So we'll get comfortable here,
Seated in whatever way is nice and comfortable.
And first,
I really want you to feel that length in the spine,
Stack each vertebrae,
And then like a string is pulling up and out of the crown of the head.
And then we're going to soften,
Staying tall,
But softening the muscles,
The body,
Kind of settling more into the mat or into the bolster.
And just use these first few moments to come into your practice,
To come into our space,
To leave everything else outside.
And we're going to notice and become aware of our breath,
Not in a way that's judgmental or trying to change the breath,
But just noticing it.
Feel all the connection points of the body and your mat,
The earth,
And soften the front of the body,
The chest,
The shoulders,
The throat,
All those muscles of the face.
As the mind begins to clear out a little bit and slow down,
We're going to plant the seed of our theme here,
Which is going to be one of freedom or release,
Or maybe you prefer the word surrender.
I'm going to mention a few picturesque locations.
And just as I say them,
You can allow your mind's eye to draw you that picture,
To visualize these spaces.
The first being a vast night sky full of stars.
And next,
A field full of flowers as far as you can see.
The ocean and where it meets the sky.
And the view from a mountaintop.
In each of these scenes,
There is,
Of course,
Beauty,
But there's also that space,
That room to breathe,
That freedom,
Where we just feel like we can breathe a little bit more easily,
Where we feel unburdened.
I'm trying to bring that into our minds and into our bodies,
That feeling those spaces have,
And how we feel often in those spaces.
Hopefully feeling and creating some of that space,
Maybe releasing,
Letting go of what might be holding us back or keeping us tight.
And we'll come back to those visualizations.
The night sky,
The full field of flowers,
The ocean meeting the sky,
And the view from a mountaintop.
As we think about those spaces and how they feel so free and open,
Consider how they're also completely natural,
Pure,
And true.
And maybe bring to mind times now where you have felt completely free,
Relaxed,
And breathing was easy.
And as you revisit those times as they come to mind,
Consider as well if those times were you being true,
Natural,
And purely yourself.
Let the mind consider areas of your life where maybe right now you feel more constrained or stuck.
And maybe consider that often when we are starting to feel that way,
We begin to fight or to exert control.
But what if we let go,
Released,
And just allowed the path to be organic and natural,
Fluid and free?
Would it be okay?
Would it maybe even be better if we find more space and more freedom?
And letting go or freedom or release or surrender doesn't mean not standing up for yourself or tackling problems.
It's definitely not about being passive or giving up your power,
But as a way to regain your power,
To be more present and more free to be true to who you are.
It's about not carrying it in your body.
Or in your mind.
And it's about being free to protect that freedom,
That space,
That room to breathe,
And knowing it may take some time.
Just like with our stretches,
The release may be slow,
But it will be sure.
And it just takes one breath at a time.
And clenching,
Releasing,
Relaxing,
And then noticing in that next breath that there's more open space to breathe into.
And just like our practice,
It may take practice.
Maybe coming back to those visuals of those natural,
Open,
Free spaces,
Pausing,
And coming back to the breath.
And on that next inhale,
We'll breathe all the way down the body into the feet.
Maybe invite some wiggling of the toes.
And we'll breathe down the arms,
Into the hands,
Wiggle fingers,
Becoming aware of the body,
Coming back to the breath,
Back to our space.
And as we're ready,
Maybe we draw the knees in a little bit and roll at least somewhat onto one side.
And we'll seal in our practice.
So just take a few final breaths of our practice to breathe in the good,
What we want to carry with us and take with us as we leave,
And to exhale out anything that we don't want to take with us when we leave,
That we'd rather leave here.
Well,
I thank you very much for coming,
Sharing practice,
Being dear,
Dear friends.
And I hope that you all feel free.
Namaste.
