WEBVTT - What Horses Can Teach

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<v Speaker 1>You found your way here to waking up with Ryan.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm so glad that you pushed play. This is the

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<v Speaker 1>place you and I come to wake up together. So

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<v Speaker 1>let's take a deep breath and begin good morning, my love.

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<v Speaker 1>Horses majestic beings that are millions of years older than

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<v Speaker 1>Homo sapiens, animals who we as a species required for

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<v Speaker 1>our ability to build life and worlds. Horses are God.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's a world of therapy called equine therapy where

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<v Speaker 1>equine therapists work with the horses and people to do

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<v Speaker 1>healing therapy work with the horses. I first did equine

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<v Speaker 1>therapy maybe eight or nine years ago, and what was

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<v Speaker 1>explained to me by the therapist is that horses, now

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<v Speaker 1>mind you. I was doing this in a trauma informed

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<v Speaker 1>therapy retreat where we were talking and working on becoming

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<v Speaker 1>more emotionally available, more aware of, especially the breath of

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<v Speaker 1>uncomfortable emotions that happen in our bodies that we typically

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<v Speaker 1>dissociate from, that we typically run from, that we don't

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<v Speaker 1>know how.

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<v Speaker 2>To be with.

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<v Speaker 1>So the equine therapist explained to us that horses, for

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<v Speaker 1>many reasons, are absolutely energy feelers. They're always paying attention

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<v Speaker 1>to energy, and they read the depth of energy in

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<v Speaker 1>everything and in humans. And what she shared was that

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<v Speaker 1>horses will trust you. What does that mean? As you're

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<v Speaker 1>walking around the ring with them, They'll come to you,

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<v Speaker 1>they'll walk with you, they'll trust you, as long as

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<v Speaker 1>what they feel from you on the inside is what's

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<v Speaker 1>being expressed on the outside, meaning when you're working with

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<v Speaker 1>a horse, whatever it is that's happening inside of you emotionally,

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<v Speaker 1>as long as you're aware of it and it is

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<v Speaker 1>being expressed externally, it can be seen. The horse will

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<v Speaker 1>work with you, will walk with you, no problem. But

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<v Speaker 1>the moment that there is an emotional experiencing happening inside

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<v Speaker 1>of you that probably you're not even aware of, or

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<v Speaker 1>you are aware of it and you are consciously pushing

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<v Speaker 1>it down. The moment there's some kind of of emotion

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<v Speaker 1>happening inside of you that you are not expressing, the

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<v Speaker 1>horse stops it doesn't trust something's off. It'll stop walking.

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<v Speaker 1>And in that moment, WHOA. You can't pull a horse.

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<v Speaker 1>If that horse stops walking, you stop walking. And in

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<v Speaker 1>the therapy work, it gave us the opportunity when the

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<v Speaker 1>horse would stop walking, to go, hmm, what is happening

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<v Speaker 1>inside of me that I wasn't aware of, and check

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<v Speaker 1>in some of the people in the group that I noticed,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, when the horse would stop walking, they would

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<v Speaker 1>try to pull the horse. Isn't that an interesting way

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<v Speaker 1>to try to continue to avoid what's going on inside?

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<v Speaker 1>Don't you do that in your life? I certainly do.

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<v Speaker 1>There's discomfort happening in my body. I don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>feel it, largely unconsciously, so I try to pull or

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<v Speaker 1>push at life to keep going and keep making things happen,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, all in an effort unconsciously to like keep

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<v Speaker 1>my life moving so that they don't have to feel

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<v Speaker 1>the discomfort that's arising inside your and my body. But

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<v Speaker 1>just like you can't pull a horse, you cannot actually,

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<v Speaker 1>in truth, you cannot actually avoid discomfort. You can temporarily

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<v Speaker 1>distract yourself from it, but that means that doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>it goes anywhere.

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't.

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<v Speaker 1>And at some point, if you don't pause to check in,

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<v Speaker 1>to feel, to allow to inquire, if you avoid the discomfort,

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<v Speaker 1>it will build and build and build and build and build,

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<v Speaker 1>And much like a beach ball that you're trying to

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<v Speaker 1>hold under the water, at some point it will bubble

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<v Speaker 1>up and hit you in the face. And that happens

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<v Speaker 1>when you're triggered, when you're experiencing crisis, when you're experiencing

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<v Speaker 1>something challenging. But your emotional reactivity to things that are

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<v Speaker 1>challenging in your life.

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<v Speaker 2>Are way more related to all.

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<v Speaker 1>The unprocessed discomfort in your body from a lifetime of

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<v Speaker 1>being human than it is just to the thing that's

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<v Speaker 1>happening to you in any given moment, the thing, the

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<v Speaker 1>person is saying, the thing not going your way.

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<v Speaker 2>And so it's really important that.

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<v Speaker 1>You give yourself the space every single day when discomfort arises,

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<v Speaker 1>to stop, to become aware of it, to feel it. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>you and I are not walking around the world, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>some of you are. I'm jealous if you are. We're

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<v Speaker 1>not walking around the world with a horse all the time.

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<v Speaker 1>So in the absence of having a horse, let you

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<v Speaker 1>know that, hey, there's something going on inside your body

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<v Speaker 1>that you're not aware of, and it's time to become

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<v Speaker 1>aware of it. How can you become that person for yourself?

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<v Speaker 1>How can you become the person that has developed so

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<v Speaker 1>much self awareness that even in a moment that's super dysregulating,

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<v Speaker 1>you still have the capacity to feel what's happening inside

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<v Speaker 1>of you. Allow yourself to feel it, let it come up,

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<v Speaker 1>prioritize it, let it process be felt, and move, which

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<v Speaker 1>takes about ninety seconds, and then go into your response,

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<v Speaker 1>your reaction, your action. How can you become that person? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you and I are doing it every day if you're

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<v Speaker 1>joining me in these daily podcast episodes. This is what

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<v Speaker 1>we're doing here every morning, whatever the theme is that

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<v Speaker 1>I may be talking about, ultimately, every morning we are

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<v Speaker 1>having a practice together to become more aware.

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<v Speaker 2>Of ourselves.

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<v Speaker 1>Every moment that you slow down, you go within, you

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<v Speaker 1>take some breaths, You stop engaging with the entire outer

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<v Speaker 1>world and choose to presence yourself to your inner world.

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<v Speaker 1>This is building the musculature of becoming aware of what's

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<v Speaker 1>happening inside your body when there's something that needs your attention.

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<v Speaker 1>And so it's just like having that horse. The more

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<v Speaker 1>you build this emotional awareness, this emotional musculature, through turning in,

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<v Speaker 1>turning in, turning in, relaxing back, becoming aware, feeling fully,

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<v Speaker 1>you become your own horse. You will stop yourself dead

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<v Speaker 1>in your own track when the discomfort arises, so that

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<v Speaker 1>you can prioritize that first before anything else. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>musculature that builds in time, and it is profoundly life changing.

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<v Speaker 1>One recommendation that I would have for you today and

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<v Speaker 1>every day until you don't need it is to utilize

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<v Speaker 1>your technology. For now, you can utilize this external technology

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<v Speaker 1>to be the reminder for you. So what I recommend

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<v Speaker 1>you do is you set an alarm on your phone

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<v Speaker 1>to go off every two hours. So you can set

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<v Speaker 1>an alarm for eight am, for ten am, for noon,

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<v Speaker 1>and so on, and label the alarm how do I

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<v Speaker 1>feel right now? And whenever the alarm goes off, no

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<v Speaker 1>matter where you are, pause for just a moment and

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<v Speaker 1>check in and just ask yourself, how do I feel

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<v Speaker 1>right now? And just notice what's there. Do that five

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<v Speaker 1>times a day. Do that five times a day every

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<v Speaker 1>day for the next week, and notice how that musculature

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<v Speaker 1>builds for you to become increasingly aware of how you

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<v Speaker 1>feel throughout the day. I hope you take that suggestion

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<v Speaker 1>and let me know how it goes for you. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>have a short practice to allow ourselves to drop in

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<v Speaker 1>and hit those reps to build our emotional musculature. So

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<v Speaker 1>if you're somewhere that you can close your eyes, begin

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<v Speaker 1>to take a few deep breaths, and as you're breathing,

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<v Speaker 1>resting your awareness inside yourself to become curious about what's

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<v Speaker 1>happening on the inside. So first you may notice physical sensations,

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<v Speaker 1>very simply noticing the way the breath is moving, how

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<v Speaker 1>it's expanding your chest, your belly, and how they fall

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<v Speaker 1>on the exhale. Doing just that may present to you

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<v Speaker 1>kind of holding my jaw or my shoulders could relax

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<v Speaker 1>down my back holding some tension, or ooh, have some

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<v Speaker 1>tension in my lower back. Perhaps you notice that you're

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<v Speaker 1>furrowing your brow, or there's some tension in your forehead.

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<v Speaker 1>Just noticing physically what's here. As you take a couple

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<v Speaker 1>more deep breaths in and out and begin to notice

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<v Speaker 1>how you feel and begin to visualize yourself later in

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<v Speaker 1>the day, notice yourself in one of those situations where

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<v Speaker 1>frustration tends to happen, or you tend to kind of

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<v Speaker 1>lose your center a little bit. Notice whatever it is

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<v Speaker 1>that's playing out in the scenario. And now see as

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<v Speaker 1>this really loving hand rests on your shoulder, kind of

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<v Speaker 1>putting a little loving pressure, a little tap and that

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<v Speaker 1>this hand has a voice that is saying, Hi, take

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<v Speaker 1>a moment to check in on how you feel right now,

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<v Speaker 1>because I don't think you're so aware. This voice is

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<v Speaker 1>saying to you, you've lost yourself in all the thought,

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<v Speaker 1>and I just want you to take a moment to

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<v Speaker 1>dive a layer deeper, to become aware of how you feel.

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<v Speaker 1>See yourself in that moment, taking a deep breath, pausing

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<v Speaker 1>and checking in on what's going on inside.

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<v Speaker 2>Having some gratitude.

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<v Speaker 1>For this shift, recognizing that previously you might have spun

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<v Speaker 1>in the mental activity for an hour, for a few hours,

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<v Speaker 1>for thirty minutes, But now you have some gratitude that

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<v Speaker 1>as soon as the spinning started mentally, that hand kind

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<v Speaker 1>of gave you an opportunity to pause, to pause the spin,

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<v Speaker 1>to check in and come back to center.

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<v Speaker 2>Notice this.

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<v Speaker 1>Process becoming a regular companion in your life, your best

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<v Speaker 1>friend even and thanking this companion for its benevolent support,

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<v Speaker 1>for the way that it gently guides you back to

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<v Speaker 1>the love that is always here for you, inviting you

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<v Speaker 1>to feel what is ever present, inviting you to feel

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<v Speaker 1>what needs attention in your body, inviting you to become

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<v Speaker 1>aware of beliefs that are ready to be surrendered, that

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<v Speaker 1>this benevolent friend is committed to you, remembering who you are.

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<v Speaker 1>Unto that wisdom, we bow. Let's take a deep breath

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<v Speaker 1>in and let it go. And as you're ready, blinking

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<v Speaker 1>your eyes open, loving you from right here, Hi, I

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<v Speaker 1>hope you're feeling even just a little bit more.

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<v Speaker 2>Are prepared to take on the day.

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<v Speaker 1>But before you go, I'd love to hear from you,

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<v Speaker 1>and you can send me a voice note by going

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<v Speaker 1>to my website.

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<v Speaker 2>Waking upwith Ryan dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Scroll down to the section that says send Ryan a

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<v Speaker 1>voice note.

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<v Speaker 2>Tap the button to leave.

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<v Speaker 1>Me a voice message with a question you have, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>a relationship challenge you're having, or a spiritual hang up,

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<v Speaker 1>some kind of an emotional struggle, any topic that you'd

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<v Speaker 1>love for me to address on the podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to hear from you, Loving you from here,