Settle into your space,
Feel rooted and strong.
The ground below you is rising up to support you.
Close your eyes,
Or if that doesn't feel comfortable or safe in your body,
Soften your gaze and gently look down.
Take a deep breath in and an audible exhale out.
Take another deep breath in and an audible exhale out.
Expand into the space around your seat.
Gently and slowly raise your arms over your head and back down.
You are strong,
Confident,
And proud,
Like a tree or plant that has grown and blossomed over the summer.
Summer is a time of light and heat,
Of rest and play,
But also perhaps new kinds of busyness,
Like summer camps and gardens,
Where we fill our longer daylight hours.
Take another deep breath in and a slow,
Gentle exhale out.
How did you grow and change from the summer's light,
Warmth,
And heat?
What seeds in you flourished and what seeds wilted?
Fall is a time of transition.
We can learn from what nature has to teach us about this transition.
Imagine a beautiful tree with its leaves slowly turning colors of yellow,
Red,
And orange.
Then,
Over time,
The tree eventually drops its leaves to the earth.
The tree knows it has all it needs from the leaves and it lets them go.
What in your life no longer serves you?
What can you let go of,
Like a tree preparing for winter?
You are rooted and strong.
You can let go of those things you are holding onto that no longer nourish you or no longer give you energy.
Fall is also a time of preparation,
Creating and storing what you need for winter.
The hummingbirds become round like little golf balls as they eat up to prepare for migration.
Other animals create their burrows and nests to prepare for longer winter rest.
Once you let go of what you no longer need,
You will have space to store what you need to energize and sustain you.
What do you need more of right now?
Like nature,
We are always changing.
Our paths are never linear.
Life is full of cycles of ups and downs.
Let fall be a time for reflection,
Renewal,
And release.
Whether you are covered in glorious red leaves or standing with branches bare,
You are perfect and you are beautiful.
Take a deep,
Slow breath in,
Filling your lungs,
Your back,
Your sides with your wonderful nourishing breath,
And slowly exhale out.
Come back to your space,
Still rooted and still strong.
Slowly and gently open your eyes.
Namaste.
