Let's just start by coming into a comfortable seated position.
Wherever you are,
Make sure that you're in a space where you can be relatively undisturbed and you can really start to focus in on your breath and your body and just really being connected here.
So you can allow yourself to maybe close the eyes as you begin to settle down into your seat.
Sitting up nice and tall.
Maybe let the shoulders come down the back.
The chin can slightly tuck.
Let the eyes relax.
The jaw,
The back of the neck.
Take a few deep breaths here.
Allow yourself to inhale fully from the base of the belly.
And let it go.
Good.
Inhale fully.
Let it go.
Just take a few more moments here,
Deepening the breath.
Really getting ourselves in the position of listening here.
Maybe we just start by listening to the sound of our breath.
Maybe the sound of my voice guiding you.
Maybe listening to any other sounds or shuffles that might be in the room or the space around you.
Maybe listening to your thoughts as they start to come.
Usually in the beginning as we start to settle in,
We still have some sort of lingering thoughts.
Maybe thinking about it as we start to settle in.
Usually in the beginning as we start to settle in,
We still have some sort of lingering thoughts.
Maybe thinking about anything that happened earlier in the day.
Maybe still have some plans for later.
Sometimes the thoughts can be completely random and haphazard.
And that's okay.
We just take the space and time here in the beginning just to notice all of that.
Listening to the thoughts,
Listening to the breath,
Listening to your body.
And taking this as a holistic practice,
Listening through every aspect of our being.
Finally taking a seat,
Taking a step away from that of the doer or the mover,
The creator.
Right here,
You just give yourself a break.
Just allow yourself to step back.
Even if just for these first few moments here in the beginning together,
Just allow yourself to stop the doing,
Stop the changing,
Stop the shifting.
Just allow yourself to listen,
To listen and just be here.
It's only after we start to stop and listen that we can really attune ourselves to notice maybe where we might be holding ourselves back.
Or notice maybe where we might be making things more difficult for ourselves without even realizing it.
So I invite you as we go through this practice,
This ritual together just to see if you can stay in this seat of the listener for as long as possible.
Allow yourself to take a step back.
Let's bring the palms up to the heart,
Placing one hand on top of the other.
Just make that physical connection with your heart center.
Take a few breaths there into your chest.
Now begin to listen,
Just noticing how you might be feeling in this moment and in this space.
And give yourself permission to just honor that.
There's no good or bad,
No right or wrong.
There just is.
Let's take one final cleansing breath together.
Deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale,
Side out.
And then you can gently release your hands.
Begin to flutter the eyes open,
Allowing yourself to re-center in this space around you.
