This one is for the winter season.
Imagine yourself lying down in an old log cabin in front of a fireplace.
Make yourself as comfortable as you possibly can,
Aiming for a deep rest.
But breathing consciously in through the nose and out through the nose.
Deep circular but gentle.
A connected breath.
No stopping in between the inhale and the exhale.
A continuous loop.
A gentle activation on the inhale.
A gentle relaxation on the exhale.
Slow down the system.
Many animals go into their long hibernation during the winter season.
The trees gather their energy at the roots during the long,
Long winter.
Relax your shoulders.
Continue with a connected breath.
Relax your jaw.
Let it hang loose.
Relax your hands.
Relax your feet.
Feel how the breath gives you a gentle relaxation at the solar plexus.
Feeling a light awakening at the solar plexus.
Notice the energy in the body right now without judging.
It might be low.
It might be high.
Nothing in between.
Just accept whatever it feels like.
Just let it be.
Feeling content with what is.
It is what it is.
Reflecting on chapter 9 of Tao Te Ching.
Overfilled the cupped hand strip.
Better to stop pouring.
Retire when work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
But we need to find some balance.
Feeling,
Stopping.
Feeling,
Stopping.
Continue with a slow nose breathing.
And see if you can feel this is enough.
It's not about fixing anything.
Not about achieving anything.
Just observing.
Just notice the effects of breathing gently.
Bring forth your sankalpa.
Your heartfelt desire.
It doesn't need a goal.
Just a few words that feels right in the present moment.
If you already have one that you're working with,
You can use that.
The given sankalpa for me is,
If you want to use this one,
I feel content with what is.
Repeating it three times mentally.
I feel content with what is.
Letting go of that connected breath,
The conscious breathing.
Go back to the natural breath where you're not manipulating the breath in any way.
Just notice the breath.
Notice the breath from a distance.
Zoom out.
Let go of the thinking mind.
If any thoughts pop up,
That's totally fine.
Let go.
Just notice the importance of observing the thoughts.
Relax your brain.
Let go.
And feel that light again at the solar plexus.
A glowing sense of heat going up towards the heart.
Feel that glowing heat at the heart center.
Spreading further up towards the center of the throat.
The chin.
Left cheek.
Right cheek.
Left nostril.
Right nostril.
In between the eyebrows.
Allow yourself to look inwards.
Relaxing the body.
Your forehead.
Crown of the head.
Back of the head.
Left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Left thumb.
Middle finger.
Third.
Fourth.
And a fifth.
Going back towards the center of the chest.
Right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Thumb.
Second finger.
Third.
Fourth.
And a fifth.
Feel that glowing light in both of the arms.
All the way out to the fingertips.
Feeling an awareness in both of the hands.
And feeling how subtle and amazing that is.
Just by slowing down,
We can truly feel our hands.
We can sense our body.
And listen.
Following that glowing heat of light at the center of your chest.
Solar plexus again.
Perhaps a gentle relaxation at the solar plexus.
Slow down.
Calm down.
Rest.
The abdomen.
Relax the abdomen.
Let yourself be.
Pelvic bowl.
Left hip.
Upper leg.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Four.
Fifth.
Back at the pelvic bowl.
Relax the pelvic bowl.
Right hip.
Upper leg.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Feeling that glowing light,
The heat,
In both of the legs.
Spreading out all the way to the tips of the toes.
Feeling that glowing heat at the crown of your head.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Abdomen.
The legs.
Face of the spine.
Connect to Mother Earth beneath you.
Breathing together with Mother Earth.
Mid-back.
Upper back.
Sensing the whole back supported by the Earth beneath you.
Gathering microcosmic strength from the Earth beneath you.
Feeling how that awareness spreads all over the body.
The whole body now.
The whole body.
Taking rest in the coldest season.
The darkest season.
The winter season.
The season when we might need to go to bed earlier.
Rise later in the morning.
It's now time to store what we've gathered.
And to allow our systems to rest in stillness.
Practicing stillness in each moment.
Practicing following the seasons.
You might not have the same amount of energy that you have in the summer.
So as much as possible,
Embrace ease.
Embrace heat.
Embrace resting.
It's okay.
It's okay to rest.
See if you can feel as content as can be.
Satisfied with the present moment.
Satisfied with what is.
And notice another side of you that wants to go somewhere else.
That wants some action.
It might be the mind telling you not to relax.
Just notice this without judging.
And again,
Going back,
Feeling content with what is.
Notice how you feel.
Once again,
Going back to feeling like you should be somewhere else.
The mind might be telling you again,
You need to go somewhere else.
Just notice how this feels.
And notice both these sensations at the same time.
Notice the driven side of you.
And notice the more gentle side of you at the same time.
Simultaneously.
Coming together.
And just acknowledge that they both exist.
You don't need to fix any of them.
They both exist.
And right now,
We're just practicing being.
Being human with all the sensations.
All the thoughts,
The emotions,
Tensions in the body.
Feeling content that you can feel.
Feeling is quite amazing.
We have all these powers,
All these abilities.
And we have the power to heal ourselves.
Going back to your sankalpa again.
Your heartfelt desire.
Either the one that you're working with,
If you have one.
Or,
I feel content with what is.
I feel content with what is.
Repeating it three times internally.
Final touch.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Waking up slowly,
Bit by bit.
Maybe some slight movement in the hands and the feet.
Taking a big breath in.
And let go.
One more time.
Ah.
I'm ending with a poem called Without by Gary Snyder.
The silence of nature within.
The power within.
The power without.
The path is whatever passes.
No end itself.
The end is grace,
Ease,
Healing,
Not saving.
Singing the proof.
The proof of the power within.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪
