Hello,
My name is Georgette.
I'm a yoga and meditation teacher and a wellness retreat expert.
Welcome to this meditation series on becoming wholly you.
For all students and searchers,
This series references the five elements of nature as a basis for befriending ourselves.
So whether you're just beginning again or in the middle of some great transformation,
The sessions remind us that we're always unfinished and help us find our way back to balance.
This particular session you're listening to now is on beginning again.
The beginning of the five element cycle is the wood phase.
It's associated with the spring season and references the process of condensing,
Taking shape,
And forming new beginnings.
Life gifts us with opportunities to start over at any time,
Though we often need a reminder to do so.
So even if,
And especially if,
You're in the middle or at the end of something big,
Let this meditation be a gentle reminder that you always have an opportunity to begin again.
Whether you've listened to it one time or 100 times,
Arrive here with a quality of openness.
Make sure you're in a safe place,
Free of distractions,
And take a comfortable seat.
Sit up tall with a long spine and soft,
Relaxed shoulders,
The crown of your head energetically reaching upwards towards the sky.
Place your hands either palms up or palms down on your lap,
And perhaps your thumb and index fingers softly touch,
Forming a circle,
An endless beginning.
Your eyes may be closed or open slightly.
Either way,
Your gaze is soft.
Your mouth is closed,
And you begin to breathe in and out of your nose.
Take a few deep breaths here,
Allowing those breaths to extend into your lower belly and settle into your body.
Take some time to find a quiet rhythm in this stillness.
Begin to make your exhales just a little bit longer than the inhales.
Notice where your awareness rests.
If your focus lands on a thought,
Gently guide yourself back to your breath over and over again.
There's flexibility here,
But there's also firmness,
A steadiness.
Stay tender and compassionate to yourself.
Offer no resistance.
Soften your belly again,
And your jaw,
Maybe even your teeth.
Let each breath cycle be new as if it were the first.
Allow for growth,
Surrendering to a process you cannot see.
If you lose the breath,
Return to it,
Starting over.
Life shows itself as always just beginning,
So be patient and be hopeful.
This meditation practice is not about understanding or success or failure.
It's about the courage to let a small light of beginning break through,
Even if that happens for you one breath at a time.
Slowly bring your practice to a close,
Evening your breath.
Now take a deep inhale through the nose.
Welcome and receive that breath,
And exhale out of your mouth with a sigh.
Again,
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale out of the mouth with a sigh.
Then one more time,
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale with a sigh.
Beginning to move now in any way that feels good to you,
Opening your eyes when you're ready to do so.
Please feel free to transition here to the next meditation in my series,
Or repeat this session as many times as you need,
Reminding yourself that you always have an opportunity to begin again.
Much,
Much peace to you.
