Take a breath.
Right here,
Right now.
Take a breath and pause.
There's nowhere you need to be but here.
Nothing you need to do but breathe.
Let yourself arrive in this moment.
Arrive fully in your body,
In your breath,
In your heart.
Take a moment to settle in wherever you are.
You can create a little pocket of peace.
Let your feet find the floor,
Grounding you gently.
Let your hands rest softly,
On your lap,
On the arms of your chair,
Wherever they feel most natural.
If it feels okay,
Soften your eyes or simply soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
Feel the air travel deep into your body and exhale fully through your mouth.
Let go.
Again,
Inhale deeply,
Filling your lungs with fresh air and renewed vitality and exhale slowly allowing tension to melt away.
One more breath in and a slow breath out.
One more time,
Deep breath in and exhale completely.
And now as you have a deep breath in,
Expand your belly,
Your ribs,
Your heart and as you slowly breathe out,
Let go of tension,
Of tightness,
And let go of any invisible weight that you've been carrying.
One last time,
Inhale,
Calm,
Exhale,
Release.
Let your breath return to a natural rhythm.
No need to try to control the breath.
Allow your attention to drift gently inward now,
Just noticing,
Without judgment,
Without an agenda.
Notice how your body feels.
Notice where you might be holding tension.
Your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your jaw,
Your belly.
You don't need to change anything.
Just notice.
Just become aware.
Imagine now your breath is like a soft wave of warm light.
Each time you inhale,
This light gathers in your body.
Each time you exhale,
The light softens any tightness it finds.
Breathe in light,
Breathe out softness.
Softening the forehead,
Relaxing the eyes,
Unclenching the jaw,
Releasing the shoulders,
Softening the belly,
Letting the hands grow heavy.
Bit by bit,
Breath by breath,
You are inviting relaxation into your whole body.
Bring your attention to your thoughts,
Without rushing,
Without judgment.
You might notice the mind wanders,
Wanting to drift to your to-do lists,
Unfinished projects,
Or what's waiting for you after this.
That's okay.
That's simply the mind doing what the mind does.
You are not here to stop your thoughts today.
You are here to notice them,
Like clouds passing in the sky,
Without clinging and without chasing.
Gently remind yourself,
It's okay if I slow down.
I am worthy of rest,
And I am allowed to pause.
Sometimes,
In the fullness of our busy lives,
It can feel like we're on an endless treadmill,
Always chasing and always behind.
But right now,
In this very breath,
You are choosing something different.
You are choosing to step off the treadmill in this moment,
To anchor into stillness,
And to nourish yourself with presence.
And in this stillness,
You may begin to feel something stir.
A quiet remembering that you are not just what you do.
You are also a human being,
Not just a human doing.
Let's gently invite some affirmations now.
You can say them silently in your mind,
Or even whisper them out loud if that feels right for you.
Deep breath in.
I am calm.
Breathe out.
I release tension.
Breathe in.
I am focused.
Breathe out.
I let go of pressure.
Breathe in.
I am enough.
Breathe out.
I allow myself to rest.
Pause here.
Allow these words to fill your mind,
Your body,
And your heart.
There is time.
There is space.
There is an opportunity here to deeply rest and renew.
Imagine now that your work life is like a vast garden.
Each task,
Each responsibility is a single flower or plant.
There is no way to tend them all at once.
You can only give your attention one at a time.
Just as a garden grows,
With both sunshine and rest,
You too require moments of stillness.
Time to replenish the soil of your being.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Inhale for two,
Inhaling all the way up to your collarbones.
And exhale for two,
Gently release.
Inhaling for two.
Exhaling for two.
As you inhale for two,
I am calm.
And as you exhale,
I release tension.
Inhaling for two.
Exhaling for two.
I release tension.
I release tension.
As we begin to gently close this meditation,
Bring your awareness back to your breath and back to your body.
Feel your breath as an anchor.
Steady,
Reliable,
Always here.
Notice the weight of your body,
Supported by the chair,
The floor beneath your feet,
The air on your skin.
Wiggle your fingers and toes softly,
Inviting movement back into your body.
And when you feel ready,
Open your eyes.
Carry this sense of calm and spaciousness with you throughout the rest of your day.
And remember,
The pause is not the opposite of productivity.
The pause is what makes the productivity possible.
You can return to this place any time you need.
Take one more deep breath in.
Exhale,
Release completely.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Be well,
My friend.
Until next time,
This is Shauna.
