Settle into stillness.
Take a slow breath in and a soft breath out.
Feel the ground beneath you steady,
Supportive,
Alive.
You know the feeling when something that once fit,
Now rubs,
Pinches,
And leaves you sore.
That's how life feels when you've outgrown an old version of yourself.
A Zen teaching tells us,
When a student asked,
How do I step into my true self?
The master replied,
First you must take off the coat that no longer keeps you warm.
And like that coat,
Or like shoes that no longer fit,
We sometimes carry stories,
Identities,
Or roles that once protected us,
But now they weigh us down.
The Zen master said,
Take off the coat that no longer keeps you warm.
So begin by sensing into your body now.
Where do you feel the pinch of what no longer fits?
Where is there tightness,
Heaviness,
Or strain?
What part of your life feels like a coat too heavy,
Or shoes too small?
The master's words remind us,
Coats and shoes can be removed.
Bring to mind one role,
Belief,
Or habit that no longer serves you.
See it as a pair of shoes,
Too tight,
Too worn.
And then loosen the laces and gently slip them off.
What would it feel like to set them down,
Even just for now?
With every breath,
You are already releasing,
Just as you shrug off a coat,
Or slip out of shoes.
The exhale lets you loosen what no longer belongs.
What softens in you,
When you allow the breath to carry some of the weight,
And now barefoot,
You meet the earth directly.
No coat,
No shoes,
Just you,
Supported,
Steady,
Alive.
What is it like to stand here,
Simply yourself?
Without anything extra?
This is the heart of the practice.
Remember,
Step is to sense,
To take off,
To exhale.
And to be present.
It is not only a meditation,
It is a way of walking lighter,
In this moment,
And in daily life.
So sense,
What part of your life feels,
Like a coat too heavy,
Or shoes too small.
And take off,
What it would feel like to set these down,
Even just for now.
And exhale,
What softens in you,
When you allow the breath to carry some of the weight away.
Presence,
What is it like to stand here,
Simply yourself,
Without anything extra?
Let each breath echo step,
Sense,
Take off,
Exhale,
And present.
Now rest in silence.
And as Carl Jung once said,
We cannot live the afternoon of life,
According to the program of life's morning.
You have outgrown what no longer serves.
You've practiced sensing,
Taking off,
Exhaling,
And arriving in presence.
So walk the ground with ease,
And may each step you take be lighter than the last.
The coat that no longer warms,
The shoes that no longer fit.
Sometimes the bravest step,
My friend,
Is the one you take without them.
So keep this practice close,
Whenever life feels too tight.
Remember step.
If this meditation spoke to you,
I'd be honored if you followed me here,
So we could continue walking this path,
Together.
May your mind,
Body,
And spirit be abundant with peace,
With freedom,
With renewal.
Today,
And every day.
