Rest the weary parts of you and treat yourself with care.
Settle in for the night and take a breath and pull evening's calm within.
It can feel so difficult to reach for what we want,
To bend and stretch and push beyond the rigid lines we've drawn for ourselves.
At first,
It may feel impossible,
Like something will break or split.
We fear the pain and stop too soon before change can truly take root.
But staying the same,
Is painful too.
And sometimes,
We even lose ground.
We close our eyes and look away and pay the price farther down the road.
But why are we here if not to change?
Life itself means constant motion from bones and cells to hearts and minds.
Transformation.
Transformation is how we survive.
Breathe in and think about how far you've come and how much that journey means.
Breathe out and imagine how far you could go.
How much more you have waiting inside.
Stretching comes in different forms,
Testing both body and mind.
Sometimes it's our choice.
Sometimes not.
But resistance usually is there.
Even if we want to change,
Discomfort can make us worry.
It can make the choice seem like a mistake and send us running for an easier path.
But escape is often a true dead end.
And hiding just makes us weak.
No matter how tight our muscles feel,
They yearn to do more than just exist.
Our promise lies not in what we do,
But where we can go from there.
So when we choose to hold our place,
We miss out on whatever we might dare.
There's a secret you need to remember.
A trick that might ease the way.
When some part of you starts to prove that you can do it,
Starts to protest the stretch.
Just breathe and see it through.
Like so many things in this world,
The answer is not what you think.
Rather than stopping when resistance shows up,
Let your breath push it out of the way.
Holding your course may be scary at first.
It may make you feel ill at ease.
But in the moment after you take that breath,
Relief will come your way.
The stretch will start to feel natural.
Something you were meant to do all along.
You may even crave another breath.
A chance to push for even more.
The only way out is through,
They say.
And that's true of growth as well.
There's no shortcut to strength or gain.
You must put in the time to change.
That change can begin with just one breath.
One bold moment that causes a shift.
From there the stretch gets easier.
And imagined obstacles fade.
Once you learn to embrace the difficulty,
Whether body,
Heart,
Or mind,
You can breathe your way through other things.
Finding freedom in the challenge.
So practice now as you fall asleep.
Push your thoughts away with your breath.
Then sink into that fresh,
Clear space.
And hold it open for serenity to come.
You have the power to go anywhere.
There are limitless paths to explore.
But just like a stretch that makes your muscles ache,
The journey will ask you for more.
Refusing the call will not help you.
In fact,
It increases the toll.
But acknowledging the need to bend in new ways,
Will pull you ever closer to your goal.
Maybe your dreams aren't yet full grown.
Maybe your vision needs to stretch as well.
Maybe the things you've been reaching for will drift closer as you lean into their way.
So trust that the stretch is worth it.
Believe it's for your ultimate good.
Bend your will.
And body alike.
And uncover what waits for you there.
Namaste.
Beautiful.
