Greetings,
Welcome to day four.
Today,
We're going to explore a heart-centered practice around relationship with others.
This requires both courage and vulnerability.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable standing position with your back near a wall.
Or a comfortable seated position in a chair or on the ground.
If you're standing,
Let your feet be about hip width apart.
Place one hand over your heart.
And let the other palm rest open,
Facing upward.
In your lap or by your side.
And if this feels supportive.
You may close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a moment to arrive.
Notice the ground beneath you.
The support around you.
And notice your breath.
Just as it is.
Now bring your awareness gently towards your heart.
Take a moment to feel how your heart is today.
Perhaps there's an image,
An emotion,
A sensation.
Or a quality that arises.
Maybe your heart feels a little open and loving.
Or maybe it feels tender,
Guarded,
Hurt,
Protective,
Or closed.
Or maybe something else entirely.
There's no right answer.
See if you can simply be with whatever is here.
In the palm that is open.
Imagine inviting in whatever medicine your heart needs today.
You don't need to know what that is.
Make room for the possibility.
Take a few deep breaths.
Simply witnessing where your heart is in this moment.
Now bring the other hand on top of your heart.
Allowing both hands to rest there.
And as you breathe.
Become curious.
Have you felt open and available to yourself and to others lately?
Or have you felt more tender,
Guarded,
Or protective?
The invitation here is to get curious about how you relate with others.
About your own history and what is imprinting in you when it comes to relationships.
Notice what's in your heart right now.
Without judgment.
Whatever you notice.
Meet it with kindness.
Sometimes our heart needs protection.
Sometimes they're shut down for a reason.
Sometimes they need us to be exactly where we are before we can authentically open up again.
Let go just for a moment of any story about how your heart should be.
Instead,
Practice being a witness to what is.
You may release your hands from your heart.
And if you're standing near a wall,
Use the wall as a support and feedback for the back body.
Allow some part of your body to come in contact with the wall.
Perhaps it's your shoulder blades.
Perhaps it's the back of your pelvis.
Or simply sense the wall behind you.
If you're seated.
Feel the support of the chair beneath and behind you.
Once again,
Inhale.
Arrive in your body.
Exhale.
Allowing your shoulders and jaw to soften.
Notice the support behind you.
Notice the ground beneath you.
And notice the soft front of your body facing out towards the world.
Humans are the only animals who greet the world with our most vulnerable parts.
Those animals slither on the ground,
Walk on all fours,
Or are slouched over.
Your heart,
Belly,
And face are among the most vulnerable parts of the body.
And yet,
They are the parts that we bring towards the world.
So simply know it is what it feels like to be here,
Upright,
Supported.
Meeting the world with your soft front.
Open to life in whatever way feels possible today.
Bring your awareness back to the body.
Your spine,
Your back muscles.
Your legs.
The wall supporting you.
And with each inhale,
Feel the strength and the steadiness behind you.
With each exhale.
Allow the front of your body to soften.
If that feels supportive.
Take one last deep breath in.
And a long,
Slow exhale out.
What would it feel like to move through your day with a strong back and a soft front?
Not forcing yourself open.
Not forcing yourself close.
Simply staying connected to yourself as you meet the world.
Authentic belonging makes room for your voice,
Your boundaries,
Your needs,
Your differences,
Your whole self.
When you're ready,
Slowly blink the eyes open.
May you carry this sense of strong back,
Soft front with you into your day.
