Ho ho ho!
Hey there my little friend.
I'm so happy we're together again.
You know,
Every time you show up,
It feels like the sky itself opens a tiny door and whispers,
Oh,
He's back.
We just returned from the high,
High sky.
The clouds slowly slide apart,
Almost as if they're watching us come down.
The air gets thicker,
Heavier,
Like it's listening.
The reindeer make a soft,
Steady landing.
They always know exactly when it's time to go home.
Sometimes those clouds are so fluffy,
You'd swear if you reached out,
They'd wrap your hand in cool,
White mittens.
And then,
Boom,
We see the North Yard again.
Snow everywhere.
One giant white blanket that looks frozen in place,
As if it's waiting for us to touch it.
The snow here is like a huge winter bedspread that the North spreads out every day,
So everything feels calm,
Quiet,
Safe,
And beautiful.
The sleigh settles onto the snow.
I hop off,
And as always after a long flight,
I say,
Whew.
The reindeer snort softly,
And the air puffs out tiny,
Cold clouds,
Almost like it's happy we're back too.
I step on the porch step,
And it answers.
It always greets us,
Never once stayed silent,
Even when we come home super late.
Ah,
Yes,
I tell it,
I missed you too.
Then I sit down on the step,
And pat the space beside me.
Come on,
Today we're going to meditate right here,
Quiet,
Calm,
Like we're listening to a winter story.
Everything around us goes still,
The snow,
The air,
Even the tiny sparkles in the frost.
They know something important is starting.
The step gives a tiny warning tremble,
Like it's saying,
If someone wiggles too much,
I will let everyone know.
Oh,
Yes,
I nod.
She's honest.
She tells the truth with her creaks.
She checks who can sit still.
Right away she goes,
Skrrr.
Yeah,
She definitely has her own personality.
Strict,
But fair.
See,
She already wants to complain.
So sit straight,
We're starting.
And then,
As if on cue,
Sati appears beside you.
A tiny warm light glowing steady,
Calm,
Friendly.
He never flashes brighter,
Never dims,
Just shines like a little star that came here for one reason only,
To support you.
Sit in a way that feels right for your body.
Not stiff,
Not floppy,
Just natural.
Let your arms rest wherever they feel relaxed.
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to force.
Great,
You're already sitting calmly.
The little breeze by the door even makes a quiet approving whish.
Now let's try not to move too much.
Just try.
Here on the North Pole,
Even snowflakes know how to sit still.
They're experts at quiet.
Because the moment you start wiggling,
The step goes,
Who's moving?
Oh,
She's watching already.
Let's stay still.
She's as strict as my head elf.
Good.
Now gently close your eyes,
Like you're giving them a tiny rest.
Light,
Soft,
Easy.
Imagine one door,
The noisy world door,
Quietly closing.
And the door into the calm world,
Opening.
Everything gets softer.
Now find one tiny spot right under your nose,
Where your upper lip is,
Where your breath touches your skin.
That tiny place is where your invisible bridge lives.
Your breath walks across this bridge every time you breathe.
It's the simplest bridge in the world.
No builders,
No repairs,
Yet it works perfectly every single moment.
When you breathe in,
The breath walks up your bridge into your nose.
When you breathe out,
It walks down the bridge back to your lip.
If the bridge could talk,
It would say,
Oh,
Hey,
Inhale.
Nice to see you.
And later,
Oh,
Exhale.
You're back.
Awesome.
That bridge is our little power spot.
Every winter story has that one magical place where the magic begins.
For us,
It's this bridge.
Let's look at it even closer and simply notice.
Inhale.
Just notice it.
Exhale.
Notice it too.
Inhale rises,
Quiet and soft,
Like a tiny snowflake deciding to float up instead of down.
Almost invisible.
Exhale goes down the bridge,
Slow,
Gentle,
Like the north wind taking a soft breath and saying,
I'm here right next to you.
Sati floats with your breath too.
Up a little when you inhale,
Down a little when you exhale.
His glow spreads into the air around you,
Just a tiny bit,
Like a star making friends with your breathing.
Now find one tiny spot right under your nose,
Where your upper lip is,
Where your breath touches your skin.
That tiny place is where your invisible bridge lives.
Your breath walks across this bridge every time you breathe.
It's the simplest bridge in the world.
No builders,
No repairs,
Yet it works perfectly every single moment.
When you breathe in,
The breath walks up your bridge into your nose.
When you breathe out,
It walks down the bridge back to your lip.
If the bridge could talk,
It would say,
Oh,
Hey,
Inhale.
Nice to see you.
And later,
Oh,
Exhale.
You're back.
Awesome.
You're doing great.
You're sitting steady,
Breathing naturally.
The bridge is happy when things move slow.
Snowflakes around you even look like they're dancing.
They love it when someone breathes calmly.
To them,
Calm breathing is music.
Now,
Here's something funny.
When air rushes too fast across the bridge,
The bridge gets confused,
Like,
Hey,
Wait,
Who just zoomed past me?
It wiggles,
Not angry,
Just curious.
But when breathing stays calm,
The bridge relaxes.
It notices everything.
Let's try it.
Inhale.
Breath steps onto the bridge,
Moves across,
And finishes.
Somewhere far away,
A North Pole lantern swings from a tiny breeze.
The North is listening to your inhale.
Nice.
Exhale.
Breath walks back down the bridge and ends.
Even a little snowdust on the roof slides off like,
Phew.
The bridge gives a tiny,
Silent yes.
It loves this rhythm.
Gentle,
Steady,
Step by step.
The North respects anyone who can do things slowly and calmly.
You know,
When I fly at night with my reindeer brothers,
Sometimes my attention bounces around,
Just like my sleigh when it hits invisible air bumps or falls into tiny cloud holes nobody sees.
And the clouds giggle every time.
Shh,
Don't tell them I hear it.
But when I come back to my breathing,
The flight becomes smooth again.
No bumps,
No dips,
Just gliding.
Even the stars shine steadier.
They love when Santa isn't distracted.
And my porch step complains less.
See?
She notices everything.
So sit steady.
It helps your breath get steadier too.
Let's try again.
Imagine we're flying together right now.
Dark blue sky all around.
You sitting beside me.
Reindeer cutting through the air.
Ta-ta-ta.
All we need is to let the inhale cross our invisible bridge.
And the sky opens a smooth road for us.
There it is.
That inhale.
We see it.
It enters.
Enters.
Into the nose.
Yes.
You're doing amazing.
I'm so proud of you.
Now make space for the exhale.
There it goes.
We see it leaving.
Down the bridge.
And out.
Wonderful.
Maybe it even floated up to a cloud to tell it how beautifully you're breathing today.
Sometimes,
Even when we're helping our nose breathe,
We get distracted.
Totally normal.
Even snow gets distracted.
That's why it falls in the strangest places sometimes.
No one scolds it.
It happens to all of us.
Kids,
Grown-ups,
Even Santa.
Sometimes I'm flying home and suddenly think,
Hmm,
What ice cream are the elves making today?
I think about it so much that I forget I'm flying the sleigh.
My I want ice cream thought flies ahead of me straight to the workshop freezer.
Oh,
You might think too about games you'll play after Santa,
What cartoon you want to watch,
Where your toy is,
Or what you'll tell your friend next time you see them.
All those thoughts are like snowballs that roll on their own.
They come all by themselves,
Like tiny guests who visit quietly and leave just as quietly.
If those little thought guests show up too often and you notice them,
That's awesome.
It means your superpower turned on because when you notice them,
They come less often and you can play with the breath longer.
Yes,
That's your power.
Not many grown-ups can do this.
Some grown-ups have heads like giant houses where guests run in and out without asking.
Elves tease me.
Santa,
That's your head too.
And I say,
Yes,
But I've got a superpower.
I noticed them.
And you have it too.
You can see when a guest thought comes in.
Maybe it says,
What will I do after Santa?
Or where's my toy?
Or I want to play right now.
Any guest can appear.
They come,
They go.
Thoughts are like snowflakes,
Many,
Unique,
But each appears only once.
Remember,
Your superpower grows every time you help your inhale walk across the bridge,
Every time you help your exhale walk down the bridge,
Every time you return to your breath.
You're a hero who takes inhale by the hand and guides it across the bridge,
And you take exhale by the hand and guide it out,
Just like you take your mom or dad's hand and the world instantly gets kinder.
See,
Now the air comes in,
In,
In,
And now it goes out,
Out,
Out.
Your superpower is growing with every breath.
The step is excited too.
She loves when you return to your breath waiting on that tiny bridge.
Sometimes it seems like the step wants to train with us,
But she doesn't have nostrils.
And even if those thought guests come back 20 times or 40,
You return to the breath 20 times or 40,
And every time you grow stronger.
The North loves kids with this skill.
They shine like tiny lanterns in the snow.
Sati glows steadier,
Closer,
Like he's come back.
Your breath is waiting like a best friend.
Inhale here,
Exhale here.
If you get distracted,
No big deal.
Just return gently.
Try not to wiggle.
The step is listening.
She loves catching wigglers.
She'll make her victory.
Take a few more breaths.
Inhale,
Notice,
Exhale,
Notice.
If you feel a little calmer right now,
Your superpower is working perfectly.
Sati floats behind your right shoulder,
Bright,
Steady,
Kind.
He rises a little as you inhale,
Lowers as you exhale.
No hurry,
No effort.
If he had a tiny winter scarf,
It would wave up and down with each breath.
Amazing.
You're doing so,
So well.
He even glows a bit brighter.
That's his way of saying,
Yes,
You're doing it.
And I'm smiling too,
My little hero,
Because I see you training your superpower,
Breath by breath.
If every elf did this,
They'd never mix up whose mittens are whose.
We train like this every day at the workshop,
To stay focused,
Steady,
Careful.
You're practicing the same skill,
Just like a real helper of Santa.
Not everyone has this ability,
But you do.
And if you keep training like today,
Who knows?
Maybe one magical day,
You'll help me with presents just like the elves.
Training is fun,
Especially with Sati and the step who hears everything.
Keep breathing steady.
Inhale,
Sati rises.
Exhale,
Sati lowers.
Each breath makes you a little calmer,
A little stronger,
And even more of a hero in our winter story.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Slowly.
Let your new gaze be like a window opening and letting in fresh winter light.
I'll stand up too.
Oh,
There's the step,
Right on time with her favorite.
Oh,
Did you hear that?
She's proud of you.
Today,
You sat like a real North Pole hero,
Steady,
Calm,
Focused.
And I'm proud of you too.
Our game is finished for now,
And I can't wait to see you in our next North Pole adventure.
The elves are already arguing about who will hear your next inhale first,
And Sati is glowing.
He's waiting too.
When you hear my voice again,
The new game will begin.
