Hello and welcome.
I'm so glad that you're here.
My name is Diane and before we begin,
I just want you to know that there's nothing you need to do in this practice except to be present.
You are the one in charge and if anything I offer doesn't feel right for you,
You're always welcome to skip it,
To modify it,
Or to simply just rest.
This is completely your experience.
And let's just begin by simply noticing where you are right here in this moment,
Just sensing the space around you,
Noticing the temperature of the air,
Any sounds you might be hearing nearby,
The feeling of the surface beneath you supporting you,
And you're just noticing,
Just being aware that you're right where you are,
That you're present,
And you're right here in this moment with me.
And just this simple act of orienting,
Noticing your environment,
It's honestly one of the most powerful things you can do to help your nervous system feel safe.
So just take a moment with it.
Let your awareness move gently around the space that you're in,
Like a warm light scanning familiar ground.
So let's begin.
If it feels comfortable for you,
You can gently close your eyes,
But if you'd rather keep them open,
Just bring in a soft downward gaze,
Maybe looking at your hands or the floor,
Either one is completely fine.
And let your attention drift just softly without force,
Bringing your attention to your breath.
Not to control it,
Just to notice it,
Just noticing the way your body breathes on its own,
Without being asked,
Without even thinking about it,
The way it has been breathing for your entire life,
Just keeping you here,
And keeping you alive.
You may feel like you want to place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
And this is just to help feeling more into your body and noticing just the gentle rise and fall of your belly,
And your chest as you're breathing in and as you're breathing out.
The receiving of breath and the releasing of breath.
Your breath is your anchor.
It is something reliable,
Something true.
And whenever anything in this practice feels like it might be too much,
You can always just return right here,
Just to your breath.
Whether you're placing your hands on your body or not,
Just tuning into your breath,
To this moment,
To right now.
And I invite you now to join me in spending just a few moments arriving in the body,
Not pushing or demanding anything,
But just extending a gentle,
Curious invitation,
Bringing your awareness now to the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
Perhaps noticing your feet on the floor,
Or your back against whatever surface it might be against,
Or noticing the weight of your hands resting.
And just simply noticing whatever you're sitting or lying on is holding you completely,
Supporting you.
You don't have to hold yourself up right now.
You are allowed to be held.
So just feel that support,
And let yourself receive it,
Even just a little.
Even if receiving feels unfamiliar,
That's okay.
You're just noticing.
There's no judgment.
And now just sensing the weight of your body,
The pull of gravity.
You are tethered to this earth.
You belong here.
And you have every right to be here,
To take up space,
To be exactly as you are.
I'm going to gently invite your awareness now to move through different areas of your body,
Just slowly,
With curiosity and with kindness.
You don't have to move anything.
Your body doesn't have to do anything.
There are no right ways to do this.
There's nothing your body needs to do or be.
We're just simply visiting,
Like visiting with the warmth of a dear friend.
If any area in your body feels uncomfortable to visit today,
Then just skip it and simply return to your breath.
Your wisdom about your own body is always correct.
So bring your awareness to your feet,
Your toes.
Again,
You're not moving them.
You're just noticing the soles of your feet,
Any warmth or coolness,
Sensation of tension,
Numbness,
Ease.
No evaluation,
No judgment.
You're just noticing.
And moving slowly upward,
Becoming aware of your ankles,
Your lower legs,
The back of your knees,
Noticing your thighs.
Anything you notice about your body in a non-judgmental way is welcome.
And your body's response is always intelligent.
Becoming aware of your hips and your pelvis.
And this part of the body often holds a great deal.
If there's tightness,
Discomfort or heaviness or emotion when you visit these areas,
It's all welcome.
And you may just send a simple breath in this direction of your hips and your pelvis,
As if to just say,
I see you.
It's okay.
You can soften.
Noticing now your lower belly and your upper belly,
Intuitive center of your solar plexus.
And your emotional center,
Your heart space.
Just noticing what's present without needing to explain or resolve.
And moving around to your lower back and the middle of your back.
And the space between your shoulder blades.
And so many of us carry such weight here.
The weight of doing,
Of holding,
Of trying.
If your back or shoulders could speak right now,
What might they want to say?
And you don't have to have an answer.
Just listen.
Focusing on your shoulders now.
And having the intention,
Maybe even allowing them to just drop,
Even just a fraction of an inch as you exhale.
And releasing perhaps something,
Even just symbolically.
Whatever that might be for you is perfectly right.
Awareness now through your arms,
Your elbows,
Your forearms.
Your hands.
Our hands do so much.
Just allowing them to completely rest.
And then moving your awareness up to your neck and your throat.
A place of voice,
Of expression.
And often unexpressed things.
Whatever lives here is welcome.
Noticing your jaw,
Your teeth,
Your tongue,
Your cheeks,
Your nose,
Your ears.
Your eyes and the space behind your eyes.
Your brow.
Smoothing,
Softening.
And all the muscles of your face just softening and relaxing into an expression of just quiet rest.
And then finally,
Just bringing your awareness all the way up to the very top of your head,
The crown of your head,
The top of your being.
And then sensing the space above you as well as below your feet.
Because you exist here between the earth and the sky,
Grounded and expansive,
Human and luminous.
And taking a moment now to hold your whole body in your awareness all at once.
Almost like viewing a landscape from above.
Not analyzing,
Not trying to fix anything.
You're just witnessing with the quality of compassion.
Because your body has carried you through everything.
Through every challenge,
Every season,
Every sleepless night,
Every ordinary Monday.
It's carried you through grief and through joy.
It's kept you breathing,
It's kept you moving,
And it's kept you alive.
And perhaps you can find,
Even for just this moment,
A feeling of gratitude towards this body.
Not for how it looks or how it performs,
But just simply for being.
For being your home and for carrying your life.
You are safe in this body.
And this body is safe with you.
As we prepare to end this time together,
I'd like to offer you a final transmission,
Which is a frequency of love from the language of light,
Of safety,
And of wholeness.
Just simply receive it.
Your body and your energy field will take in exactly what they need.
Naroshaya.
Very slowly and gently,
Let's begin to return to the space around you.
Becoming aware of the sounds nearby,
The surface beneath you,
Your breath,
Just still,
Steady,
Still true.
Beginning to deepen your breath slightly,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes,
And maybe begin to just stretch in whatever way your body wants.
It's like waking up from a beautiful rest,
Taking your time.
There's no rush.
You can stay in this space if you're able.
Or just simply allow your eyes to softly open,
Moving gently,
And just honoring what just happened,
This experience.
Taking a few moments or more before you rush back into the world.
Maybe drink some water,
And give yourself permission to be gentle with yourself the rest of the day,
This evening.
It was such an honor to hold this space with you.
I thank you for the courage that it takes to turn toward yourself with kindness and compassion.
I hope to meet with you again back in this space sometime,
And take good care.
Blessings to you.
