Sometimes we perceive time as the enemy.
I don't have enough time.
I can't make time for meditation.
Then let me show you that it doesn't necessarily take a long time to relax.
When we are working and mired in the thoughts of life,
We're too often busy in our minds.
So in this moment,
Find a comfortable position,
And if possible,
Place both feet on the floor.
Gently allow your awareness to move into the parts of your body that are in contact with furniture or the ground,
And simply place all of your awareness in these contact points.
As much as you can,
Be your muscles experiencing the pressure.
Be your feet experiencing the contact with the ground.
And the more you immerse yourself in the experience as your body,
You may quietly notice that the chatter of the mind seems to subside somewhat.
So allow the sensations of these contact points to become more dominant in your awareness.
Now place one hand on your abdomen below your belly button,
And one hand on your chest.
And without changing your breath,
Just notice if each of these hands move when you inhale and exhale.
Now visualize that below your belly button,
There's a deflated balloon,
And on your next inhale,
Direct the breath into this balloon as though you're blowing it up.
A nice,
Slow,
Long inhale.
Feel your lower hand rising as you inflate the balloon,
And feel it falling as you allow the breath and the air from the balloon to be released.
And on your next cycle of breaths,
Breathe in for a count of four,
And exhale for a slow count of eight.
When we do a few cycles of breath work with a long,
Slow exhale,
We are sending signals to the brain via the vagus nerve,
Telling the brain that we are no longer in fight or flight.
The belly breathing combined with a slow exhale,
And your connection with sensations in the body,
Allow the brain and the nervous system to understand that you are in a rest and digest mode versus a fight or flight mode.
And as you continue your slow,
Deep breaths,
And your mindful connection with your body,
Notice now how you're feeling.
Whether there's a softness to your musculature,
And a calming of the thoughts in the mind.
And just allow yourself to repeat this process regularly throughout every day to train your neurology to understand that you are not in an emergency mode,
And to teach yourself that you have control over what appears to be a runaway nervous system.
