Welcome.
Let's begin by finding stillness.
Whether seated or lying down,
Simply let your body settle.
Gently close your eyes if that feels safe.
And begin by simply noticing that you're here.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and a slow breath out through the mouth.
Again,
Inhaling deeply,
Exhaling slowly.
And once more,
Let the breath begin to soften you from the inside.
Now,
Just breathe naturally.
There's no effort here,
Only a returning.
Let yourself drop into the body.
Feel the weight of your bones,
The rise and fall of the breath,
The aliveness beneath the surface.
And begin to scan gently through your body without needing to change anything.
Just a curious noticing.
Are there any places where you feel tight,
Contracted,
Holding?
If so,
Linger there for a moment.
Breathe into that place.
Not to fix it,
Just to be with it.
As if placing a warm hand of attention on it.
We often hold without even realizing we're doing it.
Holding our breath.
Holding back tears.
Holding on to how we wish things were.
But right now we explore something different.
Not letting go by force,
But letting be by choice.
Take a breath and silently ask yourself,
What am I holding on to in this moment?
Maybe it's a thought,
An emotion,
An expectation.
Maybe it's a tension in the body.
Whatever arises,
Allow it to show itself.
And now ask,
What would it be like or feel like to soften my grip?
Not abandon it,
Not push it away.
Just loosen.
With your next few breaths,
Imagine this holding as something physical,
Like a rope in your hands.
And slowly,
Breath by breath,
You're loosening your grip.
Not dropping it,
Just loosening.
And feel what happens in your body as you do this.
Do the shoulders ease?
Does the breath deepen?
Is there more space inside?
Let go of needing anything to happen.
Even this process of letting go doesn't need to be perfect.
You're not doing this wrong.
You're simply experimenting with what it's like to stop bracing.
Sometimes the most compassionate act is to stop trying to fix yourself and let things be exactly as they are.
So breathe and say silently to yourself,
It's okay for things to be unresolved.
It's safe to let this be here without needing to control it.
Notice how your body responds to those words.
Does anything shift?
Does anything settle?
And if nothing shifts,
That's okay too.
Even that can be allowed.
We're so used to holding,
But what if you didn't have to anymore?
What if ease was just a breath away?
Bring one hand to your heart now and the other is your belly if you wish.
And feel the breath move beneath your hands.
Feel the quiet strength in simply being here.
Not striving,
Not fixing.
Just being.
Let yourself rest in this simple truth.
Everything you need is already here.
Right now,
In this breath,
In this body,
In this moment.
As we near the end of this meditation,
Offer yourself these words gently,
Silently,
Like a whisper to the soul.
I release the need to control.
I trust what unfolds.
I am safe to let it be.
Take a final deep breath in through the nose and let it go through the mouth.
Wiggle your fingers and toes gently.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
You are enough.
And you are free to let it be.
