Welcome.
This is a short practice for the middle of the day,
For the moment when you've been holding a lot,
Doing a lot,
Answering a lot.
Maybe you have a lot to do in front of you and you need a moment to exhale.
You can do this lying down,
Sitting,
Or even with your eyes open,
Whatever feels good.
Just let yourself arrive into the moment,
Just as you are.
Take a gentle breath in through the nose.
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
Feel your body settle.
Feel your bones settle.
Again,
Breathing in through the nose.
And sighing out through the mouth.
And you can put sound on that breath if it feels good.
Time.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Releasing any need to do anything right now.
And you can let your breath settle into your own natural rhythm.
There's no forcing your breath here,
No performing.
Just allowing your body to do the work that it knows how to do,
Just for the next few minutes.
And while your breath is doing what it knows best,
Just bring your awareness to the places inside that feel busy.
Maybe it's the forehead,
Behind your eyes,
Your jaw,
Throat.
Notice what has been tightening,
What's been clamping down,
What's been holding.
Maybe it's the muscle of the mind.
We're gonna breathe a few rounds of the physiological sigh.
It's two gentle sips in through the nose,
And then opening your mouth and sighing it out.
And sighing out.
Sounds like this.
So let's do that together.
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
Two gentle sips in.
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
Feel the tightness melt away.
Again,
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Hold it at top.
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
One more time.
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
And you can keep going at your own pace.
Let that sigh,
That exhale be the message.
The exhale that says,
I can soften a little.
I can slow down a little.
I can unclench a little.
And I can come back just a little.
If thoughts come in,
What still needs to happen,
Who needs what,
What you forgot,
What needs to get done,
Just let them pass through like weather.
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Sighing out through the mouth.
I can soften a little.
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Sighing out through the mouth.
I can unclench a little.
Two gentle sips in through the nose.
Sighing out through the mouth.
I can come back just a little.
You don't need to solve your life from inside this breath.
You are only breathing.
You are only softening.
You are only here.
And begin to release that breath.
Allow your natural rhythm to come back online.
You might want to take a hand to your heart.
Feel your palm of your hand on the skin of your chest.
For this moment,
I do not have to carry it all.
You can say that to yourself silently.
For this moment,
I do not have to carry it all.
Take one more easy inhale.
Easy exhale.
Let the shoulders drop.
Soften the tongue.
Let the body receive even this much care.
And when you're ready,
Gently return.
You might wiggle your fingertips or your toes.
You might feel your sits bones.
You might move your back or your spine a little undulating.
If your eyes were closed,
You might blink them open.
Look around your space.
Notice one thing in your space that supports you.
It might be the floor at your feet,
The ceiling above your head.
It might be the window to look out or the glass of water next to you.
You can return to this at any time.
It's a simple way to find presence,
My friend.
Namaste.
