Coming into a comfortable seat or lying position and adjusting yourself in any way that feels good to ensure your utmost comfort.
There is nowhere else you need to be for the next little while.
Closing down your eyes softly and listening to the following words.
I can almost taste it,
As the cold rushes my lungs I can almost hear it,
Through the origins of birds,
Hums grasping for its perfection and wishing time away.
Things will get better,
When the dark isn't as long as the day,
Be as you are and do what you can,
What the season will grant and allow,
Your rest,
Your patience,
Your smile beckoning the cold to awaken your brow,
The leaves will return and the bloom will begin,
But for now what will be is the winter sun against my skin,
The air burns my lungs as a reminder to breathe slow.
We can't rush time but we must trust that soon enough the tulips will put on their best show.
This poem is about rushing,
Wishing time away,
Speed,
Hasten,
These harsh words all mean one thing,
Not being here,
In the now,
In the present moment.
For the next few moments,
How would it feel to become as present as you possibly can?
How would it feel in a few moments to let go of time and just be here?
For a moment,
Bring a memory,
A time or event into the front of your mind where you are rushing.
This could be something that you're rushing now or something from the past.
This poem is about rushing the winter away,
Eager for spring to arrive because I thought once it did I would feel better,
I would feel different,
But what I was actually doing was not being in the moment I was actually in,
Wishing away the days,
Wishing away the memories not being made because I was trying to be somewhere else,
Somewhere that did not exist yet.
So with your example in your mind,
Imagine now a box and a balloon,
What colour is the box?
What shape is the box?
What colour is the balloon?
Gathering up all the pieces of this memory,
Gently place them in this box,
Every last piece.
With acceptance for whatever this memory is,
With compassion for yourself and with gratitude,
Tie the balloon around the box,
Taking a few steady breaths and letting it go.
Watching in awe as the box floats higher and higher into the sky above you,
Leaving your hands bare and empty.
This time has gone,
It's in the past.
The only thing that is certain in this moment is that you are here,
You are not rushing or wishing time away.
Bringing your awareness out of your mind to your breath.
Trusting your own knowing and breathe in a way that feels good for you.
Slow and steady,
In through your nose and out through your mouth,
Perhaps the most comfortable for most.
Breathing and bringing your awareness now to your feet.
Are they placed on the ground?
Can you feel the earth beneath them?
If you are lying,
Feel the exact place you are touching the bed or floor.
Feeling the hardness,
The sturdiness,
The softness.
Becoming open to feeling the vibrations of the earth.
Always supported by the earth beneath us,
Your feet connect you to this support system and this safety.
Bringing your attention now to the rest of your body,
Pressing against the surface you are sitting or lying on.
This may be your bum on a chair,
Your back firmly against a bed or mat.
Really feeling the points of contact and breathing into each one.
Really noticing how they feel against your body.
Supporting your body.
Holding your body.
If you wish to place one or both hands on any part of your body now,
If unsure perhaps your heart space.
And just breathe.
Becoming present with your body.
Being familiar with spending this time in this exact moment.
If your mind begins to wander,
That's ok.
Return each time to your breath.
Having patience with yourself.
Becoming aware of any feelings or emotions that may arise and offering them a safe place to be.
Trusting yourself and offering compassion if needed.
Knowing that it is safe to express any unmet needs,
Any emotions or feelings and giving them what they need.
Patience.
Compassion.
Gratitude.
Stay slow.
Spring may be looming and making her way towards us but wait.
The wise one of winter has not yet fully departed.
The cold remains but the thaw is coming.
Quietly listening to the hums of your own body in this sacred space between winter and spring.
Seeds inside of you have remained dormant all winter.
Perhaps only now beginning to stir.
Listening to the following two questions and allowing whatever wishes to arrive between each one.
What has lain dormant and almost feels ready to emerge this spring?
How can I support it?
How can I connect to patience and trust?
Allowing spring to arrive in her own time.
Gently returning your awareness to my voice.
If you're still awake,
Slowly beginning to move your body.
Stretching your arms overhead.
Tapping up and down your arms to awaken your energy again.
Moving your head from side to side.
Forward and back very gently.
A gentle sway of your body maybe or a favourite of mine.
Rubbing both of your hands together and feeling the heat created between them.
Place both hands over your closed eyes.
Feel the warmth.
Feel the tingling energy.
And only when you feel ready,
Gently blink your eyes open.
And slowly returning to your day.
