So if it feels good for you as you settle in,
I want to invite you to gently half or fully close your eyes.
If you prefer to keep your eyes open,
Guide your awareness inwards to your breath.
And as you tune in to your breath,
Notice the rhythm of your breath as it begins to enter and leave your body.
Notice that your breath ebbs and flows,
But your body stays still.
And there's the ground and the earth underneath you,
Supporting you.
Notice this dichotomy and this almost paradox of how still and how stable and solid your body and the ground is,
And how fluid and free your breath feels,
Embracing that paradox that is you.
As you sense and feel this paradox within you,
Guide your awareness from outside,
Noticing any sounds from outside,
The environment that you are in,
Including the sound of my voice,
Into the sounds and the sensations within you.
And with your next exhale,
Guide your awareness to your mind's eye,
The space between your eyebrows,
Deep inside,
Beyond the surface of your skin.
It's almost like you are watching a movie inside,
Unfolding,
And you are in the spectator's seat.
And in your mind's eye,
Begin to see on the big screen,
A ceramic bowl.
And this ceramic bowl is empty.
This bowl embodies you.
The bowl that is the container for life's creative impulse to flow through you,
Through your actions,
Your words,
Your projects,
Your relationships,
Your creations.
As you visualize and see this bowl,
See clearly its shape,
Structure,
Color,
Texture.
Is this bowl big or small?
Is it deep or shallow?
Is it uniformly shaped or is it unevenly shaped or irregularly shaped?
As you visualize and see this bowl,
Notice any cracks or seams on this bowl.
Is there any part of the bowl that is chipped or looks like there is a seam or a crack,
Or a part that may have broken off?
As you notice these cracks or seams or broken or chipped parts of this bowl,
Acknowledge these,
However obvious or however subtle,
As symbols of your own imperfections,
Of your vulnerabilities.
As you picture and see this bowl and connect with this bowl,
We will now prepare to engage in the radical act of breaking the mold.
When we break the mold,
We allow this bowl to shatter into countless fragments,
Symbolizing the profound transformations and experiences you undergo through your life.
And this breaking of the mold is not a defeat,
But instead a declaration of radical liberation,
A courageous release into the unknown.
Well,
Take a moment to connect with yourself.
As you see and feel this bowl suspended,
Floating,
Held and supported,
Feel that at this moment,
You are not alone.
This bowl is cradled by the invisible hand that wrote it all,
The pulsation of life itself.
We'll take a deep breath in to prepare.
And as you take a long breath out,
See and feel this bowl being released by the invisible hand,
And see and feel it hit the ground and shatter into countless fragments and pieces.
See and feel every single one of these fragments and pieces,
Every intimate part of you.
The fragments could be big or small.
They could be uneven or smooth.
They could be round or sharp.
See and feel all of them reflecting the different aspects of you,
Some public,
Some private,
Some more permanent and lasting,
Some more ephemeral.
Can you sense and feel and see all of them?
And now for each of these fragments you see and feel,
Acknowledge that they may be associated and connected with a specific event,
A particular time period in your life,
A part of you that you may have lost,
Forgotten,
Left behind.
For each of these fragments,
Connect with them and feel that within each of them there is a quality of you,
A quality of yourself,
Of how you've grown,
How you've evolved,
How you've changed or how you've persisted through all odds.
As you connect with each of these fragments,
Connect with the values and qualities of each of these,
Acknowledging and appreciating all of them.
And then if and when you feel ready,
We will now take a moment to prepare to reintegrate all of these fragments of you through the art of kintsugi.
