I am here in this body.
I am home.
It's easy to forget about our home,
The home that is within our bodies.
Today's practice,
We're coming back into remembrance of this place,
Of this home,
Our deep root We don't have to feel guilt about how long we've been away.
We simply have to arrive and just come awake.
So gently now just come into a posture of comfort.
For me,
I sit cross-legged with a strong back and a soft front.
So I imagine my spine strong and straight holding me.
And at the same time,
I soften my belly,
My heart.
It's important to have the two polarities,
The strength and the softness side by side.
It's always a good reminder on how we should move through this life,
Strong yet soft.
And once we ground down in this position now,
We place one hand on our belly and another on our heart.
When we breathe,
Noticing the gentle swell of our breath,
The winding current of life riding through our very bodies.
Feeling the home that's carrying us to all the places we dream of.
We climb down from the mind and into the body this way,
Simply by remembering that we are being breathed.
A beloved Zen teacher named Thich Nhat Hanh taught me to simply repeat breathing in,
I am aware of my in-breath.
I'm breathing out,
I'm aware of my out-breath.
Breathing in,
I'm aware of my in-breath.
Breathing out,
I'm aware of my out-breath.
In-breath,
Out-breath.
In-breath,
Out-breath.
You may notice after breathing in,
You may notice after breathing out.
You may notice after a few breaths like this that the body begins to settle.
I am here in this body,
I am home.
I am here in this body,
I am home.
I am here in this body and I care.
I am here in this body and I care.
And sometimes when we come home to our bodies we can feel whatever is living there.
Sometimes when I come home after a long time of living in my mind,
In my doing,
In my being,
I can feel little pockets of grief,
Sort of tenderness,
And I just remind myself that sometimes coming home can feel this way and that's okay.
We feel because we love.
We love because we feel.
And coming home in this way is that bridge to that feeling,
To that love.
Breathing in I'm aware of my in-breath.
And breathing out I'm aware of my out-breath.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Out-breath,
Out-breath.
And you can rest your hands now and place them on your lap or on your knees however is most comfortable for you.
And just become aware of your body,
Of your walls,
The feeling of the skin,
Feeling of your lips,
Your eyes,
The gentle hum of the life living in you.
Remembering how sacred this body is,
This experience is.
Just really letting yourself go into this great pause of recognition.
Going into your home.
Collecting all the awareness you can so that you may move forward in your day with a little more light inside of you,
A little more earth under your feet,
A little deeper of a root grounded below you.
And remember any sort of intention you have as you move forward.
Mine is always may I love more,
May I be more present with those I love.
And may I lift up the moment before me with tender hands and an awake and available heart.
I am here in this body,
I am home.
And let's take a deeper inhale and let out a sigh.
One more time inhaling and exhaling.
I call that the sigh of grace.
It always brings me back into my body and really reminds me that I am here.
And you can open your eyes whenever you're ready.
You can use this practice whenever you're feeling a little unsettled or stressed.
Just remind yourself that you are here in this body,
You are home.
And really arrive to sort of unearth and excavate the goodness,
The light,
The gentleness of your being.
And thank you for taking the time to practice with me today and be well.
