Next several minutes,
You don't need to accomplish anything.
You don't need to become more productive.
You don't need to get your life together.
There's nothing to catch up to.
Just be here with me.
Can you find a position that feels reasonably comfortable?
It doesn't have to be perfect.
We're just looking for good enough.
You can sit.
You can lie down.
You can move or fidget.
Please change your position whenever you need to.
There is nothing you need to perform for this practice to work.
Take a comfortable breath in with me.
And let it out for a moment,
Just notice everything you're carrying.
Maybe there's a list running through your head,
Things you need to do,
Things you forgot to do,
Things you think you should have already gotten done.
There might be things you're avoiding or things you're worried about.
You don't have to solve any of this right now.
If you are used to measuring your day based on what you've accomplished,
It can feel strange when you stop.
Especially if your brain has learned that the rest has to be earned.
That productivity means you're successful.
That being useful means you're enough.
So let's try something different.
For these few minutes.
You're allowed to do less.
You don't have to answer that email.
You don't have to make the decision.
You don't have to clean the thing.
You don't need to know what happens next.
Just notice.
Just notice what happens in your body when you hear those words.
Maybe it's relief,
But maybe it's discomfort.
Your brain might already be arguing with me,
And that's okay.
You don't actually have to believe me.
Just notice.
And practice.
Take another comfortable breath with me and as you breathe it out,
See if you can let yourself be exactly as you are right now.
Which is.
.
.
Not productive.
And notice that the world is still here around you.
You are still here.
Nothing has gone terribly wrong because you've stopped for a few minutes to rest.
You might notice your mind is trying to make a deal with me.
I'll rest after I finish this.
I'll slow down tomorrow.
I'll take care of myself once everything else is handled.
But baby,
That is a constantly moving goalpost.
You don't have to finish it right now.
You can let this moment be enough on its own.
Notice the surface underneath you.
The weight of your body,
The temperature of the air around you.
Sounds,
Smells.
You don't have to change any of it.
Just notice.
If you're getting uncomfortable because of a sensory discomfort in your environment,
Please pause this video to accommodate that discomfort.
You do not have to suffer through every sensory experience just because I'm coaching you through them.
If your thoughts are wandering back towards everything else you should be doing right now,
It's okay to notice that too.
Just make sure to come back.
Not because your list doesn't matter,
But because it can wait for a few more minutes.
While you rest,
You are allowed to rest before you're completely exhausted.
You are allowed to stop before you've finished everything.
You are allowed to have needs that aren't emergencies.
And you are allowed to exist without producing something.
Take a slow,
Comfortable breath in.
And let it out.
Let everything melt away.
Maybe there's something you can do less of today.
Maybe it's less checking your phone.
Maybe it's less explaining yourself.
Maybe it's less trying to make everyone else happy.
You don't have to decide which one it's gonna be.
Just let the possibilities marinate.
You don't have to earn rest.
You don't have to justify rest.
And you don't even have to be good at resting.
Take one more comfortable breath in.
And feel the support underneath you.
Ground yourself in this.
I am allowed to do less.
I am allowed to stop.
I do deserve rest.
I'm still enough.
Even when I'm not accomplishing anything.
Whenever you're ready,
Begin bringing your attention back to the room around you.
Move in whatever way feels good.
Stretch.
Flutter your extremities,
Shift your positions.
Open your eyes if they have been closed.
Take your time coming back because there's really nowhere you need to rush to.
You have plenty of time.
And you're allowed to do less.
You have plenty of time.
And you are allowed to rest.
Even now.
Thanks for being here.
