Namaste.
Welcome to your end of day practice.
Begin by finding yourself in a comfortable Shavasana position.
Sitting flat on your back,
Legs uncrossed but loose,
Your hands gently open to the sides.
If it feels comfy,
Your head may be on a pillow or you may in fact be under your covers,
Which is just fine.
Wherever you are,
Settle in.
Now if you feel squirmy at all,
Tighten your fists,
Curl your toes,
Clench your muscles from the distal parts inwards,
Your forearms,
Calves,
Biceps,
Quads,
Shoulders,
Hips,
Belly,
Chest.
Pull everything inwards towards your heart and then scrunch up your face.
Hold tight and let it go.
Feel your body get heavy,
Releasing into the surface beneath you.
Take a few deep breaths.
Allow your shoulders to release,
Your jaw to go slack.
Give yourself permission to rest.
And as you relax,
You begin to enter this place between dreaming and wakefulness where intuition and creativity reign.
Here we access the subconscious,
The limbic system of our brains.
It's a very deep way of knowing.
And this in-between time is known as hypnogagia.
Artisan writers have long invoked this consciousness to bring forth beauty and love.
Go there now.
It is here you manifest the dreams you have hidden in plain sight.
This mindfulness practice has its roots in the examine,
Which is a spiritual reflection and prayer developed by Saint Ignatius.
The first step of the process is to just breathe into mighty love.
Whatever you believe,
Lean into the love that underlies the very miracle of your existence.
Remember the perfect truth of you is so deep,
So rooted,
It connects to the very source of life,
The unmoved mover,
The power of the universe.
This is mighty love.
You have access to the ever-present,
The all-knowing,
The God of your understanding.
You're not just connected to the light.
You are the light.
You are radiant.
And next we lean into gratitude.
Where in this day did you feel the presence of that love and that grace?
And the next step is to zoom out and review the entirety of your day.
What thoughts and feelings were most striking?
What experiences are asking for your attention?
Where did you feel expansion or contraction?
The next step of this process is traditionally called petition,
But really it's just an ask for understanding or awareness.
So from this place of mighty love,
Of divine resonance,
Ask for guidance.
Allow a heart-based curiosity.
And in your ask,
Know that it's available.
What is it that you need to see,
To understand,
Or be?
Holding this petition,
Allow yourself forgiveness.
Where have you sought to quell longing,
Pain,
Fear,
Anger,
Or confusion?
Choose one feeling that is powerful from this day and just stay with it.
Allow it to be exactly as it is,
No judgments,
No verdicts,
No attachments.
The ability to be with emotions is the root of empathy,
Something we all need today.
To share that with the people you love,
You must begin within.
Where can you release your grip and forgive?
Pray over whatever arises.
And the final step of this process is to open to renewal.
One of the gifts of being a human being is that we get a reset button just about every 24 hours.
So what hope can you bring to your dreams tonight or your day tomorrow?
What might already be true?
What may be revealed to you from you or for you?
Dear one,
Sleep well.
May you be nourished.
May you be known.
Blessings beyond your vision.
Love beyond your light.
Ease and joy and healing as the day turns into night.
Om Shanti.
Peace.
Peace.
Peace.
Shanti.
Peace.
Shanti.
Peace.
Shanti.
Peace.
