Welcome to your inner summer,
The time of ovulation.
While ovulation is a physical event that only happens one day in your entire cycle,
The energy leading up to and after ovulation brings with it the fullness of life.
I know some of you thrive here in this summer energy,
Feeling social and motivated to manifest the life you deserve.
But some of you may find this energy overwhelming and not knowing what to do with it or maybe this energy consistently leads you to burnout.
With this practice today,
I am inviting you into allowing this inner summer energy to support you in connecting to all of your senses,
Opening up to that fullness of life that is not only all around you,
But within you as well.
You can do this practice seated and with your eyes opened or closed,
But I invite you,
If you are able,
To do this while walking and keeping your eyes open.
Your energy in the inner summer is the most outwardly focused,
So it can be difficult to sit still and focus inward.
By doing this practice walking,
Especially if you do it outside,
You are practicing dual awareness,
Where you can hold both the outward awareness with your senses and your inner awareness of how they make you feel.
This can be deeply soothing and healing and you can take it with you no matter where you are.
If you are ready,
Let's begin the journey.
Take a moment to feel your feet on the ground.
You may want to bend your knees,
Putting some more weight onto your feet,
To really feel the pressure and that connection to the solid support below you.
Lift up one foot and feel the disconnection,
The space between,
And then place it back upon the earth to re-establish the connection.
Try this a few times with each foot and see how it makes you feel.
Now we are going to add your breath into this awareness.
On your next exhale,
Allow your breath and your energy to travel down through your body into the earth.
And on your inhale,
Feel the energy of the earth flow back up into your body.
Feel this connection with each breath.
Give and receive.
In and out.
Now try this with each step.
If you are seated,
Just lift your feet one at a time.
Take a step forward and pause.
Inhale and exhale.
Take another step.
Pause.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Keep doing this slowly and mindfully,
Awakening to the sensation of connection and disconnection from the earth with each step.
As you continue walking at a normal but slightly slower pace than you typically would,
Tune into the awareness of your sight.
Tune into the awareness of your sight.
Open yourself more fully to what is around you.
What do you see?
What colors do you notice?
How do the different colors make you feel?
Where is the light?
Where are the shadows?
What bodily sensations are you experiencing as you connect to your sight?
Come back to that grounding energy,
Taking an inhale and then exhale.
Gently let go of the awareness of your sight and tune into your sense of hearing.
I invite you to continue walking and leave your eyes open as you bring awareness to your ears.
First,
Let all of the sound wash over you.
Allow your awareness to move from one to the next.
Then tune into the furthest sound you can notice.
Bring your awareness now to a sound that is close to you.
Bring your awareness now to a sound that is close to you.
Now tune into your right ear,
And then your left ear,
And then both at the same time.
Are they the same?
Do you notice a difference in how you hear on one side or the other?
Are there any bodily sensations you are connecting with your hearing?
Come back in to that grounding energy of the earth below you,
Taking an inhale and an exhale.
Allow that awareness to fade off into the distance as you open up to your sense of touch.
Feel where your skin meets the clothes you are wearing,
How the air touches your skin.
How does that feel?
Is there something nearby that you can touch with your hands?
What is the texture,
The temperature,
The weight?
Can you touch it with something other than your hand?
Does it feel the same or different?
Are there any bodily sensations you experience while connecting to touch?
Letting that awareness go and connecting back to the grounding energy,
Taking an inhale and exhale.
Now come into your sense of smell.
Feel your breath move in through your nostrils as you inhale.
And back out on your exhale.
Can you smell anything in the air?
If there is an object near you with a scent,
Go ahead and take another deep inhale.
What does it smell like?
Are there any bodily sensations you are connecting with your sense of smell?
Gently allow that awareness to fade away as you connect back to the ground.
Inhale and exhale.
Tuning in now to your sense of taste.
This might be more difficult than the others depending on what is around you.
But first take a moment to move your tongue around in your mouth and see if there is any taste present.
Maybe you want to lick your lips.
Just allow your tongue to feel around your mouth.
How does that feel?
As you swallow,
Is there a taste?
If you have anything edible or to drink nearby,
You can take a moment to bring it into your mouth and just let it sit there.
What flavors can you sense?
Is it sweet or savory or spicy or neutral?
How does it make you feel when you eat or drink?
Are there any bodily sensations you are connecting with your sense of taste?
And then come back to that connection of the earth below you.
Taking a deep inhale letting it all go in an exhale.
Take as much time as you want to explore your senses and the sensations of your body.
When you are finished coming to a place of stillness and maybe placing your hands upon your heart.
Take a deep inhale and exhale.
Then I invite you to spend a few minutes writing down what you experienced from this practice.
I hope the magic of your inner summer has supported you to continue on this cyclical journey.
Blessed Be.
