In today's meditation,
You'll have an opportunity to take a rest,
So be sure to be safe.
Don't do this while driving or operating any kind of heavy machinery.
Just be safe.
From Chez Pinata,
I'm Colleen Thomas.
This is Everyday Magic for Ukraine.
Today we carve out moments to rest.
Welcome to the circle.
Welcome to Everyday Magic for Ukraine,
Where we honor Ukraine and also practice self-care to stay strong as allies.
If you're new here,
I'm really glad you've joined us.
Every time we get together,
I ask you to bring an item or maybe just think of an item.
And the thing I'd like you to think about today or consider is a pillow.
Think about what comes to your mind and how your body feels when you hear that word,
Pillow.
So to begin this exploration today,
I'm going to ask you a few questions.
You can grab something to write down answers,
Maybe your journal,
Or you can just kind of see what comes to you when I ask.
So the first question is,
What would it feel like to rest my head?
If I could rest my head right now,
And this is something you can do if you are able to in this moment,
What would or what does resting my head feel like?
Just noticing,
Just noticing whatever your answers are,
Whatever comes to you.
And the second question is,
What am I carrying right now that I would like to set down?
What am I carrying right now that I would like to set down?
And the third question is,
What would I need to feel safe enough to lay these things down?
And we're going to take just another couple seconds for you to finish answering.
We're going to move now into a very short experience of a rest,
Of deep rest,
Of a micro rest like we've done recently on other episodes.
We're going to drop in together in circle to a space of deep rest.
So to begin,
I would like to invite you into a moment of acknowledging your body and acknowledging that your body is your friend and that you are all one with your body and your body is here with you,
Supporting you at all times,
Even though it might not always feel that way.
And then secondly,
I'd like to invite you to consider what your response was to the question about what do you need to feel safe in order to rest deeply and remember what your answer was and see if you can bring any of that in right now.
It might be something you can control,
It might be something you can't control,
But to whatever degree possible,
Welcome it,
Intend it.
If it's something you can't control,
Maybe imagine it happening.
Imagine the thing you want happening and see if just imagining it makes you feel any safer if that's appropriate in your situation.
Just so imagining or creating in your mind,
Creating in your heart,
The conditions that would feel really safe for you to be able to rest.
And then once that's established,
Let's move together into just a few minutes of deeply resting.
So you might allow yourself to connect to the earth.
Notice how the earth is beneath you and is supporting you.
See if you can bring in a sense of softening and opening in your body,
In the space around your body,
In your heart.
Maybe imagine what it would be like to set down the thing you're carrying.
You can even set it down right next to you so you know where it is.
Allowing any muscle tension you don't need in this moment to drop away.
So if you're standing,
You want to keep the muscles active that keep you standing,
But maybe release the ones you don't need,
Like the tension in your face.
And if you're someplace where you can totally rest,
Just allow yourself to melt.
Melt down,
Down,
Down,
Down into the earth.
Use this time to restore,
To rest and release and restore.
You might release anything you don't want to be carrying right now,
Energetically.
Just let it fall off of you,
Go down your grounding cord,
Release into the earth.
And we're going to take just another few moments here in this resting space,
This space of deep rest and regeneration.
And you might experiment with a little bit of movement to gently bring yourself back.
You could wiggle your fingers or your toes or do any kind of other simple movement that's available to your body.
And as we gently return from this little micro rest time,
What did you notice that was new about your relationship to your body,
To rest,
To your pillow,
To anything related to the work we've been doing?
I hope you have many more experiences of micro rest as the days and weeks go forward.
Remember that you can carve out this time whenever you need it.
May it be so.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy and your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
Remember to breathe today,
Breathe and expand.
And I hope you join us again next time.
Please consider inviting a friend.
