Easing Into The Week

This gentle meditation supports you in easing into the rhythm of the working week with intention and focus. As part of the practice, you’ll take a moment to look ahead—using your calendar, diary, or planning tools to map out your week. Bring a pen or device to hand, and begin your week grounded, organised, and clear-headed.

Transcript

This is a meditation to start your working week. And you're encouraged to do a little bit of preparation with this meditation. And so you might want to refer to your diaries or your calendar or your notebook if those are tools that you utilize or anything else that compiles information and is a resource for planning and scheduling. And the reason that we do this meditation the day before we return to work, Which might feel a little bit counterintuitive because who wants to work before you're actually working, Is so that when you do return to work, You know what you're doing and you have planned and prepared yourself. And so you're encouraged to refer to your information tools and if you have a calendar or a piece of paper to compile the information onto something that you can refer back to. And you might be looking out for key appointments or meetings or time-sensitive tasks that you need to do. And what we're not doing here is getting caught up in the nitty gritty of work. So we're not doing the work, We're just looking at what we will be doing when we return to work. And noting those key milestones for your week. And just assessing if there's anything that you need to do to prepare yourself. And perhaps making a note of it if there is to return to when you're working. And it can be really useful to transfer this information that you're gathering or have gathered either onto a visual calendar, Something on the wall, Or plugging the information into your diary. And taking your time to do these steps. And it might be that you need to pause the meditation and that's okay if you do. Once you have that clear overview of what your week will entail, Your only job now is to put everything away. Putting away your tools and your notebooks and your pens, Maybe packing the bag that you will take to work, Making sure it's got your swipe card or your keys, Your laptop, Whatever it needs to have. And then the encouragement is just to take a moment to pause. So this exercise is not to ruminate. It's not to chastise yourself for the things you haven't done. Or to think anxiously about what's lying ahead. That's not the point of being here now. There's nothing more for you to do. And the intention is that by looking forward into the week ahead, You have a clear view of what's awaiting you. And right now we're gonna close the eyes. And closing the eyes and finding a comfortable place to rest, Whatever that looks or feels like for you. Unclenching the jaw, Relaxing the shoulders, And just letting the body breathe the breath. And seeing if we can encourage the breath to be a little bit deeper. So if we're just breathing to the top of the chest, How would it feel to invite that breath down and into the belly without forcing it? It's allowing the body and its wisdom to do what it is built to do. And as you're sitting here pausing, The invitation is to visualize something that you are looking forward to in the week ahead. And feeling how it will be to be in that situation or to be with those people. To do that task. Maybe the thing that you're looking forward to is something quite trivial, Seemingly trivial, Like having a coffee with a colleague. Or eating a delicious lunch that you've prepared. Doesn't necessarily have to be work orientated. And now I'd like you to expand your awareness to the people that you encounter in your working week. So that might be people in real life, Or maybe it's people that you know that you will converse with, Either online, On video calls, Or on the phone, Or via email. And even if there's conflict or difficult thing to negotiate with some of these people some of the time, Extending a breath of gratitude to these people. And visualizing your encounters with other humans this week, Being guided by your higher self, The best version of you, You on a really good day. You radiating all of your best qualities of patience and perseverance, Fortitude, Creativity. And then let's come back to the present moment. Maybe rubbing the hands together, Breathing a little bit deeper now, In through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you're ready to beautiful people, Wishing you a peaceful night's sleep and a joyful and productive week ahead. Thank you for joining me.