The Season Of Surrender

Ahhhhh.....deep breath. The season of surrender has arrived. Autumn provides us with so many beautiful reminders that releasing and letting go is part of the natural process, and that it can be beautiful. In todays session we move from Summer to Autumn through guided imagery, with Yoga Nidra as the bridge. There are some journaling prompts at the end, so, grab your notebook if you like!
Background music was created by myself, you can find me on Spotify!

Transcript

Namaste,

My name is Jenny and I want to thank you for tuning into ReRoot and Rise.

This week is a really special time of year,

Especially here up in the northern hemisphere because we have entered the autumnal equinox.

Thursday was our Mabon celebration.

It was an opportunity to really allow ourselves to kind of dive into the season,

If you will,

Of release,

Of letting go,

Of fall.

So in the northern hemisphere,

The air is going to get cooler,

It's going to get crisper.

The leaves are going to start to change colors and kind of the opposite happens down in the southern hemisphere.

So the sun starts to rise earlier,

It's like our spring,

So we think of those really dewy mornings where the grass is kind of budding and there's these beautiful sprouts everywhere and life is returning no matter how long and cold and dark the winter was.

So it's this really beautiful experience of balance,

Of light and dark,

Of birth and of death.

It's both a completion and a beginning.

On that day,

So on September 22nd,

Which as of the time you're listening to this has passed,

It is the equinox,

Which means that it is the time period when day and night are equal.

And it really lets us kind of find that balance as well as counterbalance in everything that is kind of shifting around us.

Think about balance,

Light and dark,

Life and death,

The inner world and the outer world,

Maybe even the way that we weave them together.

And it's beautiful the way that we can think of the word weave because balance isn't static.

It's not this like fixed destination,

Rather it's organic,

It's alive,

It's ever moving,

It's ever shifting.

Autumn for many kind of brings us into this season of release,

Of harvest,

Of reflection,

Of ripeness,

Calls us to begin that experience of coming back internally,

Right?

Coming back into the home,

Spending more time potentially indoors.

It's an invitation for us to maybe pause,

Notice where this year,

In particular 2022 has brought us.

Maybe thinking about the lessons and the losses,

Maybe thinking about the wins and the celebrations.

Maybe thinking about the bounty,

The beauty,

The depth,

Delight.

Maybe thinking about the miracle that unfolds in front of us every moment that is life.

Rather than looking at endings as endings,

Maybe we look at them as beginnings,

Allowing ourselves to really integrate the experiences and the lessons of the past and transforming it into wisdom that feeds and fuels the next season.

Existence,

Reciprocity,

The relational nature of existence.

You know,

I love this time of year when you start to see,

You know,

The leaves change color.

So we're going from these really vibrant greens and we'll be kind of moving through the stages of maybe yellows.

They move their way into goldens and eventually formulate this really gorgeous like amber hue.

And then eventually they turn to brown and fall.

And so often we talk about the way that the landscape changes is a reminder and an opportunity for us to release.

And while it is,

You know,

I want us to maybe pause for a moment and just think about what that release is offering to everything underneath of it.

There is an entire ecosystem that is able to thrive because these leaves who have served their purpose pass on,

Drift through the wind and find their home on the ground.

So underneath of them,

They're allowing the earth to thrive.

Think about that.

Think about what that means to everything that you're allowing yourself to release and to shed.

To everything that we're recognizing held its time.

So now it's time to move on.

What can begin to grow through that release?

So tonight I thought I would do something a little bit different than perhaps just chit chat.

What I want to do is give an opportunity to kind of move meditatively through season,

Finding the closure of summer and moving into autumn.

So I'm going to invite you to maybe notice where you are and what you're doing.

Even if getting still and quiet seems like something you're into right now,

Please,

By all means continue.

Keep listening.

Maybe if you're,

I don't know,

Doing something like driving a car or operating machinery,

Riding a bicycle,

Multitasking while you're at work,

Whatever the case may be,

Maybe you want to press pause and come back.

Or feel free to kind of subconsciously listen,

But make sure you're paying attention to what it is that you're doing.

If you have decided to stay with us,

I want you to know that everything that we move through over the next however many minutes together is completely an invitation.

If there is something that does not resonate with you or something that does not feel good in the moment,

Take what does.

This is a practice for you.

This is a practice for you to feel safe.

For you to feel safe,

Not only to feel,

But to maybe release.

So everything is an invitation.

And if it doesn't feel good,

Find something that does.

The first invitation that we're going to have is finding a space to really get comfortable.

We can be seated or we can be lying down.

Wherever we are,

I want you to feel completely at home.

So whether you're on a chair,

On a bed,

On a sofa,

Maybe you are blessed enough to be under the canopy of trees,

Maybe under moonlight,

Maybe by the water.

Wherever you are,

Find gratitude.

Allow yourself to begin to breathe in gratitude by taking a nice deep in through the nose.

Really allow the breath to explore the body.

Notice how the body feels,

Soften and shift if we find any resistance or perhaps pockets of tension or stress.

And then use that exhale to really settle in.

Settle into your space,

Settle into your shape.

Connect in with the breath and allow yourself to place on pause for the moment everything that you carried with you till now.

Any conversations or experiences,

Any judgments or expectations,

Any conversations,

Anything that you carried through the day to this moment,

Good or bad,

Place it on pause and just allow yourself to get present.

Begin by just noticing the sounds,

Maybe the sounds that are far away from you.

The sounds that move in closer.

As you have an opportunity to listen to the sound,

Maybe listen,

Listen to the sound of the heartbeat.

Listen to the breath.

With every breath you take,

You begin to feel yourself relaxing.

Maybe the body feeling heavier,

Maybe the mind feeling softer.

Begin with the physical body,

Soft and relaxed.

Maybe drop the awareness into the mind and the emotional layer.

Gratitude for everything we hear in this space.

Exhale,

Let it go.

And then maybe drop the awareness down even more.

Maybe for physical landing it can be in the heart or in the belly,

But deep within the soul.

Listen to the guidance and the wisdom.

And maybe you find yourself hearing or creating or cultivating a prayer or an intention for our time together.

Something that you perhaps feel coinciding and connecting to the breath.

Knowing at any point in time you can come back home to that breath and allow the breath to be your prayer.

With the eyes heavy,

An expression melted off the face.

See if we can begin to visualize the most beautiful beach.

Maybe it's a beach we've been to,

Maybe it's a beach that we've allowed ourselves to visit and sit on.

Hear the lapping of waves and the sound of the seagulls,

Feel the sun.

Maybe it's something we saw in a film or read in a book.

See yourself there,

Strolling along the sand,

Feeling each grain underneath the feet,

Maybe bringing the palm of the hand down and touching and allowing the sand to move through the fingers.

I invite you to begin to walk into the water of relaxation,

The seas of consciousness,

The seas of self-awareness.

With every step and with every breath that we take,

We feel waves of energy surging around us,

Going deeper and deeper into that which is the source of who we are.

And as you connect to source and feel that sand under your feet in the water,

Lapping against your legs,

Hear it calling you in.

Feel the water slowly reaching the waist,

Going higher and higher until you can swim engulfed under a gorgeous wave,

Noticing that we can still breathe deeply in this beautiful liquid space.

And as we breathe,

We feel calmness enveloping us,

Calming our anxiety and our worry,

Calming our fear,

Gifting us love.

Waving us the experience and the sensation of bodiless movement as if you know are no longer limited.

Every part of you,

Every part of you being filled with love and energy,

Feeling yourself guided safely,

Intuitively with every breath that you take,

More and more aware,

Maybe sounds or voices or colors or smells,

Calling in this newness,

Feeling it radiating throughout you.

The body completely relaxed,

Allowing yourself to let go,

Being aware of the whole body from the top of the head to the toes,

And then from the toes to the top of the head.

Consciously aware that you're staring at the back of the eyelids,

Engaging peripheral vision,

Allowing the eyes to sink back deep and wide into the eye sockets.

Through our practice,

We will find ourselves guided to the seat of our conscious awareness,

Tuning in to the current of our nervous system and cuing it to relax.

Stillness of the outer form inspires and allows the inner fluctuation of thoughts,

Wakefulness,

To take a cue towards a quiet inner landscape.

Notice the pregnant pauses,

Top of the inhale,

Bottom of the exhale.

No resistance to whatever is arising in this moment,

Feeling as though we are in a state of freedom,

Relaxing deeper into the earth,

Effortless,

Slow and comfortable breathing.

Noticing the breath as it travels from the throat to the navel,

And again from the navel to the throat,

Throat to the navel,

And navel to the throat,

Throat to the navel.

Navel to the throat.

Pausing for a moment and returning to the prayer,

The intention.

Reconnecting that with the breath if we've lost it.

Letting it radiate through the body.

Raising the subtle inner awareness.

Whole body is quiet,

Aware of the subtle movements in the breath.

Maybe noticing what parts of the body are moving.

The belly,

The chest,

The throat,

Each expanding and contracting.

Maybe feeling it in the collarbones,

In the cheeks.

Aware of the movement,

The gift of the breath,

The inspiration and the expiration that we draw through the nostril.

Dropping the awareness down into the right hand,

Becoming aware of the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

All five fingers together,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

Left chest,

Side,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Hamstring,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

The top of the foot,

The right big toe,

The second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

This moves to the left side,

Starting with the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

All five fingers together,

The palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left chest,

The side body,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Hamstring,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together,

The right shoulder,

The left shoulder,

The right arm,

The left arm,

The right elbow,

The left elbow,

The right hand,

The left hand,

The right ankle,

The left ankle,

The right calf,

And the left calf,

The right knee,

The left knee,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right hamstring,

Left hamstring,

Right hip,

Left hip,

Waist,

Lower abdomen,

Upper abdomen,

Whole of the abdomen,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Center of the collarbones,

The throat,

Shoulders,

Upper back,

Middle back,

Lower back,

Right side of the back,

Left side of the back,

The spine,

Back of the neck,

Front of the neck,

The whole neck,

Chin,

Lower lip,

Upper lip,

Both lips together,

The teeth,

The tongue,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Tip of the nose,

Whole of the nose,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The right temple,

The left temple,

Forehead,

Back of the head,

Crown of the head,

The whole face,

The whole head.

Notice the whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

See the whole body,

The whole physical form lying on the floor as though you are standing outside of the body.

Become aware of the touching points between the floor and your physical body,

That space where you end and the atmosphere begins.

Become aware of the parts of your whole physical body that are absorbing energy from the ground underneath you.

Be aware of the front of your body as it pulls in energy and breath.

Feel the energy coming in from the air,

The vibration as it moves throughout the body.

Be aware of the whole body.

Be aware of the whole body.

As you visualize the whole body resting,

Feel the body becoming hot.

Allow yourself to experience the sensation of heat throughout the entire body.

Recall a feeling of being very,

Very hot.

Whether it's due to summer sun,

Warm clothing,

Recreate that sensation of heat now in the body.

Quickly reverse that feeling into cold.

Feel the cold,

A shivering cold as though you are standing outside in an icy wind wearing only light layered clothing.

Feel how chilled you'd be.

Feel the coldness as a conscious effort.

Why?

Because there is no cold.

There is no external influence affecting you to make you cold.

Create cold.

And then experience heaviness,

Heaviness in the physical body.

Feel the physical body becoming heavier and heavier as if someone is pouring sand beginning from the toes,

The fingertips,

All the way through the body until the body is unable to move.

Unable to raise an eyelid,

Unable to wiggle a finger or a toe.

The body has become so heavy.

And quickly shift into the experience of lightness,

Lightness throughout the body,

Not heaviness but lightness.

Feel it in the body,

Feel it becoming lighter and lighter,

The navel being pulled towards the sky as every grain of sand gently pours out back down to the ground given back and you soar.

Weightless.

The body is so light,

As light as a piece of cotton.

Allow yourself to feel the experience of heat and cold together.

Allow the brain to understand that these two things can occur simultaneously and that you can hold space for both of them at the same time.

And then allow the body to feel both light and heavy.

Notice where you feel it and how you feel it.

And allow the brain to know that it can hold both of these experiences at the same time.

Becoming aware that the body is resting and that you are consciously aware but peaceful.

Draw the awareness into the center of the eyebrows,

The mind's eye.

Without becoming attached,

Allow yourself to begin to notice,

To see.

The bright gold of the rising sun,

The luminous light of a full moon,

A green rainforest canopy,

A turquoise glacier lake,

Radiant pink of a sunset,

A bright red rose,

One thousand purple wildflowers,

A burning candle,

Sunrise,

Various colors of a peacock feather,

Your reflection in a mirror,

A white dove,

A burning house,

Your father's face,

A mountain stream,

Leaves blowing in the wind,

A thousand-petaled lotus flower,

A thousand-petaled lotus flower.

Begin to see yourself standing inside of a room with a door that leads outside ahead of you.

In the palm of your hand appears a key to unlock the door.

I invite you to walk towards the door,

Place in the key,

Turn the latch,

And step outside.

In front of you is a colorful,

Vibrant autumn landscape with hundreds of trees and leaves and brilliant reds and golds.

Some are green and not yet changed,

While others have become crisp and brown on the edges.

Little further ahead,

There is water that babbles down a shallow stream,

Only a foot or so deep in the deepest part,

And you can see the stones and the sediment as the water travels over it.

Leaves that have floated down into it already collect along the edges where the water ripples towards the shore and it creates a golden lining on the other side.

You find a perfectly sized rock and sit down on the edge,

Comfortable and content as the water runs by.

I invite you to breathe in the crisp autumn air.

Fill your lungs with a scent of water,

Of leaves,

Of grass.

Feel the warmth of the afternoon on your face.

The heat of summer has left us,

And in its place,

This beautiful day.

Just warm enough for comfort and cool enough to invigorate,

And as the breeze blows around you,

You notice the way that it coaxes the leaves to let go of their branches and to float to the ground.

Some take a direct path while others drift and sway in the wind,

Spinning and twirling as they make their way down,

And yet others still do not fall,

But rather they continue to hold onto the branches that they grew from,

Refusing to take flight.

They have allowed themselves to change color alongside their fellows,

But they refuse to give in to the descent ahead.

Just a little longer,

They protest into the breeze.

They are not ready to fall.

And so they hold on a little longer,

Even as the world changes around them.

The yellows become orange and the oranges become red and the leaves on the ground become brown.

But still these leaves hold on,

Hoping to evade the relentless movement of time.

Visualize the changing world of fall around you.

Breathe in the air and lean into this moment.

Maybe as you breathe out,

Call to mind something that you have been holding onto,

Something that no longer serves you,

Something that you may like to release but haven't done so yet.

And imagine that thing as a leaf on a tree,

Clinging to a branch high above the ground,

Refusing to give in to the change of season once it had a place in your life,

As every leaf has its place in a tree.

It might even be a blossom that you cherished in the spring of its existence,

That you have watched unfurl and grow,

And that has now exchanged its green for gold.

It's not a bad leaf,

And this thing is not a bad thing.

The time has come for it to release the branch.

The time has come for you to let it go.

Take a deep breath.

Maybe the deepest breath you have taken this far and visualize that leaf letting go.

It releases the branch,

And it drifts gently to join the other leaves of red and gold below.

Just like the leaf has not entirely disappeared,

Neither has that thing you are letting go of.

It simply has joined all of the other things that you have grown with,

Learned from,

And released.

I'm going to invite you to pause here.

While the equinox has signaled the completion of harvest season,

The fruits of which are gathered have been stored for the upcoming barren winter months,

The fullest expression of vibrant light and activity in summer has given way to the stillness of shadow and fall.

As a complement to the light,

Our shadow side often carries a negative weight when it is mistakenly interpreted as comprising the most troubling parts of ourselves and our experience.

The truth is,

However,

The shadow side encompasses all the things outside the light of consciousness,

Both good and bad.

Our collective unconscious harbors everything that is unseen or hidden from our awareness,

Kind of like dark side of the moon.

We conceal those qualities.

As we do that,

Maybe we're unconsciously hiding our brightest attributes,

Maybe due to lack of self-esteem,

Maybe due to judgment or shame.

Yesterday was the new moon.

The new moon is such an amazingly beautiful time to do shadow work.

And in the season of Libra,

It allows us to dive into everything we need to release to truly love ourselves.

Release our darkness.

Invite anything that may be churning beneath the surface.

Invite our thoughts and our emotions to rise and dissolve.

So I invite you to ponder,

Maybe journal,

Maybe meditate what has been my personal harvest this year.

What has grown into full expression?

What has brought me joy?

What seeds will I replant in the next season?

Where am I giving into doubt?

What fears are stalling me?

Where am I creating struggle?

Where am I housing anger towards myself or others and how can I liberate myself from that?

Do I feel ashamed or embarrassed by behaviors or decisions that I have made?

Well,

May I lay them to rest?

Do I feel guilty for my thoughts,

My words,

My actions?

If my body were to speak to me,

What would it say?

I invite you to stay as long as you'd like,

Ponder,

Meditate,

Maybe even write.

And slowly breathing yourself back into the present moment.

Carrying forward with you the experience and the journey,

The knowledge and the wisdom.

Allowing yourself to feel that connection of prayer and intention that we have so deeply tied to our breath.

Feel it moving through the body as you feel the deep inhale moving through,

Bringing life back into the most rested body,

Maybe wiggling the fingers or the toes.

The remaining aware that a deep stillness and silence rests behind and beneath.

That we may visit at any time,

Returning,

Cultivating.

And as we return to this moment,

Maybe placing palms on the heart space and pausing in gratitude,

What are you grateful for?

Send it out through the ether.

Allow them to know.

We slowly lift the palms to the heart space,

Thumbs come in towards the chest,

This full connection of prayer and breath and of heartbeat.

I am so grateful that you have hung out with me and shared this experience of our shift from summer into autumn.

Telling in the slower times,

Allowing ourselves that deep opportunity to release the light and the dark in me,

Honor the light and the dark in you.

Namaste.

Namaste.

Namaste.

Reviews

I felt very sleepy & relaxed so the meditation was great for me thankyou

❤️