My friend.
Thanks for being here.
Make your way into a comfortable seat,
And we'll begin by giving our hands a little shake.
Rolling out the wrists,
Nodding your head yes,
Shaking your head no.
Wiggling through the torso and taking a couple shoulder rolls.
Really just finding a second to shake off anything that has happened before this moment.
To let go of the thought of anything that may happen after this.
And when you feel satisfied,
Allow your hands to fall wherever feels comfortable.
And just start to invite some stillness into your body.
Allow yourself to arrive here now.
This time is for you.
To connect to the present moment.
To slow down,
To breathe.
Maybe you close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Just do your best to tune into yourself,
Whatever that means to you.
Your body,
Your mind.
Notice how you feel.
Allow your thoughts to come and go.
Sweetly guiding your awareness back to the sensations in your body each time it strays.
Be gentle with yourself.
Bring a little intention to your breath now.
There's no right or wrong way to breathe here.
We're just shining a little light,
A little consciousness onto our inhales and exhales.
Maybe this simple shift in awareness deepens the breath flowing in.
Maybe it lengthens the exhales flowing out.
Maybe you begin to feel the breath in your belly.
Maybe you notice it growing louder,
More textured,
More alive.
Your mind coming deeper into presence with each inhale.
Your body relaxing and growing heavier with each exhale.
The muscles of your face and jaw relax.
Your shoulders release down with ease.
Your hands and feet to grow still.
Your belly softens.
You sit between the sky and the earth.
Steady like a maple tree.
Your hips and thighs grounding far down into the soil like roots.
Holding you in place.
The crown of your head reaches high and tall,
Like branches stretching toward the clouds.
Your leaves twinkle and dance in the breeze of your breath.
In and out.
In and out.
Birds nest in your nooks and crannies.
As a deer stops to find comfort in your shadow.
The world continues to move around you.
While you stand still.
Noticing.
And breathing.
Rooted in presence.
Free to grow and expand.
You breathe the air,
And the air seems to breathe you.
This circle of inhales and exhales holding you.
Suspended in this moment.
Floating between the sky and the earth.
Connected to everything.
Worried by nothing.
In this moment.
Right here.
Right now.
You have permission to surrender to presence.
To this breath.
And this breath.
To these sensations.
To this feeling of connectedness.
Of groundedness.
You are a tree.
Rooted.
Steady.
Tall.
Free to dance.
Your breath is the breeze.
You are here.
In presence.
In your body.
You are breathing in.
You are breathing out.
As you're ready,
Bring your hands together at your heart.
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
And send yourself a little gratitude for showing up and for gifting this time to yourself.
Let's take one final deep breath in together.
Exhale,
Let it all go.
Thank you so much for sharing your time and your practice with me.
It is such an honor to be still and to breathe with you.
Wherever your day takes you,
I hope you find a little bit of ease when you need,
Remembering your breath and the lessons of the maple tree.
Until next time.
Take care.
