Welcome.
Take a moment to settle into your space,
Whether that's seated,
Standing,
Lying down.
Find a comfortable spot for your hands,
Perhaps on the belly,
Perhaps palms on your knees.
Whatever feels natural in this moment.
Close your eyes if that feels right.
I want to start our practice with a question.
And this question is meant to land in your body,
Not in your head.
This question doesn't need an answer from your logic,
From your sharp mind.
So just listen as I ask,
And let it land in the body wherever it wants to.
What wisdom are you carrying that isn't yours?
We all have books we haven't finished.
Advice collected and stored in notebooks,
The frameworks,
The teachers,
The podcasts,
The voices that seem to know something that we're not yet sure that we know ourselves.
At some point,
We may have decided that wisdom was something to be found out there,
Outside of ourselves.
And so take a breath.
And as you exhale,
Imagine setting one of those voices down,
Gently,
With gratitude.
You don't have to throw it away.
Just set it down for now.
And now set down another.
And another.
And one more.
Notice what happens in your body as you release what is not yours to carry.
There may be a little fear there,
That's okay.
There might be a grasping there,
That's okay too.
There might be some thoughts,
Like,
But what if I need it?
What if I don't know enough on my own?
Just stay right there,
And just notice.
Notice the thoughts without trying to fix them.
Notice the sensations without trying to change them.
Notice whatever is present in your body.
Now take a deep breath in,
And out through your nose.
Now place one hand on your belly.
Underneath all of that collected wisdom,
Underneath the books,
And the frameworks,
And the voices of others,
Something has been stirring and rising here the whole time.
Right here,
Underneath your hand,
Is where your knowing lives.
Not in your head.
Not in the podcasts.
Not in the books.
Right here,
Under your hand.
Feel your belly rise with your breath,
And feel it fall.
Feel it rise and fall.
What's under there is quiet,
Patient.
It's waiting for a little space.
Your inner wisdom does not shout.
It rises like bubbles from deep water,
Slow and certain,
Moving upward toward the surface in its own time.
You don't have to chase it.
You don't have to go finding it.
You only have to make room.
You only have to come back to this place of awareness,
Underneath your hand.
I want to ask another question,
And this time,
Just listen for what comes before your mind has a chance to answer.
What do you already know?
Let whatever rises,
Rise.
It doesn't need editing.
You don't need to question where it came from.
You don't need to ask if it's right.
Just allow it to rise.
This allowing for the rising of your own inner wisdom is self-trust.
Not the absence of doubt.
It's just the willingness to let your own voice be the first one you listen to.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Say to yourself quietly,
I already have the answers.
I already have the answers.
You always did.
When you're ready,
Take one more breath in and out.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
And come back to the room.
Thank you for your practice.
