Honoring Our Efforts

It's easy to get used to the rhythms and pace of our lives and forget to acknowledge all of the big and small things we do to take care of ourselves and our families. Some days just getting out of bed takes effort and is quite an accomplishment. From washing dishes to practicing patience and restraint, our daily efforts deserve acknowledgement. Thanking ourselves for all the ways we continually show up for ourselves and our families helps build our confidence and reminds us how much we care. It also encourages and inspires us to continue showing up in ways that we feel good about. In this practice, we'll take time to acknowledge our efforts by reflecting on all that we do to show love and support to ourselves and others. So let's start by finding a comfortable seated position. And when you get comfortable, just feel a lengthening in your spine, and a grounding of your body as it makes contact with the surface that you're resting on. And you can just rest your hands on your legs or in another comfortable position, and then close your eyes if that's comfortable. And as we get started, just give yourself permission to arrive in stillness, allowing it to be a really smooth and gentle transition. See if you can imagine the ease that you feel when you're done with all of the day's tasks and it's just time to relax in whatever way you'd like. See if you can bring that ease to this moment as you let go of what you have to do later, and just arrive here in this precious stillness. And then just take a nice deep breath in through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand. And as you exhale through your nose, feel the belly relax back down. Just doing that a few more times, tracing the path of a few, deep and slow breaths. And now just let go of any effortful breathing and allow your breath to find its own natural easy rhythm. And now we'll bring our spacious awareness to body sensations, listening to the body as we scan through it. So first just notice where you feel your natural breath moving your body. Maybe in the abdomen as it rises and falls, or maybe in your chest as you feel your lungs expanding and contracting, or maybe right at your nose, feeling the air as it enters and leaves the nose. And at any time in this practice, you can always drop my guidance and just rest in whatever spot you naturally gravitate toward today. So allow your awareness to expand from that one spot to other parts of your body. Scan your lower body as you notice sensations in your feet, your legs, your hips, and your abdomen. And then scan your upper body noticing sensations in your chest, your neck, and your throat and noticing your back and your arms all the way down to your hands and your fingers....