Welcome.
You've arrived in a space made for slowness.
A space where your body leads and nothing needs fixing.
Here,
We honour the body not as an obstacle,
But as a home.
A quiet teacher.
A steady companion through it all.
This is the quiet body.
A return to what is true,
Tender and already yours.
When the weight of the day gathers in the body,
We don't always know what to do with it.
We might hold it in the shoulders and chest,
Or in the belly,
In the breath we forget to take.
This is a space to notice.
And to possibly meet the weight with gentleness.
To return.
Not with effort,
But with care.
Let's begin gently.
There's no right way to do this practice.
You don't need to be calm or centred to start.
This is simply an invitation to pause.
To notice what's here.
And to do so at a pace that feels right for you.
So if it feels okay,
You might start by bringing your awareness to the space around you.
The quiet edges of your environment.
You're invited to bring your attention inward now.
Just a little.
To the edges of your body.
You might notice the places where your body makes contact with the ground or the surface beneath you,
Or behind you.
Perhaps noticing the weight of your hips or shoulders,
Or the steadiness of your feet or spine.
Knowing nothing needs to change.
Perhaps now,
Resting your awareness on whatever feels most supportive,
Or possibly choosing to move your awareness as a scan over your whole body.
Before we move into the breath,
You might take a moment to notice,
What does overwhelm feel like in your body right now?
You don't need to go in search of anything in particular.
Just notice what's there.
You might feel flooded,
Restless,
Tense.
Maybe you feel foggy,
Numb,
Disconnected or heavy.
And if it's hard to tell,
That's okay too.
Depending on what you noticed,
You're invited to choose one of two breath options.
Or you might stay with your natural breath,
If that feels better for you.
If your overwhelm feels buzzy,
Sharp or urgent,
You might try a calming breath.
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhaling slowly through pursed lips.
As if you're blowing through a straw.
Let the exhale be long but emptying with ease,
Without strain.
Repeat this a few more times if it feels right for you.
This technique can soften the body's stress response,
And invites your nervous system into a steadier rhythm.
You're welcome to keep breathing in this way as I move on to the alternative practice.
If your overwhelm feels like shutdown,
Numbness or heaviness,
You might try a deeper breath in through the nose.
And if it feels okay,
As you inhale,
You could gently wiggle your fingers or toes,
Just enough to feel movement,
Just enough to feel here.
And as you exhale,
Let the movement soften.
Inhale slowly,
Perhaps with some movement,
And exhale naturally.
You can open your eyes if you'd like,
Or look around the space you're in.
This isn't about doing more,
Just reconnecting.
Whenever you're ready,
You might return to your natural breath,
Maybe noticing how it carries you,
How it guides your pace.
And as we near the end of this pause,
Perhaps beginning to notice your edges again,
The outline of your body,
The space you're in,
The surface beneath you.
And perhaps a small movement could feel good here,
A roll of the shoulders,
A turning of the head,
A stretch,
Reintroducing some movement to your fingers and toes.
Let this return be slow.
You get to decide what comes next.
Thank you for being here,
For choosing to stay with yourself,
Even briefly.
