Welcome everyone.
Good morning,
Afternoon,
Evening,
Wherever we are meeting today.
May we settle in together in this beautiful space.
As you can hear in the background,
So perfect for this specific meditation.
The falling of rain.
It's the rooftop and the home that I'm in.
So let's open our ears and absorb the sounds of the natural world around us.
We'll be exploring our relationship and the conversation that we have with mother,
With our mom,
With nature,
With life during this meditation.
So we find a comfortable seated position.
Can lay if you'd like to lay.
Your body will tell you what it would like.
We just follow.
Let's take a deep inhale and exhale.
Resettle and ground.
Two fetuses were in the womb.
And one fetus says to the other,
Do you think there's life after birth?
The other fetus says,
Of course not.
There's no life after birth.
Who would feed us?
How do we live?
The other fetus says,
There has to be life after birth.
Mother would feed us.
She's feeding us now.
She would continue to feed us.
The other fetus says,
What mother?
Can you see mother?
Where is she?
Can you feel her?
Does she talk to you?
There's no life after birth.
The other fetus says,
I know you can't see her,
But you can feel her if you listen very quietly.
Can feel her heart beating.
Can feel her all around us.
She nourishes us now and she'll continue to nourish us.
The other fetus says,
No way.
How would we walk?
There's no water.
How would we be?
The other fetus says,
Maybe we walk on our hands or we'd crawl.
Maybe there will be something else waiting for us beyond birth.
I believe that there's life after birth.
Let's take a deep inhale and exhale.
We'll start our first practice today,
Pranayama.
Square breath.
So we inhale for five,
Hold for five,
Exhale for five,
Hold for five.
If my count is too fast or slow,
Then go at your own pace.
So let's take a deep inhale,
Exhale.
And we begin.
Deep inhale,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Hold.
One,
Hold.
Three,
Two,
One,
Exhale.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Hold at the bottom.
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Deep inhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
Hold.
Hold,
Four,
Three,
Two,
Exhale,
Releasing,
Four,
Three,
Two,
Hold.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two.
Continuing on your own count.
Finding a steady and settled soft breath.
Like the current of the river flowing through the body.
Losing yourself on the inhale and finding yourself on the exhale.
The mind softens.
We drop into a oneness with everything.
With the rain,
With our thoughts,
With the sound.
We become infused with whatever is arising around us.
Wherever you are,
We take a deep inhale and release.
Ah.
And resting gently in this space.
The sounds of the rain wash over you.
With the realization that the sound of the car honking is just as much God as the bird chirping.
It's the same fabric,
Just a different design.
Starting to notice that you are surrounded by divinity.
The air thickens as you are caressed and cocooned and held by the space around you.
I want you now to imagine.
Imagine your favorite fruit or vegetable.
And in a moment's time,
Your consciousness is transported to the farm where that fruit or vegetable grows.
And you sit next to the tree,
Or the vine,
Or the bush.
And you can start to feel the essence,
The spirit,
The vibe of this plant,
Of this bush,
Of this being that yields this food,
This nourishment.
Just you in a field with this being.
And you place your hand on the tree or on the vine.
And we say thank you.
As this planet keeps giving us and giving us unconditional love and nourishment.
And this deep gratitude runs from our hands into this creature,
Into this plant.
And we see that the deeper the gratitude coming from our heart through the palms into this tree or vine.
We see the flowers,
The fruit,
The vegetables starting to grow and sprout.
As if we were having a conversation of love.
As if the earth wanted to nourish us.
And we were grateful and connected.
As the fruit or vegetable falls to the ground,
And we're holding it in our hands,
Smelling,
Seeing these vibrant colors,
Yellows and greens,
Reds.
This nourishment filled with prana,
With life force.
And we hold it close to our heart.
And we see for just a moment as we sit in this beautiful field,
This spacious natural landscape.
That the people we love dearest start to appear with us.
And you smile and greet them as they witness you holding this beautiful piece of earth.
And together in gratitude,
You share this beautiful food.
As you pass it around and place it in your mouth,
It dawns on you that this food has never tasted so vibrant.
So clean and abundant.
That your heart grows as you are able to share with the people you love the most,
And you see the smiles on their faces.
As you sit together.
Connect.
That it is the earth that holds the space for us that brings us together to gather.
To sit together,
To eat together,
To share.
You can place your hands on the earth,
On the ground where your legs are.
Taking one moment for deep gratitude.
This beautiful planet.
Heaven on earth.
Take a deep inhale exhale to release our practice,
Deep inhale.
And exhale.
Our hands come to heart center,
Placing the hands on our heart.
And recognition that gratitude is the currency of our universe.
May we be grateful.
May we take only what we need and share the rest.
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be peaceful,
May all beings be liberated.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be liberated.
May the rain wash away anything left.
The enlightened in me sees and honors that same space in you.
Namaste.
