Thank you everyone for joining,
Thank you so much for this mindful pause session.
And what we will do today is explore a calming breath work practice followed by our mindfulness meditation where we will use the breath as the anchor to the present moment.
So I invite you to make yourself comfortable in your chairs.
If it feels comfortable,
Just relax the shoulders away from the ears,
Hands resting in your lap,
And feet flat on the ground.
Just take a moment to arrive in this very moment,
Allowing the body and mind to settle.
And we will start by a calming breath work which is called two parts breathing,
Where we will breathe into our chest and belly,
Really really filling our lungs with air,
Expanding its capacity.
This helps calming the mind and regulating our nervous system.
So if you wish and it feels comfortable,
You may place one hand on the chest and the other on the belly.
Just take a regular breath in and out.
And now breathe into the belly,
Feel it expanding and all the way up to the chest.
And a slow exhale out,
Chest,
Belly.
And again inhale into the belly,
And chest.
And a slow exhale out through chest,
And belly.
Just do a few rounds in your own time.
And now release the breath work practice,
And come back to the body,
And just place your hands in your lap.
And feel any physical sensations created by the breath work.
Perhaps you feel some tingling,
Warmth.
And gently guide your awareness now to the breath.
And there's no need to change or control anything.
Just observe as the air enters and leaves the body.
And if you notice your mind has wandered,
That's okay.
Just gently guide your awareness to the sensation of breathing.
And if you get distracted by thoughts or maybe any noise around you,
Again just notice those and let them go without any judgment.
And gently guide your awareness back to the breath,
Which is our anchor to the present moment.
Whenever you notice that your mind has wandered,
Maybe thinking or planning,
Just notice them with kindness,
And keep returning to the present moment,
To our breath.
And the more we can practice just noticing the mind wandered and then bringing it back to the present moment,
The more we will be able to stay calm,
Grounded,
And focused even throughout our days.
And now gently guide your awareness to the body.
Feel those physical contact points between the body and the surface beneath you.
Maybe feel the weight of your hands resting on your lap.
The gentle support of your back.
And maybe notice any sounds around you.
And observe how you feel now after this brief mindfulness session.
Let's take one deep breath in together,
And a full exhale out.
And when you are ready,
In your own time,
You may gently open the eyes and welcome yourself back to the here and now.
