Welcome dear soul,
So many people try to think their way out of anxiety,
To reason their body into calm,
To explain to themselves why everything is ok,
And yet the body still tightens,
The breath still shortens,
And the chest still braces,
That's because the nervous system doesn't respond to logic,
The nervous system responds to rhythm,
To breath,
To sensations,
To safety.
Today you are not here to fix your thoughts,
You are here to speak directly to the body in the language it understands.
Find yourself a position that feels supportive for you,
Let the surface beneath you hold you completely,
Let your shoulders drop,
Take one slow breath in through the nose,
And release it gently through the mouth.
Good,
That's the language of safety.
I invite you now to bring one hand to your chest,
And one to your belly.
This simple contact tells the nervous system I am here with you.
Now begin to breathe in through the nose for a count of 4,
3,
2,
1,
And out for a count of 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
That's right,
Again in through the nose,
4,
3,
1,
And out for a count of 6,
5,
4,
3.
Let yourself keep breathing this rhythm.
With every longer exhale,
The nervous system receives the message,
Stand down,
You don't need to protect right now,
And quietly let this truth settle,
I am safe enough to slow down.
That's right,
You are safe enough to slow down your breath.
When you do this,
You will feel the body responding before the mind does.
Now bring your awareness to a sensation rather than a thought.
Feel the air as it's entering your nostrils,
Cool,
Subtle,
Present.
Feel the rise of the chest,
And the expansion of the ribs,
The softening of the belly.
Let your awareness ride the rhythm of the breath,
Like waves.
Just observe your breath for a little while.
Letting your awareness ride the rhythm of the breath,
Like a gentle wave.
The inhale,
The rising of the chest,
Noticing the expansion of the ribs,
The softening of the belly.
As you do this,
If thoughts appear,
You do not need to push them away,
Just simply return to the sensations of the breath coming in.
This is how the body learns regulation,
Through repetition,
Through rhythm,
Through safety.
The rise of the chest,
The expansion of the ribs,
The softening of the belly.
Through repetition,
Rhythm,
And safety.
And gently,
Internally,
Allow this affirmation to land.
I am learning to calm my body from the inside out.
That's right,
When you slow down your breath,
When you observe the feeling of the rise in the chest,
The expansion of the ribs,
And the softening of the belly,
Every day you are learning to calm your body from the inside out.
Feel how the body listens.
Now let's look at subconscious re-patterning through breath.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in new energy into your body.
And now imagine each exhale is draining tension downwards,
Out of the jaw,
Out of the shoulders,
Out of the belly,
Out of the hips.
No effort,
Just allowing.
Breathing in new,
And releasing all tension.
Each exhale is a release,
And as the body softens,
Your mind begins to follow,
Naturally,
Effortlessly.
This is the order of healing.
Body first,
Mind second.
And quietly,
Without force,
Repeat.
I am no longer led by old stress responses.
I am letting the breath do the work.
That's right,
Each cycle updates the nervous system.
Each exhale re-wires the signals.
And one more truth for the body to hear.
I am responding to the present,
Not the past.
Notice the shift.
Even if it's subtle,
That's how regulation happens.
More and more each day,
Exhaling the past.
Notice the shift,
Even if it's subtle,
Because that's how regulation happens.
Now let the breath return to its natural rhythm.
Feel the body now,
More spacious,
More grounded,
More settled than before.
You didn't think your way here.
You breathed your way here.
And this is something you can return to any time.
Because this is a language the body always understands.
So take one final deep slow breath in,
And exhale gently.
Begin to notice the room again.
The sounds.
The space.
The support beneath you.
And carry this knowing with you.
Your body knows how to calm itself.
You are simply remembering how to listen.
That's right,
Today you've learnt a practice of calming from the inside out.
More and more each day now,
With your breath,
You are teaching the nervous system to respond to the present moment,
Rather than old stress patterns.
Have a wonderful day.
Blessings on your journey.
Namaste.
