Welcome.
This practice is for any time you feel anxious.
Scattered.
Overwhelmed,
Or simply in need of a moment to come back to yourself.
You don't need to wait until everything feels calm before you begin.
You can arrive exactly as you are.
I invite you to find a comfortable position.
Seated or lying down.
And allow your body to be supported by the chair.
The bed.
The floor or whatever is beneath you.
If it feels comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze and let your eyes rest on one quiet place.
Is taking a moment to notice that you have paused.
There's nowhere else you need to be for these next few moments.
Nothing you need to solve right now.
Nothing you need to become.
Simply allow yourself to be here.
Begin by noticing the places where your body is supported.
Feeling the weight of your body.
Notice the contact between your feet and the floor.
Your body,
Your back,
And the surface beneath you.
Feeling the support.
You do not need to hold yourself up all by yourself.
Allow the surface beneath you to offer its support.
I invite you to notice the sounds around you.
Some may be close.
Others may be far away.
You do not need to name or follow each sound.
Allow the sounds to come and go while you remain here.
Bringing awareness to your breath.
No need to change it.
Simply noticing that the breath is here.
It's already happening.
The body knows how to receive the breath.
And the body knows how to release it.
There's nothing you need to force.
I invite you to notice where the breath is most easy for you to feel.
Perhaps at the nostrils.
Where the air moves in and out.
Perhaps in the chest.
As it gently rises and falls.
Perhaps in the belly as it expands and softens.
Choose one place to rest your attention.
You do not need to watch the entire breath.
You might simply feel one inhale.
And then an exhale.
Breathing in and out.
Allowing the breath to be natural.
Whatever that may be.
It may be deep,
Shallow.
Smooth or uneven Quiet or noticeable?
Whatever the breath is doing.
It's okay.
Observing it without judgment.
You are not trying to create a perfect breath.
You are simply resting with the breath that is here.
With each inhale gently receive.
And with each exhale,
Gently release.
Perhaps imagining the breath as a steady place to return to.
Not a place where everything has to be fixed.
A place where you can pause.
A place where you can remember that you were here.
Taking a quiet breath in.
And a quiet breath out.
As you rest with the breath,
The mind may wander.
You may notice thoughts about the past or the future.
You may notice plans,
Worries,
Memories.
Sensations,
Or emotions.
This is not a mistake.
The mind is doing what minds naturally do.
When you notice that you have wandered.
Gently acknowledge it.
Tag it or label it.
Thinking.
Planning.
Worrying.
Remembering.
Then,
Without criticism,
Return to the next breath.
You do not have to push thought away.
You do not have to follow it.
Allow it to be present in the background while you come back to the breath.
The breath is always beginning again.
And each time you return,
You are practicing.
You are strengthening the gentle ability to come back to this moment.
Not perfectly,
Just kindly.
Resting together for a few breaths.
Feeling the inhale.
I'm feeling the exhale.
Breathing in,
You are aware that you are breathing in.
Breathing out,
You are aware that you are breathing out.
If it feels supportive,
Silently or out loud,
Say to yourself,
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out.
I am arriving.
You may also use simpler words.
N.
Ear.
.
.
Now.
And then let the words fade whenever they are no longer needed.
Returning to the quiet feeling of breathing.
You may notice some settling in the body,
Or you may not.
There is no particular experience you need to create.
All may come gradually.
It may come in small moments.
And sometimes the most mindful thing we can do is meet ourself with kindness while things still feel unsettled.
If anxiety is present.
See whether you can make room for it without becoming the anxiety.
You might silently say.
This is a moment of anxiety.
This feeling is here.
I can meet it one breath at a time.
You do not need to make the feeling disappear.
For now.
Simply stay connected to the breath and the support beneath you.
Letting the breath remind you that experience is always moving.
The inhale arrives.
The inhale changes.
Exhale arrives.
The exhale changes.
Nothing needs to stay exactly the same.
Rest with the changing rhythm.
As you breathe in.
And breathe out.
Now,
Invite a slightly fuller breath,
Only if that feels comfortable.
Receiving the inhale without strain.
And allow the exhale to lengthen naturally.
Perhaps making it longer than your inhale.
Let your shoulders soften.
Let your hands relax.
Let your face become easy.
Softening your jawline.
Releasing the tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Softening the eyes.
Your forehead.
Allowing yourself to feel the support beneath you.
And then noticing one place where you feel sensation in your body.
And the next breath moving through you.
You are here.
You are breathing.
For this moment,
That is enough.
I invite you to take three quiet breaths in at your own pace,
Your own rhythm,
As you breathe in and breathe out.
Begin to widen your awareness beyond the breath.
Notice your whole body.
The air on your skin.
Surf is supporting you.
Beginning to welcome yourself back into the space.
If your eyes are closed,
Slowly fluttering them open when you are ready.
And inviting gentle movement back into your body.
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
Perhaps roll your shoulders or gently stretch.
Taking your time.
You can return to the breath at any moment.
While moving through the rest of your day,
You might pause occasionally and notice.
Here is an inhale.
Here is the next scale.
I am here.
The breath is here.
There is no need to wait for perfect calm.
One breath can become a doorway back to the present moment.
May you move gently into whatever comes next.
