You're welcome.
Before we begin just take a moment to get nice and comfortable.
You might choose to lie down on your bed or the sofa.
And maybe grab a cushion to place underneath your knees,
Underneath your head.
Or if you prefer you can sit comfortably in a chair.
Just allowing your hands to rest somewhere easy.
And just a reminder that there's nothing to achieve here,
Nothing to get right.
So simply a few moments to let the body soften and the breath become a little easier.
If at any point anything feels uncomfortable,
You can return to your natural breathing at any time.
So when you're ready,
If it feels okay,
Gently allow the eyes to close or simply soften your gaze.
And take a moment just to notice the places your body is being supported.
Maybe the weight of you resting.
The chair beneath you or the bed beneath you.
Holding you up without effort.
And if you can,
We're gonna allow the jaw to soften just a little bit.
Allow the forehead to smooth.
And drop the shoulders if we notice that we are holding or gripping or tensing.
There's no need to force relaxation here,
But just notice the body.
Now begin to notice your breathing exactly as it is today.
No need to change anything just yet.
Simply observing the gentle movement of breath coming in.
And breath moving out.
You might notice the rise and fall of the belly or the chest.
Perhaps the feeling of air through the nose.
Whatever you notice is perfect.
If it feels comfortable you might place one hand on your belly.
And one hand somewhere around the ribs or chest.
And now very gently begin to invite in a slightly fuller breath.
Not the biggest breath possible,
Just a comfortable,
Easy breath.
Feeling the belly rise softly beneath your hand as you inhale.
And the belly,
Then soften back down as you exhale.
As we breathe in,
We allow space.
And as we breathe out,
We let go of any unnecessary tension.
We will keep breathing softly and melodically here.
And perhaps now you can imagine the breath widening gently through the ribs as well.
Like an umbrella softly opening.
As you breathe in,
The ribs gently expand in all directions.
Front,
Sides,
Back of the body.
And as you breathe out,
The body softens and settles.
No force,
No effort.
Just gentle movement.
If it feels comfortable,
We're going to begin to lengthen the exhale slightly.
So we're going to breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of six.
Know that if these counts aren't comfortable and you want to do slightly more or slightly less,
You absolutely can,
But we're going to aim to extend that exhale.
So when you're ready,
If you're with me,
We're going to breathe in softly for one too.
Free.
For holes at the top.
And then breathe out slowly for 1,
2,
3,
4 five,
Six,
Well done.
Little pause here and then again we are going to inhale in for one,
Too.
Free.
Pause at the top.
And then exhale for one.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
5.
.
.
6.
.
.
Continue a few rounds at your own pace.
Allowing the out breath to be smooth and easy.
Like a quiet sigh of relief.
Nice conscious inhales in,
Nice melodic exhales out.
And with every exhale,
Perhaps the shoulders soften a little more,
The hands soften.
The hips soften.
The muscles around the face soften.
Allowing the breath to create just a little more space in the body.
If we're still counting the breath,
We're going to let go of that count here.
Coming back to your natural rhythm,
Your natural pace.
We're going to do one final little breath practice here to finish.
So if it feels nice,
I want us to take a slightly deeper breath in through the nose this time.
And then when you're ready,
Let it go with a soft sigh out of the mouth.
Again,
Nice gentle breath in.
And an easy sigh out.
As though the body is releasing tension it no longer needs to carry.
So one more time it can be nice and audible breathing in And then breathing out slowly.
Good.
Now let the breath return to its own natural rhythm.
Notice how the body feels now compared to a few moments ago.
Perhaps there's warmth somewhere,
Or heaviness,
Softness.
Or maybe just a sense of quiet.
Whatever you notice is enough.
Imagine the breath moving gently into any places that feel stiff or tired.
Not trying to fix anything,
Just simply offering some space,
Some softness,
Some care.
Take one final easy breath in.
And a long,
Slow breath out.
And when you feel ready,
You can begin to wiggle the fingers and toes.
Perhaps rolling the shoulders gently.
Slowly opening the eyes.
Thanking yourself for taking this time to rest,
To breathe and to soften.
