Welcome.
I'm glad you're here.
This practice is designed to be one you can return to.
Not just today,
But on the ordinary mornings ahead.
The difficult ones as much as the easier ones.
It does not ask you to feel inspired or ready.
It only asks for a few minutes and your breath.
So find a position that feels supported,
Wherever you happen to be this morning.
There's no correct way to begin this practice.
Only your way.
Today.
When you feel ready.
Bring your attention to your breath without trying to change it yet.
Let it be exactly as tired or as steady as it already is.
Stay here for a little while Simply noticing the coming and the going of the breath.
When you feel ready,
Let your exhale begin to take a little more time than it wants to naturally.
But let the extension happen gently.
Without strain.
Let each new outbreath be a small,
Repeatable act of ease.
Continue at your own pace for several more rounds of this slightly longer exhale.
Let the breath settle into a steady,
Unremarkable rhythm.
Inhale,
Longer exhale,
Small pause,
And the next in-breath arriving by itself.
This is not meant to feel dramatic.
It's meant to feel ordinary.
And repeatable.
Way a practice needs to feel if you're going to keep doing it.
Stay with this rhythm.
For as long as feels right for you this morning.
Let your breath return to its own pace now.
This is the practice in its simplest form.
Nothing elaborate,
Nothing demanding.
Just a few minutes you could realistically repeat tomorrow and the day after that.
Some mornings it will feel like very little.
And that's exactly as it should be.
A small,
Sustainable practice done consistently will serve you better than a longer one that you only manage occasionally.
When you're ready.
Take a slightly deeper breath.
Let your eyes open in your own time.
And begin the day from here,
However it unfolds.
Thank you for practicing with me throughout this course.
