And finding your tall seat,
Shoulders back and down,
Navel to spine,
Core engaged,
Eye soft,
Face soft.
Begin to cultivate an inhale through the nose and exhale out the nose.
Each inhale brightens the body.
Each exhale grounds you in this present moment.
You know,
One of the silly yoga jokes that always makes me laugh is that,
Or it's more of a cliche,
But I still think it's funny,
Is that life is a gift.
That's why they call it the present.
So root yourself in that gift,
The gift of breath and present awareness.
Scanning the body from head to toe,
Just to notice where the body is because it's a good contemplative practice to see how the vessel is.
Now that you've settled into your breath,
I will reintroduce the sentence.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my life right now.
Notice what that awakens in you now that you're a bit more interrogative,
Now that you're a bit more internally focused.
Was there apprehension?
Was there relief rather than critiquing it,
Just notice.
And then consider the following.
Inhales through the nose,
Exhales out the nose.
At higher levels of practice,
The notions of what we want disappear and all you want to do is serve the moment with love and grace.
And it's from that attitude of gratitude,
Viewing each moment that you are alive as an opportunity to serve,
A service mentality prepares you to embrace the phrase,
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Because if you are a vessel of service,
You're supposed to serve what becomes,
Just what comes in front of you.
So keeping inhales in the nose,
Exhale out the nose.
Keep repeating for the next 30 seconds or so,
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my life right now.
Even if you don't believe it in your mind,
Repeat it and notice what happens with the recitation of this in the form of a mantra.
Do the edges soften?
Does your mind rebel and be like,
Nah,
This is still like,
Just notice what happens here.
Ten more seconds,
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my life right now.
Ceasing the recitation,
Resuming an inhale deeper into the nose and exhale out the nose.
Now consider this,
Everything you've been through up until this point has prepared you for this moment.
Everything,
The good,
The bad,
The indifferent,
Everything has prepared you for this moment.
That's just how life works.
So if everything that you've been through until now has prepared you for this moment,
Then you are exactly where you're supposed to be.
And with that,
What wisdom have you gained through your life right now that you would not have gained if you hadn't been through all the things that you've been through?
Or to make it simpler,
What have you learned through the school of hard knocks that makes this moment easier to digest?
Whatever that wisdom is,
It's different for each of us.
But keep that wisdom in your heart,
Either energetically or maybe making that a mantra,
To soften the edges and fully begin to accept that you are exactly where you're supposed to be in your life right now.
So final minute here,
Either choosing to keep the wisdom or just returning to the breath,
Shoulders back and down,
Face soft,
Heart open,
Mind clear and present.
Last two breaths here,
Perhaps taking the breath even deeper.
Bottom of the next exhale,
Pressing hands into,
To bring hands together at the heart,
Pressing into the hands,
Shoulders back and down.
Notice how the body feels,
Notice what shifts may have taken place over the course of the breath work or the mantra or the recall of lived experience.
Four clearing breaths,
Then we're open to sharing.
Deep inhale through the nose,
Pause,
Exhale out the mouth.
Exhale,
Exhale,
Two more.
Deep inhale,
Exhale,
Last inhale,
Exhale out the mouth,
Bow head towards hands as a gesture of reverence for the practices and for one another.
And as you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Regain your focus,
Lift the head.
Welcome back.
