Welcome to this short but powerful meditation.
My name is Kathy.
I'm so glad you're here today.
You've already done the hard work by pressing play.
So now you can just sit back and follow the words and let yourself find a little peace and calm.
So I invite you to sit comfortably,
Whatever that means for you right now,
With a straight spine.
Just allow your hands to rest on your lap or wherever they fall naturally.
And you may choose to gently close the eyes or you can keep a soft,
Unfocused gaze.
Whatever feels most comfortable to you.
You begin to notice the breath,
Not changing anything,
Just noticing the breath as it goes in and out,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose.
Begin to feel how your body's completely supported,
Whether it's a chair,
A couch,
A bed,
The earth,
Just letting the support beneath you do all of the work so you can let your body completely relax,
Let the muscles rest,
And just let go for a few minutes.
Begin to invite the breath to begin to deepen,
Just gently allowing the exhale to be a little bit longer than the inhale.
So if you inhale for a count of four,
You can lengthen the exhale to a count of six or eight,
Whatever feels natural.
We're going to release any tension in the neck and shoulders,
Relaxing the jaw,
Relaxing the tongue and all the facial muscles.
Just let the belly be soft,
Releasing any tightness in the chest,
And allow the breath to rise up from the deep belly of the diaphragm up through the ribs and into the chest.
And on your next lengthened exhale,
Release any lingering tension in the body.
Giving yourself a gift of just these few moments to just be,
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
But taking this time to be with yourself and the breath.
This is when we let the mind and the body settle.
This is how we heal and how we grow.
Any thoughts that might pop up about your day or anything else,
Just notice them.
It's natural for them to be there,
But just let them pass by.
Don't fight them,
But don't follow them either.
If it helps,
You can picture that each thought is a cloud in the sky or a leaf on the water,
And just watch them float by.
Continuing to notice the breath,
Inhaling for a count of four,
Exhaling for a lengthened exhale of about eight,
Using each exhale to further deepen the body's relaxation.
Notice how the muscles in the body have loosened and relaxed.
Maybe the mind has slowed down as well.
Any time you get distracted,
And you will,
Just with a lot of kindness,
Gently bring yourself back,
Back to the breath,
Back to the sound of my voice,
Lengthening each exhale.
Taking a moment of gratitude for yourself and your practice today and doing something so good for you on all levels,
Mind,
Body,
Soul.
As you notice the sensation of calm and peace that you found in this short guided meditation,
Just know that this feeling is always available to you,
And you'll take it with you throughout the rest of your day.
Any time you need to,
Returning your attention to the breath and grounding yourself within.
You can very gently bring your attention back to the room,
Feeling your feet,
Feeling the support beneath you.
And only as you're ready,
Slowly opening the eyes,
Noticing your surroundings,
And taking a final deep cleansing breath with you into the rest of your day.
Thank you for joining me today.
