Hi friend.
As always,
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for being here.
Make your way into your seat for practice today.
This could be a seated or lying down position.
Just intentionally choosing a place to rest,
A place where you're able to relax.
And wherever you choose to land for today's practice,
Do your best to create space for a long spine.
So if you're seated upright,
Make sure your spine is tall and long from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
And if you're lying flat on your back,
Tuck your chin slightly to lengthen through the back of the neck.
Really wiggle your shoulder blades down your back body,
Just creating as much space as we can so that we're not adding any tension to the body with our relaxation practice.
As we begin to settle into our practice,
Let's take a scan of our bodies now and just notice how we feel right here,
Right now.
Without judging the way you feel,
Without wanting to change anything about the way you feel,
Just notice.
And if you notice any spots of tension or pain or tightness,
Invite them to soften.
Really allowing your body to become heavy here.
There's no need to hold anything up.
If you're seated,
Of course we are staying tall through the spine,
But everything else can relax down toward the earth.
Allow your fingers and your toes to be soft.
Let go through the belly.
There's no need to suck in here.
Just let it be soft.
Let it rest easy.
Now let's bring our attention to our breath.
Notice the natural ebb and flow of your inhales and exhales.
Notice if your breathing begins to deepen as you bring your awareness to it.
Really allow your awareness to dance over all aspects of your breath.
Noticing the sounds as it enters and exits through your nostrils.
Notice how it feels in your nose.
Notice how it moves your body.
Maybe notice how it soothes your mind.
If you haven't already,
Begin to deepen that breath now.
And as we sit here with our breath,
We're going to practice matching our inhales to our exhales,
Doing our best to match the depth and the length of our breath in to our breath out.
See how slow and long you can breathe.
Remember,
This is a practice.
Many of us aren't used to breathing intentionally throughout our days,
So if this is challenging for you,
That's okay.
Let it be what it is.
Just breathe as slow and smooth as you can,
Really trying to make as seamless a transition as possible between the inhales and the exhales.
One smooth,
Long loop of breathing in and breathing out.
Your body heavy,
Your mind relaxed.
Just keep breathing.
And if you are becoming frustrated by the effort to match your inhales to the exhales,
Just go ahead and let that go and breathe normally.
Still doing your best to breathe deep and slow.
Just using our breath as a tool to bring us into presence,
Allowing our breath to hold us,
To guide us.
Oh,
Do you have time to linger for just a little while out of your busy and very important day for the gold finches that have gathered in a field of thistles,
For a musical battle to see who can sing the highest note or the lowest,
Or the most expressive of mirth or the most tender.
Their strong blunt beaks drink the air as they strive melodiously,
Not for your sake and not for mine,
And not for the sake of winning,
But for sheer delight and gratitude.
Believe us,
They say,
It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world.
I beg of you,
Do not walk by without pausing to attend to this rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant when he wrote you must change your life.
Invitation by Mary Oliver.
And as we sit here in stillness,
Breathing together,
Whether this is your first time meditating or your millionth,
Just take a moment to consider how maybe,
Just maybe,
This practice of sitting with yourself,
Sitting with your breath,
Might just change your life.
Bring your palms together at your heart center,
Either palm to palm,
Or bring those palms directly to your chest.
Either way,
Feeling the connection of skin on skin,
Feeling the warmth,
Feeling gratitude for yourself,
For showing up,
For committing to this practice,
For investing a little time in yourself and the well-being of your mind and your body.
It's no small thing.
Let's take one final deep breath in together.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Thank you so much for allowing me to guide you.
It is such an honor to be still with you.
Until next time,
Take care.
