Quite often when we take a little bit of time for ourselves to be still and quiet,
The expectation that we place on that time can feel a little bit too great,
A little too out of reach.
So wherever you find yourself and however you are,
Lower your expectations for this little bit of time that you have set aside for yourself.
Finding a comfortable way to sit,
A comfortable way to be in this moment and without setting it the goal to meditate or the goal to clear your mind.
Instead can you find yourself just being and any time those expectations creep into your mind or that you're not quite doing well enough,
Remind yourself to be instead of to do.
And this short meditation is an invitation to rest your heart out.
So whether you feel most comfortable seated or lying down,
Enjoy this little bit of time for you.
And if quiet and peacefulness end up being how you feel,
Then so be it.
And if the mind becomes busy and moves from one thing to the other,
Accepting that too.
We'll begin by taking just a few slow breaths in and out.
Perhaps even with the eyes open to really take in where you are,
Feeling the space around you and feeling the ground beneath you.
And without any judgment perhaps as you close your eyes,
Tuning into your breath.
What's it like right now?
How are you breathing?
Noticing and accepting the breath just as it is.
And with all of your attention on your breath,
Can you focus just on the inhales?
Noticing the temperature of the breath in and perhaps the warmer temperature of the breath out.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Following the journey that the breath makes into the body and back out again.
The breath,
The simplest of self-care tools to call upon to provide us with a sense of being rested.
So focus now just on the exhales and see if they can be perhaps a little longer than the inhales.
Not a need to count the breath unless you find that your mind is really busy,
Really messy,
Really scribbly.
But get that feeling of the exhale,
Feeling a little longer than the inhale.
Noticing and wondering if there is anywhere in the body that can loosen its grip just a little.
And maybe that's even around the muscles that are affecting your breathing.
Can you loosen that grip so that you feel just a little bit freer?
Now sending your attention back to that inhale.
That inhale that can bring life and a sense of aliveness into the body.
But can you allow your inhales to feel as though they are reaching all parts of you?
Sending those inhales specifically to places in the body that feel like you are gripping and holding on.
And with that breath in those spaces,
Can it feel as though with the exhales you can let go?
And this letting go happens little by little.
So not expecting too much,
Little by little letting go of gripping and tension.
And just inhaling a sense of aliveness into the body,
Into all of those spaces,
Those corners,
Those sharper edges that need a little softening.
And using this time to not only rest the body from moving from place to place,
From thing to thing,
From task to task,
But using this time to rest the mind.
The mind perhaps feeling even more busy than the body.
Maybe the mind feeling less rested than the body.
So purposely breathing in,
Breathing out with intention and with focus to bring about this feeling of peacefulness and calm,
This quiet energy that we can often wish for without doing anything about it.
So keeping your attention on your breath,
This breath that can provide rest and feelings of being rested.
Now taking a moment to notice and focus on your rested mind,
A quieter mind,
A mind that is a little less frazzled and a little more still than it was just a few minutes ago.
Now sending that same attention to the body and noticing a rested body,
A rested body that doesn't have any demands on it.
And now feel the body and the mind both at the same time knowing that you are complete here,
Rested here.
And for just a few breaths notice that feeling,
Absorb that feeling of stopping and pausing and resting.
And with this same quiet energy and with attention on the body and the mind and the breath,
Making your breath even deeper and perhaps even awakening small movements in the body.
Maybe those small movements become larger movements because that's what you want to do,
That is how you want and choose to move.
And before opening the eyes and making that movement into the rest of your day,
Just taking those moments with your breath to know that your breath is always there for you.
And when you notice that the body,
The mind needs rest,
Needs your attention,
Really listening to that.
It's too important not to listen.
You are too important not to be heard.
Blinking the eyes open and keep breathing.
