Let's begin.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable way to be in the body,
Where the body feels wholly and completely supported by whatever it's resting on.
Let's see if we can invite the energy of settling into the body.
What does it feel like to allow yourself to settle?
Maybe settling is a loosening of the muscles.
Finding a little more space in the joints.
Maybe settling is letting the bones grow heavy,
Aware of gravity,
Letting gravity draw the body.
Can we bring this idea of gravity to our energy as well?
Energy in the form of thought.
Let's begin to notice the breath and the way the breath moves in and out of the body.
A wave of breath washing gently into the body.
And a wave of breath washing slowly out.
Each breath offers our body a cleansing opportunity,
A chance to welcome in something new.
On your next breath,
I'd invite you to bring to mind what it is you're drawing into this moment.
And on your next breath,
Allow yourself to bring to mind what you are letting go of.
Just like the sand on the shore,
Our energy is washed clean in waves of breath.
Let's gather up all of our attention,
All of our awareness,
And bring it to the heart center.
That very center of your being.
See if you can notice this space here.
In the same way we can notice the tip of our finger,
The bottom of the foot.
We can become aware of our heart space.
Heart space,
Not simply the center of the body,
But the space surrounding this center.
Feeling deep within yourself,
Noticing what can I feel in my heart space.
Let's marry the breath and the heart center here.
Imagine drawing in the next breath through the back of your body and pausing in the center of the breath.
And as we exhale,
Imagine sending that breath out through the front of the body.
Inhaling through the back body,
Pausing in the center just long enough to listen.
Sending that breath out through the front of the body.
Let's take a few breaths like that,
Allowing your attention to focus on this still space between the breath.
I'd invite you to imagine an acorn.
A small acorn suspended.
We can imagine inside this acorn is all of what it needs to grow into its greatness,
To grow into its fullness.
All held in this tiny space.
As we breathe in through the heart space and through the back of the body,
Pausing in the middle,
Let us nurture this acorn.
Breathing in,
Nourishing.
Nurturing the acorn and heart center.
And then breathing out,
Letting go.
Let's imagine ourselves breathing through the heart.
And we can imagine as we breathe,
The acorn beginning to swell,
Ready to expand,
To crack open,
To send roots down.
Sometimes we want to extend our roots deeply and quickly,
Knowing that the roots we want to establish are strong.
Let's take our time imagining the acorn's roots growing down,
Down through the body,
Allowing yourself to breathe with patience.
You can allow those roots to grow however long,
However deep,
However thick as they appear,
Knowing that there is always growth.
And if we bring our awareness back to the acorn and imagine shoots extending upward up from the heart space,
Tiny tendrils tentatively moving upward,
Extending,
Not knowing what lies above,
Simply knowing that the way is up.
We can imagine those shoots breaking through,
Coming to the light,
Opening leaves to receive nourishment.
Our tiny shoots may grow to become a tree in time.
May our shoots seek the wisdom and experience from the other trees in the forest.
We remember as we grow that strength requires time and wisdom.
I'd invite you to imagine your shoots extending and growing forth just as much as it wants to in this moment.
Our deep roots keep us connected to all living beings,
To all things that have come before us,
And our branches allow us to expand and share,
To be inspired.
