Welcome to practice.
Take a moment to find a comfortable position where you can practice with ease,
Joy and dignity.
Maybe as you arrive here,
You want to take a deep breath together with me as if a wave is rippling through you,
Allowing all the layers to move away that you don't need for this practice.
And as you arrive here,
Feel your forehead soften,
Your jaw soften,
Your throat soften,
Your shoulders soften,
Your hands soften,
Your belly soften,
Your hips soften,
Your upper thighs soften,
Your knees soften,
Your feet soften.
Maybe you want to take another breath as if a wave of softening is allowed to ripple through you.
Deep exhale.
Maybe as you sit here,
You would like to draw a circle of protection around you for this practice.
Maybe the circle is made up of water today.
And maybe you want to allow everything in your life that is not needed here to stay outside of the circle.
Sense is shifting inside the circle.
Stillness in the body,
The mind and the heart inside the circle.
And if there's maybe an intention you would like to place for this practice,
Speak it three times silently.
If you'd like,
You can bring your focus to what's your breathing,
Feeling how the breath enters and exits your nostrils.
Maybe you feel the temperature of the air as it enters your nose and travels along its roof.
And maybe you feel the shift in temperature as the air travels back out along the roof of the nose.
And maybe you feel how with every inhale,
Your belly gently expands with the navel rising.
And now with the exhale,
The belly hugs in navel moving back.
I will offer a counted sum of Riti breath with equal inhales and exhales on four.
If you'd like,
You can just stay in your natural flow of breathing.
Or you can also today move into an Ujjayi breath along with some of Riti,
Which is creating the sound of a wave or ocean inside your throat.
It can sound like this.
If you're feeling hot today,
Then don't do the Ujjayi breathing.
And you can always adapt the strength and volume of the breath according to your needs today.
So when you're ready,
You can exhale through the nose.
So when you're ready,
You can exhale through the nose.
And inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 exhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 exhale inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale 321 exhale 321 continue in silence.
Maybe you start seeing with every inhale and exhale as if a wave moves along the shoreline.
Maybe drawing in upon your inhale.
And then returning to the ocean upon your exhale.
Take around three more breaths here.
And then return to the natural flow of your breath and feel for a moment.
Maybe feeling if there's a softening or a wave of motion that wants to move through your body to adjust for one more layer of comfort.
Maybe you can still see the wave that was moving along the shoreline.
Maybe you can still see the wave that was moving along with your breath.
Or maybe you can just feel the presence of an ocean or a body of water today.
Envision that there's a person standing at the shoreline.
Maybe there's a person standing at the shoreline that you can see.
This is the story of this person.
They have been walking out to the ocean for years and years.
Legend has it maybe centuries but who really knows.
Maybe you see yourself as this person from the outside or you even feel yourself on the inside.
People have been wondering what this person does at the ocean every day standing there.
Sometimes the person just goes there in the morning and leaves after a few minutes.
And on some days they stand there all throughout the night in the light of the moon and the stars.
Some say they hear them whispering as if the moon and the stars in the ocean are talking to them.
But who really knows what is true.
As for no one has ever dared to ask them what they do there.
Today we're bound to uncover the mystery.
By listening to the silent hum of the story this person is bringing into your practice today.
They have been walking out to the shoreline ever since they were a little child.
It was the waves that fascinated them.
As a child the waves were big.
They were big and they were strong.
The waves were big.
They were big when they touched the ankles.
Sometimes bringing along them little crabs or tiny fish.
It was tingly and exciting when one of these big ankle crashing waves came in.
Sometimes they would run out of the water as the waves touched their feet.
Yet as they grew older,
As they spent more and more days in the ocean,
They learned that these ankle waves couldn't hurt them.
That they tingled a bit.
That they tingled a bit.
That the touch of a crab was sometimes uncomfortable.
Yet that they would survive it.
And that the joy of the cold water flushing around the feet,
Clearing away what's no longer needed,
Was way bigger than any crabs thing or muscle touch could ever be.
And so they grew older.
And the waves did too.
Spending days in the water where the waves went up to their knees,
Up to their hips.
Up to their navel.
Feeling every breath along with the waves.
And as they grow older,
So did the waves.
Until the waves started reaching up to their heart.
Feeling with every pounding of the heart.
The waves play around it.
The waves became older,
As did the person,
And started playing around their shoulders.
Cradling their necks.
Lovingly playing around the tip of their nose.
Until one day,
They noticed that they could allow the wave to reach up until the crown of their head,
Covered them fully in their blessed water.
Covered them fully in their blessed water.
And washing them clean as they receded.
And so they continued to gather every day at the shoreline of the ocean.
Awaiting the waves.
Awaiting what was once a tickling on the ankle.
Too scary to be with.
Which was now covering up their entire body.
Allowing them to release what was meant to go.
To receive what was meant to be received.
To stand in their power.
And maybe today,
As they gather again,
Maybe under the light of the moon,
The sun,
The stars,
Or whatever is shining on your sky today,
You want to join them here in the meeting of these waves.
Maybe you feel your feet firmly on the ground.
Maybe you feel your feet firmly planted on the ground that you're standing on.
Noticing the texture.
Feeling how the earth is holding you.
And maybe you notice the color of the waves today.
Is there maybe a sparkle?
Or maybe you don't see any colors,
But just feel the presence of the waves.
Or just want to trust for today that this is here.
Maybe you even want to choose the texture of these waves.
Making them as light as a bubble.
Or maybe strong.
Or even like a hug,
Physically feeling the touch.
And maybe as you stand here,
Watching the ocean,
Preparing for the waves to touch you,
To gently hug you,
There's a request you would like to place.
To the waves today.
Maybe something you want to let go of.
Something you want to allow to flow through you.
Or something you would like to receive.
And then as you stand here,
I invite you to move again into the Samavriti Ujjayi breathing.
Or you can,
As always,
Stay in a way of breathing that supports you today.
And you can maybe envision that with each inhale,
You're drawing in a wave,
Touching you as far as you want to allow it to touch you,
Hug you and throw you today.
And upon each exhale,
The wave withdraws again,
Removing what's no longer needed.
So when you're ready,
Gently exhale through the nose and inhale 321 exhale 321 inhale wave drawing in to one exhale wave drawing back to one wave drawing in 321 wave returning 322 one wave drawing in 321 wave returning 321 continue in silence just you and your waves of breath.
Go for one final cycle.
And then let go of the breath.
And just feel what it feels like as the waves recede.
As you stand here,
Having been blessed with allowing the flow of life,
The flow of your power to just happen and surrender to this moment,
Receiving whatever there is to be received,
Felt,
Heard,
Or seen.
Maybe noticing the pulsating of energy within you.
Maybe even noticing how gently ripples across your body,
Maybe even beyond the body.
It is said that the waves never leave you without a present or blessing.
And maybe you notice that on the crown of your head,
There is something that the waves left tangled up in your hair or on the crown of your head.
And take a moment to notice what is there.
I offer maybe a sea star.
And whatever this present is,
It holds a message of wisdom for you.
And you listen closely and receive it now.
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
Whatever you are invited to let go of,
