Shownotes
Episode Length: ~25 minutes
Recommended Ages: 5–12 and their families
Free Printable: Seasons Flow Yoga Poster — available at faithfullyexplore.com
Episode Summary
Step into sunshine, shadow, and the rhythm of the seasons in this myth-inspired yoga story!
In Persephone’s Journey: A Greek Myth Yoga Story for Kids, host Laura guides young explorers through the ancient Greek tale of Persephone and Demeter — a mother and daughter whose love brings springtime back to the world.
Through immersive storytelling, soundscapes, and a gentle “Seasons Flow” yoga sequence, children will learn how the myth of Persephone mirrors the changing seasons of nature and the emotions we feel inside.
What Kids Will Experience
Storytime Magic:
Hear how Persephone’s curiosity leads her from the sunny fields to the glittering underworld — and back again.
Movement & Mindfulness:
Stretch and breathe through the Seasons Flow:
- Spring: Butterfly pose: “I am blooming.”
- Summer: Mountain pose: “I am strong and full of light.”
- Autumn: Forward fold: “I can let go.”
- Winter: Child’s pose: “I am resting. I am safe.”
Emotional Reflection:
Kids explore how their moods can change like the weather and learn that every season has a purpose.
Belief Backpack Takeaways:
- Change is part of life’s rhythm.
- Rest is part of growing.
- Love brings warmth and renewal.
For Parents & Educators
This episode is a great cross-curricular resource for:
- Mythology & Literature Units: introducing Greek myths in a child-friendly way.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): building self-awareness through the idea of inner seasons.
- Mindful Movement Breaks: integrating yoga into classroom or homeschool routines.
Try pairing the episode with art, writing, or science lessons on plant life cycles and seasonal change.
Extension Idea: After listening, invite children to draw or journal about what “season” their heart is in today: spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
Dive Deeper
Explore the meaning behind Persephone’s story: her courage, compassion, and connection to nature. Discuss symbolism like the pomegranate (choices and connection) and the cycle of seasons (growth and renewal).
Recommended companion reads:
-Persephone by Sally Pomme Clayton & Virginia Lee Buy on Amazon
- D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths Buy on Amazon
-Treasury of Greek Mythology by Donna Jo Napoli Buy on Amazon
Journey Highlights
🌸 Discover an ancient Greek legend about love and change.
🌿 Feel the seasons through movement and mindfulness.
💛 Explore your “inner seasons” when to grow, rest, and shine.
🎨 Download and color your Seasons Flow Yoga Poster.
Listen & Learn Anywhere
Perfect for:
🏫 Classrooms | 🏡 Homeschool | 🚗 Car rides | 🧘 Calm-down corners
Stream Persephone’s Journey wherever you get podcasts and visit faithfullyexplore.com for free printables, book lists, and more family-friendly adventures in world beliefs and stories.
🎒 Faithfully Explore!
Discover the world’s beliefs, celebrate our differences, and grow together — one story at a time.
Transcripts
Hey, have you ever had a day that felt like sunshine in
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:your heart and another that felt
a little chilly and gray inside?
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:I know I have.
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:Some mornings you jump out of bed
like a superhero ready to play, and
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:other mornings you just wanna curl up
like a sleepy kitten under a blanket.
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:Long ago, people in ancient Greece
told a story that helps explain those
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:feelings and the seasons of the world.
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:It's the story of Persephone, a
bright young girl who loved flowers
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:and sunshine so much that she made
spring bloom wherever she went.
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:I'm Laura and this is Faithfully Explore!
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:The place where we discover the
world's beliefs, celebrate our
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:differences, and grow together.
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:Today we're traveling to ancient Greece
to follow Persephone's journey through
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:light and shadow and back again.
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:Take a deep breath in and out
and let's step into the golden
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:fields where her story begins.
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:Faithfully Explore! Intro:
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:Faithfully Explore!
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:is the name.
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:Learning together is our aim.
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:Beliefs around the globe we'll track,
filling up our Belief Backpack.
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:Laura: Close your eyes or just
let them get a little blurry.
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:Imagine you can feel warm
grass tickling your feet.
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:We're walking through a sunlit meadow.
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:Can you feel the sunshine on your face?
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:The air smells sweet like
honey and freshly cut grass.
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:That's Persephone.
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:She's the daughter of Demeter
the goddess who cares for all
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:the plants and crops on earth.
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:When Persephone laughs, flowers pop open.
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:When she skips, green shoots
stretch taller to see her.
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:Persephone spends her days weaving
flower crowns and singing to the birds.
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:She loves color and fills
her baskets with blossoms.
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:Her mother's heart
glows just watching her.
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:Demeter: Stay near the meadow.
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:My flower, the world is wide
and not all of it is warm.
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:Laura: Persephone nods, but her
eyes sparkle with curiosity.
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:She wants to see every
hidden corner of the earth.
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:One bright morning, she spots
something she's never seen before.
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:A single golden flower
glowing on a small hill.
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:It's petals, shimmer like
sunlight caught in glass.
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:She bends down her
fingers, brushing the stem.
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:The earth trembles.
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:A crack splits open in the meadow.
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:From the shadows below, thunders a
chariot pulled by four black horses.
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:At the reigns stands Hades,
the God of the underworld.
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:His eyes gleam like starlight
in a cave, calm and serious.
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:Before she can even take a
breath, the horses surge forward.
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:Whoosh.
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:The ground closes behind them.
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:The meadow falls silent.
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:And in that stillness the world
takes its first deep sigh of sadness.
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:Above the ground Demeter
looks for her daughter.
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:She calls her name through the
forest and over the hills, but
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:only the wind answers back.
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:Days pass, weeks pass.
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:Demeter's tears fall like cold rain,
and her sorrow spreads across the earth.
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:The fields refuse to grow.
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:The green bled from the leaves.
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:Fruit shriveled and fell.
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:That's how the first winter began.
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:Deep, deep beneath the ground,
Persephone opens her eyes.
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:She expects darkness, but
instead she sees light.
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:The walls around her don't just sparkle.
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:They glitter with millions of gems.
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:Blue sapphires, red rubies,
green emeralds, glowing like
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:a secret galaxy of stars.
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:Small silver rivers flow through
the caverns and strange, beautiful
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:flowers pale as moonlight bloom
along the shimmering blanks.
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:It's not scary, it's beautiful.
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:But even surrounded by underground beauty,
Persephone feels a tug inside her chest.
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:She misses her mother.
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:She misses the sun.
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:Hades watches her noticing her sadness.
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:He speaks in a voice that sounds
like deep thunder far away.
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:Hades: Persephone.
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:My world has never known warmth
or laughter until you came.
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:I never meant to cause you pain.
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:Here.
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:Taste these.
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:Laura: He holds out a pomegranate
red as the beating heart.
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:It's seeds glisten like rubies.
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:Persephone hesitates,
but her stomach grumbles.
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:She's so hungry, so she takes
just one small bite then another.
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:Until she's eaten six tiny seeds,
they taste sweet, tangy, and
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:like sunshine trapped in fruit.
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:And the moment she swallowed something
magical happened and invisible thread
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:wrapped gently around her heart,
tying her forever to the world below.
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:For in the old magic of the
Underworld, anyone who tasted its
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:food was destined to return again.
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:Up above everything is still frozen.
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:Snow covers the ground.
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:People shiver hungry and tired.
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:Even Zeus, the great ruler of the
skies, looks down and shakes his head.
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:Zeus: The world cannot
survive without life.
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:Hermes fly fast.
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:Tell Hades to send Persephone home.
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:Hermes: Brother Hades, the earth is dying.
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:Demeter, will not let anything
grow until her daughter returns.
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:Hades: I understand she may return
to her mother, but she has eaten
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:six seeds of the underworld.
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:So by ancient law, she must stay
here for six months each year.
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:Laura: From that day on, a
special promise was made.
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:For six months Persephone would
live on the earth, bringing
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:sunshine, color, and growing things.
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:For the next six months, she would
live below, bringing kindness and
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:light to the world of shadows.
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:When Persephone first steps onto the earth
again, her feet touch brown soil and boom.
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:The world wakes up, grass pushes through
the snow, tree buds pop open, and
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:rivers rush with laughter, and in the
distance Demeter runs to her daughter.
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:Demeter: Persephone,
you've come home my child.
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:Persephone: I missed
you more than the sun.
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:Laura: They hug and laugh
and cry all at once.
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:The warmth of their love
spreads across the land.
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:Flowers bloom, fruit ripens, and
farmers dance in their fields.
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:It's the first spring.
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:Just like a story, the seasons never
really end they simply begin again.
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:When Persephone returns to the
underworld, each autumn, the leaf
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:turn golden, then drift away.
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:The air grows cool and quiet
as the world prepares to rest.
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:When she rises again, spring
returns, the cycle begins anew.
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:That's how the seasons were born from a
mother's love so strong and a daughter's
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:brave heart that keeps the world turning.
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:This story gives us a
beautiful truth, explorers.
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:Persephone's journey isn't
just about seasons outside.
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:It's about the seasons inside us.
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:Think about it.
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:Sometimes we have winter days when we feel
quiet, tired, or need to tuck ourselves
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:inward like a seed resting in the soil.
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:On those days, it's good to slow down,
breathe deep, and let our hearts rest.
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:And then we have spring days when
our laughter bubbles up, when we feel
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:bright and ready to stretch toward
the sun and learn something new.
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:Both seasons are part of us.
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:Both are beautiful.
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:They teach us how to rest
and then how to grow.
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:Let's pause for a moment.
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:Close your eyes and take
a deep breath in and out.
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:What season do you feel like inside today?
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:Maybe you're in your spring
season full of energy and ideas.
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:Or maybe you're in a winter
season quiet and needing rest.
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:Both are part of the rhythm of life.
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:Just like Persephone's journey.
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:Now that we've followed Persephone's
story, let's feel it in our bodies.
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:Find a cozy space where you
can stretch, move, and breathe.
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:Take a deep breath in and a slow one out.
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:Ready Explorers.
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:Let's move through the Season's Flow.
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:Furnando: Spring.
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:Laura: Sit tall and bring the
bottoms of your feet together so
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:your knees can flutter like wings.
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:Gently let your legs flutter
like butterfly wings.
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:Can you make them fly super fast?
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:Now can you make them fly in slow motion?
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:Imagine you are a flower, waking up,
spreading your petals for the first time.
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:Take a deep breath in, feel
the sun and whisper with me.
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:"I am blooming."
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:Minsu: I am blooming.
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:Laura: Imagine colors spreading all around
you, as Persephone returns to the world,
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:everything is waking up and so are you.
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:Furnando: Summer.
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:Laura: Now, stand up tall.
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:Plant your feet firmly on the ground,
like roots reaching deep into the earth.
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:Raise your hands up high over your head.
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:Stretching wide, like rays of sunshine.
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:Just like how Persephone and her mother
Demeter fill the land with warmth.
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:Now take three big breaths together.
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:One, reach up high.
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:Two, smile at the sky.
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:Three, feel the warmth in your chest.
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:Say this with me.
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:"I am strong and full of light."
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:Sally: I'm strong and full of light.
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:Laura: You are the summer
sun bright and kind.
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:Now slowly bend forward, letting
your arms dangle, like leaves,
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:drifting down from a tree.
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:Let your head hang heavy.
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:Let your shoulders relax.
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:Sway side to side just a little.
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:As Persphone, prepares to travel back
below, the world begins to quiet.
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:The leaves turn golden and the air cools.
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:Take a deep breath in and
sigh it out like the wind.
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:Now whisper with me.
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:I can let go.
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:Mira: I can let go.
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:Laura: Just like the trees you can
release what you no longer need,
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:worries, mistakes, or heavy thoughts.
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:Let them drift away
like leaves on the wind.
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:Furnando: Winter.
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:Laura: Now gently kneel down.
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:Bring your big toes
together and fold forward.
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:Resting your forehead on
your hands or the floor.
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:This is child's pose.
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:Imagine you are a tiny, powerful
seed under the soft earth.
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:The world is still and
resting, and so are you.
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:You are full of a secret magic, just
waiting for the right time to grow.
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:Feel your own steady, quiet heartbeat.
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:Say this with me deep inside your heart.
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:"I am resting.
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:I am safe."
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:Chandler: I'm resting.
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:I'm safe.
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:Laura: Stay here for three slow breaths.
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:Let your whole body soften
like snow falling gently.
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:Furnando: It's spring again.
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:Laura: Slowly begin to uncurl.
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:First your head, then your shoulders
rising up like a sleepy bear.
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:After a long winter's nap.
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:Reach your arms wide, and then
stretch them way up to the sky.
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:Wiggle your fingers like little sunbeams.
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:Wiggle your toes.
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:Feel that amazing sunshine
warming your face.
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:Take a big happy breath in
and let it out with a smile.
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:Say it with me.
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:I am ready to grow again.
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:I am ready to grow again.
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:Beautiful job explorers.
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:You just moved through a whole year
through Persephone's journey and your own.
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:Every season has its own
kind of magic, doesn't it?
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:Spring blooms, summer shines,
autumn let's go, and winter rests.
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:We need all of them.
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:Each part of you light and
dark, busy and still belongs
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:in the same beautiful rhythm.
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:Take a final deep breath
in and let it out slowly.
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:Notice how your body feels now.
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:Strong like summer.
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:Quiet like winter.
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:Ready, like spring.
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:Wherever you are, it's perfect.
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:Every season teaches us something.
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:To bloom, shine, release,
rest, and rise again.
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:What's inside our belief
backpack this week?
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:Let's unzip our belief backpack and
see what treasures we've collected
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:from Persephone's journey today.
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:Wow, the seasons aren't just something
happening outside our window.
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:They're happening inside us too.
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:When life feels bright and busy,
that's your spring and summer energy.
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:When you feel quiet or tired,
that's your autumn and winter.
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:Every part of you has its purpose.
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:Just like the earth.
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:Even when you're resting,
you're still growing.
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:Why?
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:Persephone's story reminds us that
change can be hard, but it's not the end.
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:When the world feels cold or dark,
kindness and love can bring warmth again.
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:Demeter's Love brought
spring back to the earth.
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:Your love for family, friends,
even yourself can do the same.
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:What now?
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:Try noticing what season
your heart is in today.
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:If you feel like spring,
share your bright ideas.
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:If you feel like summer,
help somebody else shine.
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:If you feel like autumn practice letting
go of something that's weighing you
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:down, and if you feel like winter rest.
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:It's the world's way of
saying you are safe to pause.
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:Then no matter what season you're in,
sprinkle a little love into the world.
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:That's how we keep life blooming.
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:Let's take one deep breath
together in through your nose
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:and out through your mouth.
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:Whisper to yourself.
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:"I can grow through every season."
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:Miguel: I can grow through every season.
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:Laura: Magnificent job,
faithful explorers.
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:You journeyed through sunshine
and shadow, through stillness
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:and bloom just like Persephone.
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:You moved, breathed, and
imagined with your whole heart.
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:Remember, change isn't something to fear.
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:It's the way the world keeps dancing.
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:Even the quiet seasons
help new things grow.
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:So whenever you need a little
courage or calm, come back to this
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:story or roll out your mat and move
through your Seasons Flow again.
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:If you loved this movement story,
visit faithfully explore.com
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:to download your Seasons Flow Yoga poster.
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:Color it, hang it up, and use
it whenever you need to find
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:your calm or your sunshine.
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:Follow or subscribe so you
can join our next adventure.
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:One Love, one Heart.
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:We'll travel to the island of Jamaica
to explore Rastafarian beliefs.
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:And discover how love and music can
bring people together as one family.
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:Until then, take a deep breath
in and whisper one last time.
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:I can grow through every season.
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:Miguel: I can grow through every season.
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:Laura: Stay curious, stay kind,
and keep your hearts in bloom.
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:Faithfully Explore! Outro:
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:Faithfully Explore!
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:is about you.
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:Let's grow kinder together it's true!
