Hello and welcome,
I'm so glad you're here.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or like your mind is in a thousand places at once,
This practice is for you.
For the next 10 minutes,
You don't need to be anywhere else or do anything else.
This time is just for you.
Find a comfortable place,
Sitting or lying down,
Whatever feels right for your body at this moment.
Let's begin by taking one intentional breath together.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth with a gentle sigh.
Good,
You're already here,
You're already doing it.
I want to acknowledge something.
Your mind might be busy right now.
You might be thinking about your to-do list,
Replaying conversations,
Planning ahead or just feeling like your thoughts are bouncing everywhere.
That's completely normal.
You're not doing this wrong.
For now,
Just notice that your mind is busy.
Don't try to stop the thoughts,
Just notice them.
Like watching clouds pass by in the sky.
Now,
Bring your attention to your body.
Feel the surface beneath you,
The chair,
The cushion,
The floor.
Feel how it's supporting you.
You don't have to hold yourself upright now.
You can let the surface beneath you do that work.
You can surrender your weight.
Splendid.
Now let's take your breath as an anchor,
A place to return to whenever your mind starts to wander.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
Counting to four.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold gently for a moment and exhale slowly through your mouth.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Notice how that longer exhale signals to your nervous system,
We're safe,
We can slow down.
Let's do that two more times.
Breathe in for four,
Hold,
And out for six.
One more time.
In for four,
Hold,
Out for six.
Beautiful.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
We're going to move through your body now,
Releasing tension as we go.
This isn't about forcing relaxation,
It's just about noticing and allowing.
Bring your awareness to your feet.
Without changing anything,
Just notice them.
Are they warm or cool?
Tense or relaxed?
Now gently wiggle your toes a few times.
And then let your feet completely relax.
Move your attention up to your legs.
Notice any tension here.
And imagine that with each exhale,
That tension is melting away.
Your hips and lower back.
This is where many of us hold stress.
Take a deep breath into this area.
And as you exhale,
Let it soften.
Now your belly.
Let it be soft.
Let it rise and fall naturally with your breath.
You don't need to hold it in.
You can just let it be.
Your chest and shoulders.
Notice if your shoulders are creeping up toward your ears.
They often do when they're stressed.
Let them drop down,
Away from your ears.
Roll them back gently if that feels good.
Your arms and hands.
Clench your fists tight for just a moment.
Hold.
Hold a little more.
And release.
Let your hands fall open.
Palms up or down.
Whatever feels natural.
Your neck and jaw.
So much tension lives here.
Open your mouth wide.
Move your jaw side to side gently.
Then let your jaw go completely slack.
And now your face.
Scrunch up all the muscles in your face.
Eyes,
Forehead,
Everything.
Hold it tight.
And release.
Let your whole face soften.
Take a full breath and scan through your whole body.
Notice how it feels now compared to when we started.
You might feel heavier,
More relaxed.
Or you might feel lighter,
More spacious.
Whatever you feel is exactly right.
Now we're going to practice something that brings you fully into this present moment.
This is especially helpful when your mind is scattered across past and future.
We're going to notice what's happening right here,
Right now.
Using your five senses.
First,
Even with your eyes closed,
Notice three things you can hear.
Maybe it's the sound of my voice.
Maybe sound from another room.
Maybe your own breathing.
Just listen.
Good.
Now notice two things you can physically feel.
Maybe the texture of your clothing.
Maybe the temperature of the air.
Maybe your hands resting on your body.
Now notice one thing you can smell.
Or if you can't smell anything specific,
Just notice the quality of the air as it moves through your nose.
Perfect.
You just brought yourself completely into this moment.
This is where calm lives.
Not in the past,
Not in the future.
But right here,
Right now.
And right now,
In this moment,
You're okay.
You're breathing.
You're here.
And that's enough.
Let's take three more slow,
Full breaths together.
These are your anchor breaths.
Breaths you can return to any time today when you start to feel scattered again.
Breathe in deeply.
And out completely.
One more.
In.
You've just given yourself ten minutes of calm in what might be a very busy day.
That matters.
You matter.
As you prepare to return to your day,
I want you to remember something.
This calm is always available to you.
It's not something you have to create.
It's something you can return to.
Any time you feel scattered today,
You can take one intentional breath.
You can notice three sounds around you.
You can feel your feet on the ground.
These simple acts bring you back to center.
Start to bring gentle movement back into your body.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Roll your shoulders.
Stretch if that feels good.
Take one more deep breath in.
And let it out.
When you're ready,
There's no rush.
Gently open your eyes and come back to the room.
Look around.
Notice your surroundings.
Notice how you feel now compared to when you started.
Thank you for taking this time for yourself.
Thank you for choosing to pause,
To breathe,
To center.
You can return to this practice any time you need to.
It's here for you.
Always.
Carry this calm with you.
You've got this.
