So you can feel free to close your eyes or soften your gaze and begin to take a few deep breaths.
Feel free to make some slight movements with your body,
Situating your being in the chair,
Allowing a level of comfort,
A relaxed stance if possible,
Yet also upright,
Confident,
Alert,
Deepening your breath ever so slightly with each exhale,
Letting go of your shoulders a little bit more,
Exhaling away overt tension you might notice in your face or shoulders,
Relaxing the back and belly and giving yourself self-permission to rest in this moment as you let the natural rhythm of your breath fall into the background of your attention.
Is it possible to reflect on the idea,
The concept,
The package that we create for ourselves of who we are in the world?
What is my identity?
Briefly noting the qualities we choose to share with the world,
The qualities we want to exhibit,
The traits we feel good about,
And shifting to describe our identity from an internal place.
What makes up who you are on the inside?
The relationships with others,
The way we feel,
The way our body responds,
This internal representation of who we are.
Does it match the outward persona?
And perhaps that answer is multifaceted.
What parts of our internal landscape match our outward persona?
And what parts conflict?
Is it possible to notice that both our internal idea of who we are as well as how we present ourselves to the outside world are in constant flux as opposed to the Western ideal of a fixed unchanging identity?
Can we notice the constantly evolving nature of how we feel,
What we think,
What resources we have available to us,
And how we interact?
Our past experiences,
Our beliefs,
Our thoughts,
What has been told to us,
They all play a role,
But they are also constantly evolving with each new experience we have,
With new interactions,
With new hardships,
With new successes.
All the different rivers inside of us,
The different systems,
Body sensations,
Beliefs,
Thoughts,
What we see,
What we hear,
What we smell,
What we taste,
What's happening in the environment,
What demands are being asked of us,
What intentions we set for ourselves,
All of these interweave,
All of these converge.
Is it possible to loosen our grip on how we want to be and instead witness the convergence of all of these systems,
Of all of this information,
Being able to take a step back,
Provide space?
We don't have to be one way.
We can see our being as complex,
As changing,
As valid,
As all of these different systems,
These different rivers inside of us converge.
Where do they meet?
What do they tell you about your core,
Your inner goodness,
Your formless nature?
Eugene Thacker has a quote that reads,
The ethereal nature of mists,
That reads,
The ethereal nature of mists means that while they may appear solid and to have distinct forms,
They are also immaterial and can readily become formless.
Noticing that all people,
Including ourselves,
Are like the mist.
Perhaps they cannot be so distinctly defined,
But in that formless nature,
There is freedom,
There is love,
There is acceptance of what is.
As you move on throughout the world for the rest of today,
For the rest of this week,
Is it possible to make space for yourself,
For the larger context of you,
Letting go of how you should be,
Letting go of even how you want to be,
And create instead a kind and gentle container for who you really are in this moment.
Taking a few more deep breaths in and out,
Taking any piece of this practice with you,
Moving your body in gentle,
Nurturing ways as you reawaken to this moment.
And when you're ready,
You can open up your eyes.
Namaste.
