Wherever you are right now,
If the sun can reach you,
Take a second to relax,
Make sure you're safe and comfortable.
If you have eye or skin conditions,
Honor that,
Shade,
Hat,
Sunscreen,
Whatever you need.
Eyes stay gently closed the whole time,
Never stare at the sun.
If you feel dizzy,
Overwhelmed or panicky,
Open your eyes,
Look around,
Feel your feet on the ground,
You can stop anytime,
You're in charge here.
Feel whatever you're sitting on and let your weight drop down into it,
If you can,
Let your feet touch the ground,
Toes,
Heels,
Whole soul,
Let your spine rise easy,
Not stiff,
Just honest and awake,
When you're ready,
Let your eyes close,
Notice the simple truth,
You're here and a living star is touching you,
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
Easy breath out through the mouth,
In a little slower than usual,
Out like you're letting the whole day leave your ribs,
Now let the breath do its thing,
No need to control it,
Just ride it,
Begin to notice where the sun is kissing your body,
Pick one clear spot,
Face,
Lids,
Cheek,
Nose,
Let that be home base,
The kiss of the sun,
Feel the edges of the warmth there,
Where warm fades into less warm,
Where light meets shadow on your skin,
If the mind starts running a story about your day,
Your phone,
Your whole life,
You don't have to wrestle it,
Just say inside,
Drop the story,
Keep the feeling,
Then come back to that one place where the sun is touching you,
Behind the closed eyes,
Maybe there's a soft reddish glow or shifting shapes,
No need to chase them,
Let them move like far off traffic,
If any emotion rises,
Just feel where it lands in the body,
Throat,
Chest,
Belly,
Let the sunlight touch that place too,
Even if it's only imagination,
You're not forcing anything to heal,
Just letting this moment say I see you.
If it feels like too much,
Come back to basics,
Feel your feet,
Feel your seat,
Feel that one warm spot where the sun is kissing you,
This is your base camp,
Your little mountain in the middle of everything,
Stay with three things,
The warmth of the sun,
The rise and fall of the breath and the simple fact that you're still here,
If thoughts pull you,
That's okay,
Notice the moment you realize you are gone,
That moment of coming back as the muscle we're training,
Softly guide your attention back to the kiss of the sun on your skin,
Let the whole body be a listening field,
Warm here,
Cooler there,
You right in the middle of both,
Let this light remind you that even on hard days,
Something steady still reaches for you,
As we begin to close,
Take a slightly deeper breath in,
Slow breath out,
Feel your face again,
Eyelids,
Cheeks,
Jaw,
Notice what the sunlight feels like there now,
With each inhale,
Imagine a little of this warmth soaking into your chest,
Down your arms,
Into your hands,
Like a quiet ember you can carry,
You might say thank you to the sun,
To your body,
To yourself for showing up,
When you're ready,
Bring some movement back,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Roll your shoulders once or twice,
Eyes still closed for a moment,
Know you can come back to this practice anytime you find a patch of sunlight,
Wherever life has you sitting,
On your next breath out,
Let your eyes gently blink open,
Take in the world in front of you,
The proof you made it to another moment,
Carry this small inner sun with you into whatever comes next,
Practice is not somewhere else,
It's right here,
In this body,
Under this same sky,
Stillness is rebellion,
Compassion is a weapon,
Peace is within,
Carry on.
