Welcome.
My name is Melissa Klehammer,
And thank you for joining me for this Mabon ritual.
Please have your journal close,
And we'll be doing one acupressure point to help you connect to your heart.
So if you have lavender essential oil,
Please gather that as well.
And then set yourself up in a comfortable seat for meditation and journaling.
Light a candle or some incense if you'd like,
And settle in.
And we'll take three deep breaths together.
We'll begin with acupressure at the middle of the breastbone.
Initially,
The pressure will be firm,
But as we continue,
I'll ask you to release it little by little.
If you're choosing to use lavender essential oil,
Please place one drop on the tip of your middle finger,
And then press that into the center of your breastbone,
Nice and firm.
This acupressure point helps to connect you to your heart and to your spirit.
And release the pressure just a little bit.
Release just a little bit more.
And a little bit more.
So there's just the most gentle connection between your finger and your breastbone.
And then please release your hand down.
We'll move into breath work with a light application of ujjayi breath,
Where we softly close off the back of the throat,
Making a very subtle sound just for yourself.
And we'll inhale and exhale to the count of four.
Please take two more breaths to the count of four.
And then inhale for five and exhale for five.
As you breathe,
Hearing the ujjayi breath and hearing how it almost mimics the fall winds of change coming in.
Please take one more breath cycle.
Inhale five,
Exhale five.
And if it's available to you,
Inhale for six,
Exhale for six.
This will be our final pattern.
We're keeping the sameness of the breath,
Samavrtti,
Same wave,
To help create stability in the breath,
Which creates stability in the mind.
But the sameness also reflects the equal parts of day and night on this fall equinox.
Please take one more breath cycle.
Inhale for six,
Exhale for six.
From here,
We'll move into visualization,
Still keeping this very gentle ujjayi breath.
Now please see or sense the wind moving through the trees.
See or sense the trees swaying in the breeze.
The leaves changing color throughout the season.
Seeing ripples in water caused by the breeze.
Possibly even gently swaying your spine as if you were a blade of grass in the wind.
And then let this gentle wind settle in the space of your heart and feel the relief that it brings,
The freedom,
The anticipation for the coming season.
Now consider the past two months.
What has taken place in your life?
What has been helpful,
Productive,
To help with a graceful transition into fall?
What would you like to bring with you from the summer?
Maybe it's a habit you cultivated or a feeling.
Whatever it is,
When you're ready,
Softly open your eyes,
Reach for your journal,
And write.
We'll be here for about one minute.
Please come back,
Eyes closed,
Awareness at your heart,
With a gentle ujjayi breath.
As it turns cooler,
It may feel natural for some to turn to more warming practices,
Longer holds with yoga asana,
Strength training,
Kapalabhati breath work.
For others,
It feels more natural to turn inward to more reflective practices,
Meditation,
Or yin yoga.
There's inspiration in the cool,
Dark mornings.
It's up to us to create a balance between the two.
With all of this in mind,
How would you like to progress into the cooler months?
When you're ready,
Softly open your eyes,
Reach for your journal,
And write.
We'll spend about two minutes here.
Please finish up.
Moving forward,
Please keep this journal entry open where you meditate or where you'll see it every day so that you have a reminder of how you want to intentionally transition into fall.
If you'd like to continue your fall celebration,
Here are a few ideas for bringing Mabon into your home.
Open your windows to air it out and to release stagnant energy.
Set a diffuser with citrus essential oils.
My favorite is to take a small pot with about an inch of water,
Put a cinnamon stick and some orange peels in there,
And set it on low and check it frequently.
You can make applesauce,
Or you could collect leaves,
Acorns,
Pine cones in a bowl,
Place it as an offering in your garden or on a table in your home,
Perhaps on your altar.
Those are just a few ideas for celebrating and honoring the fall season.
Please jot down any others that might have come to mind.
And we'll close with taking three smooth ujjayi breaths together.
And please place hands at your heart with a slight bow.
May the winds of change soften your heart and your transition into the fall season.
Happy Mabon.
My name is Melissa Kleehammer,
And thank you for being here.
