Welcome.

I’m Miriam Raquel. And this is Come Home — a five minute practice for stepping back into yourself.

You don’t need anything special for this. If you have your cacao in front of you — beautiful. If you have a different drink — that works too. And if you don’t have anything at all right now — that’s fine. This practice works either way. We’re using the cacao as an anchor, but what we’re really doing is coming back to the body. Back to this moment. Back to you.

So wherever you are — in your kitchen, in your car, on your commute — just let yourself arrive here for a few minutes.

Start by finding your feet.

Feel them on the floor. Or the pedals. Or wherever they are right now. Just notice them. You’ve been carrying yourself around all day and your feet have been with you the whole time.

Take one breath in — —

And let it go.

If you have your cacao in front of you — or any warm drink — I want you to pick up the mug or the cup that speaks to you right now. Not the first one you grabbed. The one that feels right today. We make small choices all the time without noticing them. This one — let yourself notice it.

Hold it in both hands if you can.

Feel the warmth coming through.

If you’re still in the preparation — if your cacao is in front of you and you’re about to make it — let’s do that together slowly.

Take a breath before you scoop the powder. Just one breath. — —

When you scoop it into your mug — smell it before you add anything. Really smell it. Cacao has a particular depth before it becomes a drink. Something earthy. Something that feels older than today.

Now the water. Pour it slowly if you can. Watch what happens — how the powder moves, how the water changes color, how the two things begin to become one thing. — —

Stir it. Watch the liquid settle.

And here — just before you add anything else — ask yourself: do I need something sweet today? Or do I need to sit with the bitterness for a moment?

There’s no wrong answer. Your body usually knows. The honey can wait until you’ve listened.

Now — if your drink is ready — take one sip.

Not a gulp. One sip. — —

Let it coat your tongue. Let the warmth move down your throat. Feel it settle somewhere in your chest.

This — right here — is nourishment. Not just the compounds in the cacao, not just the warmth, but the act of giving yourself this moment. Of saying: I am worth five minutes of my own attention.

As you sit here — if something is coming up for you, something you’ve been carrying — let it. You don’t have to solve it. You don’t have to name it perfectly. If you have something to write in — a notebook, your phone — and something wants to come out, let it.

And if nothing comes — that’s also information. Sometimes the body just needs to rest inside a quiet moment without producing anything.

Before you finish — wherever your drink is, whatever you’re holding —

Take one more breath. — —

And offer yourself a moment of thank you. Not for being productive. Not for doing everything right. Just for being here. For giving yourself this.

You deserve the peace you’re creating right now.

Carry a little of it with you today.

— —

If you’re in NOVA, Northern Virginia, I’ll see you at market.

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