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Zeena Speciale, a shamanic Reiki master teacher, certified sound healer, and co-founder of hiKin—a community where hiking and kinship move as one—guides this weekly podcast into the heart of mindful movement and soulful connection. Sacred Steps offers walking/hiking meditations, breathwork, and nature-rooted reflections to help you find presence on the trail and clarity within.
Find Zeena at Soul Collective, her spirit-based yoga studio in the heart of Cave Creek, AZ, or at soulcollective.love.
Welcome to Sacred Steps. I'm Zena Special, and thank you for joining me today. Today is Thanksgiving. For some, it's a day of warmth and family, of traditions and full plates. For others, it might be a little more complicated, a day that brings up grief, memories of who's not at the table, or reminders of what's changed.
Zeena:And for many of us, it's both. Gratitude and ache woven together in the same breath. So wherever this day finds you, whether you're surrounded by loved ones or spending it more quietly, know that you are welcome here just as you are. Let's take this moment to pause and gently return to the gift of now. Not what we wish was different, but what is here in this body, in this breath, in this moment?
Zeena:So wherever you are, get comfortable. Let your body begin to settle, feeling supported by the earth beneath you. Let your shoulders fall away from your ears. Let your jaw soften. Let your belly loosen, and let your breath begin to slow.
Zeena:Soften your gaze. Close the eyes, and just let the day fall away for a moment. Whatever came before this, the conversations, the prep, the memories, all of it can wait. This is your moment to come home to yourself. Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Zeena:And sigh it out the mouth. Again, inhale and release. One last time. Inhale deeply and exhale completely. Now just letting your breath be natural and soft.
Zeena:Letting each breath create space. Space to feel, to soften, to remember what matters. Let your whole body exhale. Now bring your attention to the simple things, those ordinary miracles that remind you that life is a gift, like the breath you're taking now, the fact that your heart still beats, A sip of something warm. Or the memory of someone who loves you.
Zeena:Let your heart reach for one moment of quiet beauty and hold it in your awareness. Let it expand within you as you breathe. Let that be enough. Now I invite you to picture a long wooden table in your mind. A table set just for you, where all parts of you are welcome.
Zeena:At this table sits all the people who've shaped you throughout your life. Start to imagine who's gathered there, those you love, Those you've lost. Those you're still getting to know. Maybe a stranger whose kindness moved you. Perhaps there's a younger version of yourself sitting there.
Zeena:Let them come. Let them all sit at this table. Even those you've had to forgive. Even those you're still learning to understand. Let the table hold complexity.
Zeena:Let it hold love. Let it be a place where grief and gratitude can sit side by side. Now take your seat. At this table, you are not alone. They're here.
Zeena:Feel the warmth of this shared space. Let it remind you of the strength that it took to get here. Let it remind you of the love that still surrounds you, seen or unseen. Take a moment in silence. Maybe you whisper a thank you.
Zeena:Thank you for the lessons, for the losses, for the love, for the chance to try again. Maybe you simply breathe and receive. Let this table become a part of you, a place that you can return to anytime you feel lost or disconnected. Begin to come back now to your body, to your breath, to this moment. Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Zeena:Feel the air against your skin. Let your next breath be a full one In through the nose and out through the mouth. And place your hand over your heart And say to yourself, I allow gratitude to find me. Gratitude for the story still unfolding, for the miracle of being here. Take one final breath in.
Zeena:Receive it like a gift. Exhale and offer that gratitude out into the world. And carry this with you today, this gentle reminder that you are connected, you are loved, and you are not alone. Happy Thanksgiving from the bottom of my heart to yours. I'm Xena Special, and thank you.
Zeena:Thank you. Thank you for allowing me to walk this journey with you. Until we meet again, keep shining.