Embracing change with compassion.
Again,
Finding a position that feels supportive where you can be alert yet at ease,
Making any adjustments to your posture so that you can really settle in for this moment.
Noticing the breath,
You might notice where you feel the breath most easily in the body.
Maybe it's at the tip of the nose,
Or in the nostrils.
As you breathe in,
You might notice the air is slightly cooler than on the exhale.
The air on the exhale being slightly warmed by the body.
Or maybe you notice the breath at the back of the throat.
This airway passage,
Bringing air into the lungs into the body.
Or perhaps you notice the breath at the chest,
The rise on the inhale,
The fall on the exhale,
Rising and falling.
The breath is with us 24 hours a day.
And it is this moment of pausing and getting curious,
Where do I feel the breath most easily in my body?
You may feel the breath most easily in the belly.
Expanding on the inhale,
Contracting on the exhale.
Taking a few moments now to pay attention to the breath,
The body breathing and where you feel it most easily.
At the nose,
The throat,
The chest,
The belly,
Not trying to force anything or make anything happen,
Just simply noticing the body breathing.
And when the mind wanders,
Which is what the mind does,
Simply bringing the attention back to the body,
Back to the body breathing,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Don't scold yourself.
If the mind is busy,
That's okay.
Just gently,
Non judgmentally invite the attention back to the body breathing.
And while you continue breathing,
I'd like to read a quote from Pema's children.
So continuing with the breath,
Pema writes,
Only when we know our own darkness,
Only when we know our own darkness,
Well,
Can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid.
Or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us.
We always have this choice.
I'm going to read that again.
Only when we know our own darkness,
Well,
Can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid.
Or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us.
We always have this choice.
Continuing to follow the path of the breath,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Allowing yourself to arrive and settle in this moment as it is.
And as thoughts and feelings arise,
Inviting compassion for the experience,
Maybe even saying to yourself,
Oh,
Honey,
This is hard.
This is really hard right now.
Might even acknowledge,
I don't know what to do in this moment.
But then invite this idea of staying open and curious.
Acknowledging shared humanity.
Seeing if you can invite compassion for the people that surround us,
The people in our communities,
In our states,
Countries,
And in the world,
That they too would like to be safe.
They too would like happiness.
They too would want wellness in body and mind.
This idea of life happening.
And can we open to the tenderness and vulnerability of compassion for ourselves and others?
Can we stay open with curiosity and love?
Is it possible to offer these to our own experience again and again?
We are human beings having a human experience and it is not easy.
But here we are,
And we're together.
We are And when we can maybe find that stillness in the storm,
Find that connection to our shared humanity,
It might be possible to ripple out kindness,
To from where we are,
Ripple out compassion and care for the people that surround us.
And we are ripple out compassion and care for all of us.
May we be safe.
May we be happy.
May we be well in body and mind.
May we live with ease.
Inviting some movement to the body,
Wiggling the fingers and toes,
Maybe taking a stretch and opening the eyes if they've been closed.
Thank you for sharing that moment with me.
I hope it was supportive for you as well.
