Speaker 1 (00:09):
This recording is an offering of Networks for Training and Development's Online University.

Jeremy Duke (00:21):
Hello, and welcome, everybody, to the Networks' Healing Circle call. Congratulations, everybody who's made it to this call, whether you're listening to it in real time or after the fact in a recording. I, I'm serious. I mean (laughs), pat yourself on the back for, uh, taking a few moments here to help take care of yourself, so that you can take better care of the people and the things in your life. So, whatever kind of day you had, whether it's Labor Day here when this is recorded, or when you're getting to listen to it, I'd like us to transition from what we were doing before this to a more calm and quiet space of listening and shared healing.

(01:20):
So, let's just feel the breath for a few moments. Just feel the breath. Don't do anything to it. Just notice it. Place your attention there, in breath and out breath, and the spaces in between. Just feeling it exactly as it is, shallow, deep, belly, chest, throat. Wherever you feel it, that's A-okay, allowing it to flow through the body, in and out.

(02:14):
Now that we've got a feeling of the breath, just allow it. And allow it to slow and then to deepen, and allow it to become smooth and even. Yeah. Just see if you can hold some of that throughout this 15, 20-minute call, slow and deepen, smooth and even.

(02:54):
I'm sitting here feeling like we can be grateful for having this time together, for even going about these Networks' Healing Circles, for having the technology to access them whenever you're on here, computer, phone, iPad. We can be grateful for having the inclination to do something healthy and good for ourself. We shouldn't take that for granted (laughs). We've all had times where it's, uh, shall we say, more difficult than others to do something good for ourself. We can be grateful for the Networks' team who makes this possible, Rosa, Jess, and all the technology people and everybody involved that's creating the Healing Circle and putting up the recordings online for us to access later when we're ready for them. And let's also be grateful for each other. I mean, everyone listening to this, who, through our decision, again, whenever we're listening, to be here now, to be connected to and to contribute to the group energy of this call.

(04:19):
We're about two and a half weeks away from the autumn equinox, which is the official start of fall for the northern half of the planet. And traditionally, this was a time of harvest, of reaping what was sown, and preparing for the cold season to come. We can take a cue from that, from both the tradition and from nature, that we should be preparing now for this change of season. You know, the Chinese had a saying, "Dig the well before you are thirsty," so for some of us, that might mean getting ready for seasonal allergies, or maybe preparing for the Seasonal Affective Disorder or depression that can sometimes come with shorter, colder days, and fewer green things growing up.

(05:14):
So, if that's you, don't feel bad. You've got a lot of company. Many of us feel a sense of sadness at this time of year, or even loss, or like we have less energy. But, but even so, we know that autumn comes with some blessings, some comfortable temperatures, and the beauty in the fall colors. So, if we can find that, some harmony within the season, we can focus on its gifts and limit the bad side at the same time. So let's remember, as the nights draw in and the temperature gets cooler, uh, may be a little damper, let's keep our heart and mind open so that we can embrace the season.

(06:04):
One thing that we can do to make that happen is to make sure that we get enough sleep. Always important, but even more so now, at this, the end time of year. We can attune to the darker mornings and darker evenings by maybe treating ourselves to an occasional early bedtime. Some people find they sleep longer and better once the summer passes away. Another thing we could do is mindfulness meditation, or create time to catch up on spiritual or personal development, or reading, something that we've been looking forward to and promising ourself the time and made the time for. So (laughs), along the same lines again, kudos to you for being here now, for yourself.

(07:00):
Staying active and exercising, always important, but key during autumn. Through autumn and into the winter, we might feel less like doing it with the colder, cooler, shorter days, but it's vital. Helps the flow of energy around the body and it strengthens the lungs, which are the organ associated with autumn. The lungs are obviously closely aligned with things like asthma, allergies. And exercise releases happy hormones that help us keep our mood lifted. Um, even a 20-minute walk, especially outside, uh, can help us feel better and more in tune with nature.

(07:49):
And then, of course, things like Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and yoga, these are great exercises that can help us align with the season I find. So I encourage you, don't be tempted to use the cold, damp weather - it's been raining here all day long (laughs) - don't use it as an excuse to become inactive, especially when there's still beautiful things to see outdoors with all the fall colors. No. Get out there and let your energy flow, and remember to dress for warmth.

(08:23):
Another quality of autumn can be a desire to reflect and discover who you are, and to find greater value and meaning in what you do. To embrace this, we can consider letting go of old habits and old patterns. A lot of times, we know what we need to do, but we have trouble doing it, so think of a habit in your life that you would be better off without. So, for me, the first thing that comes to mind is staying up too late sometimes. I always regret it when I do (laughs). I know I can improve there. I don't know.

(09:10):
For you, it could mean drinking too much soda, having a second dessert, or taking our frustration out on the people around us, or maybe watching the news or other shows that we know are gonna upset us. And maybe it's, uh, you know, holding onto a feeling or a resentment that no longer serves us. So, if you were able to think of something for yourself, you can probably trust the first thing that came to mind. Pick out that habit in your life, and just remember, the energy of the autumn season that's supporting you right now, and letting it go. Just think of the trees, and how they let go of the leaves. It's not the way of nature to hold on tight. And in the end, it just holds you back from blessings that- coming your way.

(10:13):
Another important way we can align with the season is to organize or declutter our home or personal space. It can be a great way to let go of the old so that the new can come into our life. And the actual process of decluttering is a conscious decision about what should and what shouldn't be in our life right now, and even that, in and of itself, can actually be very healing. As some of you might know, the Chinese actually have a whole art based on the energy flow of a space called feng shui, and (laughs) how important it is. And you don't have to know anything about feng shui to know that your home and your space feel better when things are in order and organized.

(11:10):
For food, it's important to begin to eat warmer and cooked meals, such as chili and soups and stews. All the wonderful seasonal vegetables that are coming in right now, the root vegetables, spices like garlic, cinnamon, ginger, are a good way to bring your body in line with the season.

(11:35):
And last, but certainly not least, I wanted to bring us to one of the most simple and always accessible ways to balance and strengthen the lungs associated with the autumn, and that's mindful breathing. Uh, that's exactly how we opened this call. It's a simple, even profound, way to get in touch with the breath, the body, and the energy of the lung and the throat.

(12:03):
We're going to do something a little bit more specific right now. So, if you're right-handed, I'd like you to press the right thumb against the right hand. If you're left-handed, press the left thumb against the left hand. You'll notice that it creates a fold between the thumb and the hand, and right at the end of that fold, in the fleshy, webby part of the hand between the thumb and the index finger, that's what I would like you to gently hold with the fingers of the other hand. Again, just with the dominant hand, folding the thumb into the index finger, finding the end of the crease that it makes, and holding that point with the fingers of the other hand. If that instruction was confusing for any reason, just let it go. It's totally fine to do this exercise without it.

(13:14):
Now, sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor, or on the floorboards. Let the shoulders relax down into their sockets, drop down. And let the head float above the shoulders, almost as if it were a balloon, weightless and effortless. Let the jaw relax and release. Let the forehead and the eyes relax and release. Breathe gently through the nose. Feel the air as it touches the rim of the nose. Is it cool, or is it warm? There's no right answer. Just notice how it feels to you.

(14:18):
See as you inhale and exhale if you can feel what the air feels like as it comes and grows across your upper lip. It might be so, and if you look for it, it's there. Feel the air, and how it feels as it enters your sinuses, coming through the nose and feeling the spaces in the front of the face. See if you can feel the air as it flows through and back out of the throat. Allow the throat to relax, to loosen. Create space for that air to comfortably flow through.

(15:45):
Finally, feel into your lungs. Feel the air as it comes in through the rim of the nose, through the sinuses, through the throat, and into the lungs, and follow it back out. Remembering to breathe gently, soften and deepened, smooth and even. Feel the air enter in your lungs and imagine a soft, white, healing mist that fills and nurtures the lungs with each breath. Imagine the white mist glowing with a soft light that grows with each breath. Allow the mist and the light to gather and fill each and every lobe, every air sac in our precious, sensitive lungs. Gently gather, gently brightening. Good.

(17:46):
Now, when I give the signal, let's take one big breath and one big exhale, and we'll release the healing white mist from our lungs to our large intestine, with an ah sound. If you don't know where the large intestine is, that's okay. Just release the white mist from the lungs to lower belly.

(18:18):
Let's practice the ah sound. It's going to be from high to low, almost as if you were stretching after you woke up in the morning, and it'll sound like this, ah. Let's give that one more practice run. Breathe in, ah. Good. Connecting back into the lungs, seeing and feeling the healing white mist, floating and nourishing the lungs. On the count of three, we'll inhale, exhale, allowing the mist to drop from the lungs into the lower belly, and saying the ah sound together. Ready? Here we go. One, two, three, inhale, exhale, and release to the lower belly, ah. Totally relaxing, totally releasing. Perfect.

(19:55):
Okay. We can relax. Wiggle your toes. Wiggle your fingers. Release the point on the hand. Feel free to try this meditation again if you enjoyed it. It really only needs to take just a few minutes. Then, if you need it, the recording will be up on the Networks' Healing Circle page, so by all means, visit it again if you felt any kind of benefit.

(20:30):
Just feel into your lungs for one more second. See if you can notice any difference from when you started this call. Maybe a feeling of openness in the chest. Maybe a feeling of warmth in the belly where the [inaudible 00:20:49] however you feel it, or even if you don't feel it, that's perfectly okay to be exactly as you are. And once again, thank you for being exactly who you are, for showing up for yourself, showing up for this call, because it wouldn't have been what it was without you. Thank you everyone. Please enjoy this wonderful autumn season. Take good care of yourself, and many blessings, everyone. Take care.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
Thank you for listening. We hope the information provided was helpful. Don't forget to stop by our website and take advantage of all we have to offer.