I don't know where you are,
Where it is you call home,
But here in the mountains in Colorado,
We had a very long winter and we finally made it to spring.
Coming out of those long,
Dark days and heading into the warmer,
Longer days of summer.
We're in a transition,
A coming out of hibernation.
And while winter is a time to move inward,
Spring calls us to rise again,
To rise up and out from our winter cocoon,
To shed that which no longer serves,
That which no longer supports,
To shed the things that weigh us down so we can more fully bloom anew.
It's a spring cleaning of sorts,
A shedding of the physical material and the internal.
How did you notice your relationship with yourself change this winter?
How did it evolve?
And now moving into spring,
What do you need to shed,
To let go of,
To step more fully into who it is you're becoming,
To bloom more fully into your own metamorphosis?
If you haven't already,
Go ahead and find a comfortable position.
You could be sitting or laying down or really wherever is comfortable for you.
The most important thing here is that your spine is long and neutral,
And as you settle into whatever position it is you choose to be in,
Start by taking a deep breath in and sighing it out.
You can follow that as many times as you feel to settle a little bit more into this space,
Into this moment,
And then let your attention just rest on your normal,
Natural breath without effort or force,
Just noticing what your breath does on its own.
As you notice your breath,
Take a moment to consider what you want this spring,
Even this summer,
To bring for you.
What do you want them to hold,
To serve where it is you're going?
And as you continue to settle into this space,
Into this moment,
Into your breath,
Bring yourself and your mind's imagination to the place that feels most like home,
The place where you feel most at ease,
Most yourself,
The place where you feel safest.
Where does your heart feel at home?
Whether it's your physical home,
Maybe a place in nature,
Or somewhere you visited that has just felt so right,
Wherever your heart's home is,
Let yourself be there and take a look around.
Maybe in your mind's imagination,
Take a walk around this space and notice the details.
What does this home look like?
What does it smell like?
What does it feel like?
What sounds do you hear?
Let yourself be absorbed by this space,
This home,
As you notice everything that makes it so meaningful for you.
As you take in those details,
As you absorb your senses,
Notice what it is about this space that feels safe.
What is it about this space that feels welcoming?
As you notice this space,
As you notice what you see,
Hear,
Smell,
Begin to notice what seems out of place.
What's taking up extra space or weighing down the feeling of safety,
Power,
Completion?
What's there in your heart's home that shouldn't be?
As you notice these things that don't fit,
That don't serve,
Clear them out.
One by one,
Go through your heart's home,
Go through your safe space,
And clear out what doesn't belong,
What doesn't serve,
What isn't supportive.
Maybe it's things that you did need,
Things that were supportive.
But as you've grown,
As you've changed,
Maybe those things are now just in the way,
Taking up that precious,
Sacred space.
So as you go through,
As you clear out,
Clear it out in a way that makes sense to you.
Maybe you start filling a big trash bag to throw it all away.
Maybe you build a bonfire to burn it up.
Maybe you load a box to pass on the things to someone who might be able to use them,
Someone they might serve better.
Clear out your space in a way that makes sense to you.
As you clear things out,
Take everything into account.
It might be physical,
Material things,
But it might also be your own reactions,
Memories,
Relationships,
Anything that doesn't support who you are or who you are becoming.
Get rid of it.
Clean it all out of this sacred space,
This space that is for you,
Yours,
Your own.
You're welcome to stay here as long as you like,
As long as your day allows.
Moving through your space and clearing out the things that you don't need anymore.
Making space for the new,
Making space for what comes next.
When you are ready to move on into the rest of your day,
Begin to draw your attention back to your breath.
Let the image of your safe space go and come back to noticing your own normal,
Natural flow of inhale to exhale,
Exhale to inhale.
Noticing what your breath does all on its own.
As you follow your breath,
Notice as your inhale gets deeper with each round,
With each cycle,
Your inhale fills your body a little bit more.
Then follow that deep,
Full breath in and sigh it out.
Again,
You can follow that as many times as you feel to wake yourself back up,
To bring yourself back into this current moment,
Into this current space.
Then let that movement of breath bring little movements back into your body.
Move into your fingers and your toes.
Follow that movement as it rolls up into your wrists and your ankles,
Finding bends in your elbows and your knees,
Anything you need to bring yourself back to this moment.
And if you aren't already,
Find your way back to a seat and bring both hands to your heart.
Stack one hand on top of the other and let's take one deep round of breath together.
So follow that whole,
Full breath in and sigh it out to the great strength it takes each and every day.
Thank you so much for joining this practice.
