Hello and welcome.
My name is Mark Rowland.
If something has happened today that has left you feeling shaken,
Upset,
Frustrated,
Hurt or overwhelmed.
.
.
Please know that.
You don't have to carry that feeling alone for the rest of your day.
For the next few minutes.
There is nothing to fix,
Nowhere you need to explain yourself.
And nowhere else you need to be.
Just.
This moment.
Allow yourself to settle into a comfortable position.
And if it feels safe.
Gently close your eyes.
Taking a slow,
Steady breath in.
And breathe out with a quiet sigh.
Again.
Breathing in.
.
.
And breathing out.
Without trying to change how you feel.
Simply notice what is here for you.
Perhaps your mind is replaying what happened earlier.
Perhaps your body still feels tense.
Maybe your heart feels heavy.
Your thoughts are racing.
Whatever is here is welcome.
And you don't need to pretend that you're okay.
You only need to notice.
Bring your attention.
To your breathing.
Not forcing it,
Just taking it.
Simply following each inhale.
And each exhale.
Just like watching gentle waves arriving on a shore.
Notice where you feel this experience in your body.
Maybe it's a tight chest.
A clenched jaw.
Happy shoulders all!
Maybe a knot in your stomach.
You don't have to analyse it,
Just go with it.
Notice.
You breathe in.
Imagine creating a little more space around that feeling.
Not pushing it away.
Simply allowing it to exist.
Without taking over.
Everything else.
So breathing in.
.
.
Creating space.
Breathing out.
Softening around that feeling Sometimes,
We become triggered because something really matters deeply to us.
Sometimes,
Experiences echo through new situations.
Sometimes.
We're simply tired,
Overwhelmed or tired.
Carrying a lot more than we probably realise.
Whatever the reason for your reaction doesn't make you weak.
It makes you human.
See if you can silently say to yourself,
This is a difficult moment.
I don't have to solve everything right now.
I can give myself a little bit of kindness.
Allow those words to settle gently.
And not because they're going to instantly erase what happened.
But because they remind you that you deserve the same compassion that you would offer somebody else.
Imagine now that you are sitting beside a calm,
Tranquil lake.
The surface may have become disturbed.
Ripples moving in every direction.
Lit too.
By little.
The water begins to settle.
And not because anyone tried to stop it or forced it to.
Simply because this is what water naturally does.
My friend,
Your mind and your body are not so different to that.
Given a little time,
A little space.
And a little self-kindness.
Your mind and body.
Will begin to settle too.
Notice your breathing once more,
Perhaps it feels a little slower now.
Perhaps not.
Either is perfectly ok.
There is no perfect way to meditate.
There is only this willingness to pause.
This meditation comes toward its end now.
Remind yourself that.
What happened today.
Is only one moment.
It is not the whole of your story.
You are so much more than this one conversation.
More than this disappointment.
There is more to you than this misunderstanding.
More to you than this.
Difficult,
Uncomfortable feeling.
This moment too will pass.
Just as so many others have before it.
Take one deeper breath in now.
.
.
And slowly breathe out.
Feeling the support beneath you.
Noticing the room around you.
Perhaps giving your fingers and toes a little wiggle.
And whenever you're ready,
Slowly allow your eyes to open.
Carrying this steadiness with you.
One breath.
One step.
One moment at a time.
Thank you so much for taking these few minutes to care for yourself today.
I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
Go in peace.
Namaste.
