?
Is it possible to trust in this pause,
To trust in the uncertainty of what the future might hold?
What might you want to loosen your grip around in order to let yourself settle a little more fully into this trust?
What do you imagine could open up to you in this life if you were more able to relax into this space in-between,
Trusting that whatever is meant to emerge next will emerge in the way and at the time that will be okay.
What would change if you were to view all of the fleeting world as a star at dawn,
A bubble in the stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp,
A phantom or a dream?
Allow your body and mind to attend back to the breath,
Not needing to do anything at all except witnessing the full range of each inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause.
In the coming days,
May you meet life's uncertainty with new eyes,
Creating space and patience in place of fear and may you respond with loving kindness to yourself and others.
Taking a couple more deep breaths in and out and when you're ready you can open your eyes.
Namaste.
