Welcome.
Take this time to arrive,
Not only in this space but in yourself.
Find your comfy space that feels natural,
Warm and cozy,
Seated or lying down,
With your spine gently lengthened,
Your body supported and at ease.
Let your eyes soften and close.
Take a slow inhale through your nose and release a long sigh through your mouth.
Again,
Inhaling newness,
Freshness and exhaling what feels heavy,
Old or stale.
In Taoist tradition,
The breath is the river of life,
So each inhale draws from the boundless source and each exhale releases what no longer serves.
Breath is not something to master,
It is something to remember.
So in this session,
We breathe for renewal,
We breathe to refresh,
To restore,
To come alive again.
So just begin by bringing awareness to your feet.
Notice the contact with the ground steady and solid and just allow them to soften.
Move your awareness up through your legs,
Your calves,
Knees,
Thighs.
Let go of any tightness in these areas,
Allowing your muscles to grow heavy and to rest.
Notice your hips and pelvis,
They are grounded and safe.
Breathe into your belly now and just feel its gentle rise and fall and just allow your belly to soften completely.
Bring awareness to your chest and your heart space.
Feel the warmth,
The softness and the rhythm of your breath moving gently through here.
Now soften your shoulders.
Let your arms fall naturally,
Your hands resting without effort.
Bring your awareness to your neck,
Your jaw,
All the muscles in your face and release any tension around your eyes and your brows.
Your whole body now is like an empty vessel,
Open,
Receptive and ready to receive renewal.
Bring your focus now to your breath.
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Drawing air down into your belly and just feel your abdomen expand like a river filling with fresh water and exhale slowly now.
Through your mouth or nose,
Let go of any tension,
Heaviness or fatigue.
Just continue with this rhythm.
Inhale,
Imagine fresh qi,
Pure life energy entering your body and with the exhale,
Release stagnation,
Worries,
Old patterns.
Just continue for three more rounds in your own time.
Inhale,
Imagine fresh qi,
Pure life energy and release any tension or worries or old patterns.
Inhale fully through your nose and then just exhale with a soft sigh as if you're letting go of something you've carried too long.
Inhale fully through your nose and then exhale with a soft sigh.
As you breathe,
Just see your entire body awakening.
Each inhale washes through you like a cool clear stream.
And each exhale clears debris from the riverbed,
Leaving only clarity.
You are breathing renewal into every cell of your body.
Wonderful.
Just resume your natural breathing pattern now.
Now,
Just see yourself standing on the bank of a clear mountain river.
The water glistens in soft light.
It's flowing endlessly,
Fed by hidden springs deep within the earth.
Take a slow step into the water.
Feel its coolness touch your feet,
Washing away any heaviness.
With each step you take,
The water rises now.
It's covering your ankles,
Legs and is flowing gently around you.
This river is pure renewal.
As it flows past,
It takes with it what you no longer need.
Tiredness,
Stress,
Worries,
Concerns.
See it carrying them away and it's leaving you very clear and very refreshed.
And just visualize cupping your hands,
Lifting the water to your lips and just drink deeply here.
Taste its freshness and feel it fill your body with new life.
Now,
With each inhale,
Imagine this river flowing into you.
It's flowing into your lungs,
Your heart,
Your blood and your bone.
And with each exhale,
Release into the water,
Letting go of what you have grown.
And just see the river's light moving through you.
It's now circulating endlessly.
It's moving up your spine,
Over the crown of your head,
Down the front of your body and returning to your belly.
And this is the microcosmic orbit.
It's a dearest flow of renewal.
A cycle of rebirth with every breath.
This river's light is moving through you,
Circulating.
It's moving up your spine,
Over the crown of your head,
Down the front of your body and returning to your belly.
And you are no longer separate from the river.
You are now the river,
Flowing fresh,
Renewed in every moment.
So stay here now,
Just breathing in rhythm with the water for a few moments.
And just allow this renewal to wash through every layer of your being.
Wonderful.
Now,
Just resume your natural breathing pattern.
And just gently ask yourself,
What in me is ready to be renewed?
Is it a feeling?
A belief?
A way of being?
Now,
Just allow an image,
A word or simply a sensation to arise.
There's no forcing here,
Just noticing.
Breathe it in.
Breathe it out.
Now,
Let this river carry it,
Transform it and return it to you as clarity.
Now,
Whisper softly to yourself or repeat silently.
With every breath,
I release the oh.
With every breath,
I welcome the new.
I am renewed,
Refreshed and restored.
Let these words echo within you,
Like the ripples moving out into the water.
And now just begin to deepen your awareness of your body.
Feel the weight of your legs,
The grounding of your hips and the gentle movement of your chest.
Take a full,
Slow inhale here and a complete exhale.
As you prepare to return,
Carry this renewal with you.
You have cleansed,
Refreshed,
Restored yourself.
And whenever you need,
The river of breath will be here.
It's always flowing,
Always new.
And in deoist wisdom,
Renewal is not a destination,
It's a journey.
It is a rhythm.
So each and every breath you take is a real chance to return,
To refresh,
To begin again.
So when you are ready,
Bring gentle movement to your shoulders,
Roll them and stretch softly.
And when the moment feels right,
Slowly open your eyes.
Just carry this sense of renewal into your day or into your night's rest,
Knowing that you are always supported by the endless flow of the deo.
Namaste,
My friend.
