Care For Your Soul (Live)

As we take our time to allow the energies of our minds and bodies to settle down I invite you to really get a sense that we are coming together with the same intention to give ourselves a break from all of the busyness and the noise and to go within to take care not just of our minds and our bodies but to really take care of our souls you know something that gets really neglected in our culture to take care of that deeper aspect of ourselves the small voice within that can sometimes be drowned out by all of the noise on the surface and so I invite you to make any final adjustments that you need to now to your posture so that you can make this loving commitment to taking care of your soul and let's start by if it feels comfortable for you by placing one hand over our heart space and the other hand over the abdomen over the belly and start to feel the energies of your system settling down naturally let the weight of your whole body be held by the support beneath feel the warmth of your hands which are an extension of your heart letting your body know that you're here welcoming your body exactly as it is and let's just breathe together let's take our time just to breathe breathe let your breath go just that little bit deeper down into your belly than usual so no need to overfill or stretch the breath but just very gently let your breath go sink just that little bit deeper and then let the exhalation go with a really long soft releasing sigh across the lips and as it goes just that little bit deeper and as it comes to the end of your breath just let your breath go and as it comes to the end of your breath and as it goes just that little bit deeper without forcing but really slowing down now taking your time inhaling really low slowly and then just giving the exhalation away with a really long soft sigh of relief as we commit to giving it all up right now now giving up all the controlling and the managing the directing and as you continue to take as many of those low and slow breaths as your mind and body need to feel safe held continuing to feel the subtle sensation as the breath comes in and as the breath leaves continuing to take those low and slow breaths as i read this poem that i've chosen for us this evening by a lady called zoe johansson and this poem is called hold my hand and i chose it because um essentially this is what we're doing when we stop to meditate and so as i read these words i really sense that this is how you are showing up for yourself that your presence is is what is being offered in these words so this poem goes like this will you hold my hand for a little while a little while i don't need you to save me no need for you to fix anything no need for you to hold my pain but will you simply hold my hand and i do not need your words your thoughts nor your shoulders to carry me but will you sit here for a while with me whilst my tears they stream whilst my heart it shatters whilst my mind plays tricks on me will you with your presence let me know that i am not alone whilst i wander into my inner unknown for my darkness is mine to face my pain is mine to feel and my wounds are mine to heal but will you sit with me here while i courageously show up for it all my dear while i courageously show up for it all my dear for i am bright because of my darkness beautiful because of my brokenness and strong due to my tender heart will you take my hand lovingly when i sometimes journey into the dark i don't ask for you to take my darkness away i don't expect for you to brighten my day and i don't believe that you can mend my pain and i don't believe that you can mend my pain but i would surely love if you could sit for a while and hold my hand until i find my way out of my shadow land so will you hold my hand until i return again and so as you really allow those words to permeate your whole being let this be the essence of your practice none of us really want to be fixed or saved you know we just want that unwavering presence to really feel like we've been seen and heard held and that is the gift that we give ourselves in our meditation practice we bring our own presence to bear on whatever is playing out moment by moment we really show up for ourselves we make the commitment to really being here as an aware presence for all of it for every aspect of our human cells without any analyzing or fixing we don't have to wait for someone outside of ourselves to be that presence that's a gift that we can give ourselves and so that's our commitment together this evening just to be present and to really be here for all that wants to be seen within ourselves and so let yourself drop right here and now into the space of just being which you don't need to make happen or try for and let's attend to the body to wherever we may be holding resisting or pushing away that feeling of just surrendering to just being welcome the feeling of your whole body notice where you're bracing clenching and let your whole body soften feel where your body meets the surface beneath feeling that contact directly welcome whatever sounds are arising in this moment let them come to you and let them be whatever sounds are arising in this moment let them come to you sounds in the distance sounds closer by sounds in the distance noticing each sound but not letting your attention get lost just noticing you may be able to hear the sound of your own body breathing just noticing not getting involved notice the touch of air on the skin the temperature of your body just noticing the natural taste inside the mouth just noticing the tongue resting in the mouth let the hinges of your jaw loosen lower jaw surrendering to gravity and let there be a softening of the whole face whole face softening forehead smooth forehead softening space between eyebrows resting open let your eyes soften right back the feeling behind eyes expanding the back of the head the base of the skull back of the neck throat just taking a moment now to feel any tensions in the face the head or the neck allowing them to soften to dissolve and release down and out of the body whole head light pure sensation pure sensation just keep coming back anytime your mind wanders every moment that you notice that you're lost in thought there is a choice in that moment to keep coming back to keep being that grounded stable presence for yourself so keep gently unhooking keep softening back just being shoulders softening down any tension living in the shoulders emptying out releasing down and out of the body arms giving up their weight the upper arms elbows forearms wrists hands right now in this moment welcome the feeling hands not the image or the memory but the actual feeling right now in this moment hands palms fingers tips of fingers pure sensation the whole spine softening softening releasing and letting go all of the muscles in the back giving up their command releasing their tensions down and out of the body the whole front of the body softening opening opening notice how your body moves as the breath comes in and as it leaves just a very subtle movement in the chest and the belly as your body breathes all by itself the pulsation as your heart beats getting really really still quiet so that you can feel hear and sense the pulsation of life within you your precious beating heart and let there be a softening deep in the belly organs finding their place of rest giving up their tensions and those tensions dissolving down and out of the body the lower half of the body softening softening giving up its weight hips thighs knees calves ankles heels soles of feet right now in this moment no matter where your attention has wandered without any judgement I invite you to bring your full attention right here soles of feet the immediate feeling dissolving in this moment soles of feet making no effort whatsoever but just noticing what is already right here in this moment soles of feet toes tips of toes space between toes the whole body whole body whole body giving up all the places that are being held all the places where you find gripping resistance allowing it all to soften welcoming whatever remaining tension is ready to be released for now to arise to be noticed and to melt away down and out of the body whole body softening expanding and coming to rest in the healing balm of your presence and so beautiful friends let's just rest here together being the hand that holds us for a while a hand that is just here for us your unwavering unmoving presence here for all that moves within you let's just be here for whatever shows up let's just be here welcome the feeling of your whole body whole body noticing where your body meets the surface beneath just feeling that contact where your body meets that support the direct feeling feel the sensation in the palms of your hands feel the aliveness that's here whole body pulsating with life notice that your body is breathing just noticing that your body is breathing notice the noticing that you're aware let your breath go just a little bit go just a little deeper again down into the cave of your belly without stretching or overfilling the breath just let it go that little bit deeper really low and then let the exhalation go with a really long soft sigh as you breathe out right to the very end just spending these precious moments feeling your breath staying with your breath a subtle sensation at the tip of your nostrils letting your breath go just that little bit deeper body really softening to receive that gift generously let's take a moment to call forward our prayer for our lives from the depths of your being what do you really want?

What longs to express itself through you through you through the unique expression that is you what does your soul long to express?

What really matters?

Just paying attention to that to that small voice within you and let's take a moment together to call forward the help that we may need to shed outdated ideas and beliefs patterns of behavior old ways of being that no longer serve us that keep us from expressing what longs to express calling forward whatever help you need on this journey to just showing up as we naturally are trust that that help is here for you that it is within you trusting that the help will come so that we have the ears to hear the voice of our soul and then let's take a moment to bow in gratitude to what we already have to all the ways that our lives are truly blessed to just recognize how lucky we are to take note and acknowledge what you're grateful for who you're grateful for I am so grateful for your presence here in this medicine space that we co-create where together we we learn to regulate our nervous systems together so that we have access to our innate wisdom,

Our inner knowing,

Our inner guidance our strength,

Our courage which each and every one of us has within ourselves will you sit with me here while I courageously show up for it all,

My dear that is the gift that we give ourselves to make a commitment to being here together with whatever shows up to be here for it all the boredom the frustration the restlessness the anger,

The sadness the irritation whatever it might be can we stay can we show up as that loving stable presence that we are but that we usually have forgotten that we are I really am so grateful for your commitment to that so thank you for being here friends yeah take a moment to feel and listen to what your body wants and needs now does your body want to sleep to continue resting to continue bathing in that solid stable presence the one that can be here for every aspect of your humanness for the whole play of life or maybe movement wants to happen maybe your body just wants to move and stretch allowing that to happen naturally maybe staying anchored in your ground of being that loves that movement take your time go easy on yourself continuing to nourish yourself with some full low and slow breaths remembering that you only have to stop just for one moment relax the muscles in your body and notice that that presence is always available that presence that you are so beautiful friends thank you let's just take one last deep breath in together and as we exhale whatever peace or benefit that we have touched upon within ourselves this evening let's on the out breath let's send that out to all the corners of the earth of the universe to touch and nourish those who are in need of that and then as we take the next breath in after that let that come back landing back in your own heart inhaling deeply exhaling sending it out and inhaling let it boomerang back back into your own heart thank you friends sending you loads of love