Take a few moments to settle in.
Not just to find a comfortable position,
But to also find that tall spine.
Feeling the space in the torso that it makes.
Feel the length in the neck and yet the softness of the face.
Soften the shoulders low down the back.
Soften them a little bit more.
Feel the rest of the body.
The lower back,
The hips,
Calves,
And feet.
Begin to also relax.
Breathe in deeply through the nose.
Send the breath low and deep into the belly.
Slowly exhale through the nose.
Imagine the belly as a balloon.
Filling up with the inhale and deflating with the exhale.
Take three more slow round breaths.
Then take a mental scan of the body and notice any areas where you might still be holding on to tension.
On your next exhale,
Release further these areas of tension,
Of clenching,
Of tightness,
Of stress or worry.
Begin to feel as though the body is releasing and melting with each exhale.
As the body relaxes,
Notice the softening and quieting of the mind.
The body's positioning is important,
But so is the mind's.
Give the mind permission with these next few breaths to leave the world behind,
To turn inward,
And to simply focus on the breath and listen to the sound of my voice.
The mind may resist,
May say there's too much to do,
Too much to remember.
Simply reassure the mind that those things will be there when we are done,
That this is time to relax and restore.
Tell the mind it will be more prepared to tackle the day that lies ahead after practice if it can release now and truly enjoy practice and be fully immersed within it.
As the body and mind both settle,
Bring forward the image of a small,
Cozy room.
It's not a large room,
But it feels safe.
There's a place to sit comfortably and to rest.
As you begin to see this room,
You realize you feel calm,
Happy,
Peaceful,
And safe.
Allow the mind to bring this place into more and more focus for the next few breaths.
See the room and everything in it.
Look around you.
Breathe in the smells.
Take in the sounds.
Breathe in the sense of calm and peace that you feel.
And as you exhale,
Feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed and comfortable,
Knowing that this room and this space are meant for you.
In this place,
As you feel comfortable and safe,
Allow the mind to begin thinking about,
To begin listing the roles you play throughout each day,
The tasks that you complete,
The responsibilities that you're assigned or that you choose to take on.
As you sit and rest comfortably in this room of the mind's eye,
Continue to allow your mind to bring forth each role or task.
And as it does,
Assign each role or responsibility a shape and a weight,
Something tangible,
Something you can see and hold.
Maybe each is a different size rock or stone.
Begin to feel the weight of each role and responsibility.
Maybe noticing how some are heavier than others.
And when you're ready,
Place each one down in a bag you see sitting at your feet.
Take your time visualizing each role and task as a different sized item,
Feeling the weight of each one.
But try not to linger too long with any one idea.
Don't judge or critique what the mind brings forward.
Don't worry about the shape or the weight that each takes on.
How many roles,
Responsibilities,
Obligations,
And tasks do you carry?
How full is the bag at your feet?
Make sure you also include the roles and activities that you enjoy,
As well as those you feel required or obligated to do.
How heavy is the bag at your feet becoming?
Can you pick it up?
Can you carry it?
Can you carry it throughout the day,
Every day?
Can you carry it without growing weary or resentful?
When you consider each role and responsibility as a physical weight that you carry,
How does it feel?
Does it feel overwhelming?
Exhausting?
Does it make you frustrated or even angry?
Does it make you sad?
Allow whatever emotions you feel to be held,
Honored,
And felt.
Remember that this cozy small room is a safe space,
A place where your heart is heard and appreciated,
And where it is safe to be honest.
Even though the many roles we have and responsibilities we have do not necessarily carry a physical weight,
They do carry a mental weight.
The weight of this bag is something you are carrying.
Is it a manageable weight?
Would you like it to be lighter?
Do you feel rundown at the end of each day?
Do you feel the burden of carrying your bag?
Thinking about each weight in your bag,
Which would you like to remove?
Which are weights that you're carrying but are not really priorities for you?
How can you reduce your overall burden and make room for the activities you would like to carry?
See yourself now taking out all the weights that you would like to remove from your bag,
The roles and responsibilities you would like to eliminate or reduce in your life.
Remember there's no one else here judging your decisions or giving you advice.
Using your heart as your guide,
Remove from your bag what doesn't serve you.
Gently place them off to the side.
Anything that isn't serving you is taking up space that you can reserve for more important tasks or roles.
Keep in your bag only what you see as your priorities.
What do you value?
What is important to you?
Notice the difference in the heaviness of your bag with it only containing your priorities.
Notice the items you've discarded,
The things you've been carrying around that you wish to carry no further.
Feel the lightness of your bag,
But more importantly feel the lightness of your being and allowing yourself to focus on your priorities.
Carrying your priorities,
Slowly begin to stand and leave your special space,
This cozy room.
Give yourself permission to leave the other weights behind right where you left them.
And remember they will be here,
Safe in this place,
Knowing that you have far to go in this journey of life.
Take your lighter bag and slowly begin to leave the room.
Take your time,
There's no rush.
Breathe in the room,
Maybe take one more look at the place you were sitting,
At the weights you have left behind.
Gently smile as you begin slowly coming back to the world.
First coming back to the breath,
Feeling lighter with your unburdened bag.
Feeling yourself being able to breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.
Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.
Coming back into the body,
Coming back into seated if you're not already there.
Taking your time to feel ready and completely back in the room.
You can gently open your eyes,
Feeling lighter and ready to focus on carrying only your priorities.
Namaste.
