Welcome.
I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Take the time that you need to prepare the body,
Bringing about a sense of ease and comfort.
As you arrive,
Allow your body to soften,
Making any slight adjustments that you might need.
Let the breath flow comfortably and naturally without a sense of force or control.
You can choose to practice with your eyes open or with your eyes closed,
Whichever makes you feel safe.
I invite you to take a slow,
Deep breath in and then a slow,
Gentle sigh out.
And then begin to breathe in a natural form,
Your natural breath flowing in and out.
Feel the rhythm of your breath as you breathe comfortably.
Notice the rise and fall of the belly or the ribs.
Know that the breath is available to you as a space to return at any time.
If you become lost or drift away or may be distracted by internal or external noise,
Know that you can return to the inhale and the exhale.
Imagine that you find yourself standing at the edge of a vast,
Open desert.
The sky stretches endlessly above you and on the horizon,
Golden morning light spills over the sand.
It's quiet,
Still.
You feel a sense of ease and safety and recognize there's a sense of sacredness within the silence.
You notice that you're carrying a satchel,
A small backpack or bundle,
And it holds the weight of things you no longer need.
Old fears and outdated stories,
Regrets,
Expectations,
Even identities.
You don't need to name them all.
Simply feel their weight.
Begin to walk slowly into the desert.
Feel the sand beneath your feet,
Warm and groundy.
Feel a gentle breeze across the skin.
With each step,
Maybe you feel a sense of lightness within your being.
And the sun rises gently,
But there's no rush.
You walk at a pace that feels comfortable to you.
In this moment,
There's only this pause,
This space,
And the opportunity to release.
You eventually come to a quiet place,
An invitation here to pause,
And you recognize that this is the altar of your release.
One by one,
You begin to place the contents of your bundle down onto the sand.
Maybe it's a thought pattern,
A wound,
A role that you've outgrown.
Whatever it is that you no longer need,
Place it down with a sense of love and compassion.
Place these things that no longer serve without judgment or creating story.
Let the desert hold these things for you.
It knows how to transform,
And it can carry that which we no longer wish to carry ourselves.
Notice there is now space within you.
Pause and feel that expansiveness.
Notice your breath.
Feel your body lighter,
Free,
Open,
Whole.
Take a final moment here.
Let the vastness around you echo the vastness within,
And then slowly begin to return back along the path you came,
Back to your breath,
Back to your body.
You are no longer the same.
You have returned to yourself,
And within that self,
There's more peace,
More space,
More compassion.
Take one final deep breath in and exhale softly,
Gently.
As you feel ready,
Some gentle movement can be brought into the body.
The eyes are closed.
Maybe they flutter open.
Allow yourself to rest as long as you might like,
But remind yourself that you are free.
You are whole.
You are complete.
Walk in peace.
