Welcome.
Let's begin today by creating a space where you can fully arrive just as you are.
There's nothing to fix,
Nothing to figure out.
Just an invitation today to come into presence breath by breath.
So I invite you to let your body settle.
To find a posture that allows you to feel fully supported.
That might be lying down or seated upright.
Allow your spine to be long,
Your belly soft,
Your jaw unclenched.
And if it's comfortable for you,
Begin by closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
And gently start to deepen the breath.
Inhaling slowly through the nose.
And exhaling with a gentle sigh through the mouth,
A soft release.
And do that a few times,
Allowing the exhale to lengthen.
And with each out breath,
Feel the body dropping just a little deeper.
And now bring your awareness to the outer layer of yourself.
The surface.
The you that others see each day.
Without judgment,
Notice the part of you that knows how to perform.
That knows how to smile,
Nod,
Hold it together and carry on.
And this part of you is intelligent,
Adaptive,
Necessary at times.
We could call it the mask or the armor or the role you've learned to wear.
You might even have many of these.
Allow yourself to gently scan your body as you consider this.
Where do you feel like you're holding something up?
Where do you feel a kind of tension that becomes so familiar,
It almost feels like you?
Start at the crown of your head and slowly work your way down.
Notice your forehead.
Is it tight or tense?
Do you sense a need to appear calm or composed?
Bring awareness to your jaw.
Is there a clenching there?
A holding in your mouth or your throat?
Move down to the shoulders.
Do you feel like they're bracing or lifting or preparing for something?
Scan the chest and the ribs.
Is the breath flowing freely there?
Or is there a sense of it being guarded or protected?
Belly,
Pelvis,
Thighs.
Notice any subtle gripping or clenching or bracing in the lower body.
And this armor often lives in the body as contraction.
Not because you've done something wrong,
But because at some point it was safe or safer to tighten,
To hold,
To protect.
So for now we're just getting curious.
Let's breathe into these spaces.
Wherever you notice a holding,
Send your breath there.
Imagining your inhale arriving like a warm wave.
And the exhale softening that space just a little.
And let's deepen that breath together now.
Inhale through the nose,
Feeling the belly expand.
Pause.
And exhale through the mouth,
Soft and slow.
Again,
Inhale.
And exhale with a sigh.
And now gently begin to introduce some movement if it feels safe.
You might roll your shoulders back and down.
Open and close your jaw.
Tilt your head gently side to side.
Let your breath guide you.
You might even try bringing a little tension to your fists or shoulders,
Squeezing briefly.
And then releasing fully with your out-breath.
Just to feel that difference between holding and letting go.
Notice what it feels like to consciously soften.
Now bring your awareness to your chest,
The heart space.
Is there a sense of protection here?
And you may feel nothing.
You may feel a flood.
Whatever arises,
It's okay.
Ask yourself gently,
What mask am I wearing right now?
What do I feel I need to be for others to accept me?
What am I afraid will happen if I take this off?
And there's no pressure to answer these questions with words.
Let the answers come as feelings,
Images,
Sensations.
You might sense a need to be the strong one,
Or the calm one,
Or the one who has it all together.
Whatever role you feel surfacing,
Offer it some kindness,
Knowing that it's been trying to keep you safe.
And now give it permission to rest.
You can even say inwardly,
Thank you.
You've served me well.
You don't need to work so hard right now.
And notice how the body responds when you say that.
And now imagine this mask,
This layer,
As something energetic.
A texture,
Or a shell.
And with each breath,
You're softening its edges.
Not ripping it away.
Just letting it become more transparent,
More permeable,
So that more of you can breathe.
And as this softening continues,
Let yourself feel what's underneath the mask.
Not who you're expected to be,
But who you really are.
Maybe there's vulnerability there.
Maybe there's grief.
Or even joy that's been waiting to be expressed.
Whatever's there,
Let it be moved.
If you feel emotion,
Breathe with it.
If you feel stillness,
Rest in it.
If you feel nothing,
Stay with it.
Even the numbness is welcome here.
Breathing together in a simple rhythm.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And out,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And let this rhythm be a doorway.
A softening.
A returning.
And now feel your whole body.
Not the role.
Not the mask.
But the human being underneath.
Raw.
Tender.
Real.
And let's sit here just a little longer.
Breathing.
Being.
Witnessing.
You're doing amazing.
Beautifully.
As we begin to come toward a close for today,
Bring one hand to your heart.
One hand to your belly.
And feel the contact.
The warmth.
The honesty of your breath beneath your hands.
Maybe say gently to yourself,
Either aloud or silently,
I am allowed to rest.
I am allowed to soften.
Who I am beneath the mask is worthy of love.
Take a final deep breath together.
Inhaling.
Holding gently.
And exhaling with a long,
Full release.
When you're ready,
Start to bring small movements back into your fingers and toes.
Roll your shoulders.
Wiggle your jaw.
And slowly,
When it feels right,
Open your eyes.
Softer.
Lighter.
And more connected to the truth beneath the mask.
