Welcome to Your Hug,
A calming breathing practice that uses the healing power of touch to self-soothe,
Release feel-good hormones and regulate your nervous system.
Let's begin.
Make yourself comfortable,
Either sitting or lying down is just fine,
And delicately close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in and let go of any tension as you feel yourself sinking into the surface you're resting on,
Becoming still more comfortable and relaxed.
Take another slow,
Deep breath and release your thoughts,
Letting them drift far away.
Bring your awareness into your heart center and notice a softness there.
Another beautiful breath in and this time,
Take the breath down to your belly,
Relax with a deep exhale.
Take another slow,
Deep breath in and know that in this moment,
All is well.
Tune into the present moment.
Follow your breathing in and out as you relax and settle in still more.
Just let your shoulders and neck area relax,
Your arms,
Back,
Abdomen,
Hips,
Legs and feet.
Relax and breathe.
Breathing is your connection to life and the natural world,
And like all of nature,
It has a beautiful rhythm.
Take a few moments to do nothing more than simply follow the rhythm of your breath and relax.
Take a few moments of conscious breathing to connect within.
Good.
Acknowledge how you are feeling with acceptance and kindness.
Being mindful of the space around you,
Stretch your arms out wide.
Take a deep breath in as you stretch your arms even wider,
Opening and expanding across your chest.
As you exhale,
Begin to wrap your arms around yourself,
Grabbing opposite shoulders with the palms of your hands and tucking your neck towards your chest.
Breathe deeply into this warm embrace.
Good.
Breathe in slowly and deeply for a count of six.
Breathe out slowly and deeply for a count of six.
Hold yourself in this hug for six to eight rounds of this rhythmical,
Tranquil breath.
Breathe deeply into your warm embrace.
Breathe in for a count of six.
Breathe out for a count of six.
Breathe out for a count of six.
And continue.
Continue to hug yourself in a way that feels most comforting for you.
Imagine your heart smiling as you continue to breathe these slow,
Rhythmical,
Nourishing breaths.
When complete,
Relax your arms down by your sides,
Rest and breathe naturally.
Repeat one more time,
This time alternating the arm which was closest to your body.
And you may also explore moving the palms across your arms or neck for extra soothing benefits,
Or wherever you need the healing power of touch to self-soothe.
Take a deep breath in as you stretch your arms even wider,
Opening and expanding across your chest.
As you exhale,
Begin to wrap your arms around yourself,
Grabbing opposite shoulders with the palms of your hands and tucking your chin down towards your chest.
Breathe deeply into this chest.
Breathe deeply into this warm embrace.
Let's breathe in slowly and deeply for a count of six.
And breathe out slowly and deeply for a count of six.
Hold yourself in this warm embrace for six to eight rounds of this rhythmical,
Tranquil breath.
Just continue to hug yourself in a way that feels most comforting for you.
Imagine your heart smiling as you continue to breathe the slow,
Rhythmical,
Nourishing breaths.
And one more breath in for a count of six.
And out for a count of six.
And out for a count of six.
Beautiful.
When complete,
Relax your arms down by your sides.
Rest and breathe naturally.
When you are ready,
Gradually and gently bring your awareness back into your body.
Just sit now for a few moments to observe your experience.
Invite a sphere of protective,
Warm,
Golden,
Loving light to be placed all around you and this experience too so that all the positive,
Healing,
Serene,
Nourishing and peaceful benefits will stay with you.
Take a deep breath and feel free to come out of this breath work practice whenever you would like.
Thank yourself with gratitude for putting energy into your own self-healing and self-compassion to self-soothe and regulate your nervous system.
Become aware of your physical surroundings.
Remember where you are and the room that you are in.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and return to the worlds around you and feel awake,
Refreshed and harmonious.
You may repeat this exercise 10 days straight just before you go to sleep and first think when you wake up.
Notice and observe how you feel each day.
Take time for you.
Namaste,
My friend.
