So as you start to drop into today's practice,
Why not start with allowing the body,
The physical body,
To land.
So there might be some fizziness,
There might be some motion that needs to smooth itself out.
So just over the next 30 seconds allowing the physical body to drop into space.
Becoming aware of the support that is beneath you,
Holding you,
So that you can find stillness and you can give in to gravity.
You don't need to resist it.
There's going to be a gentle lengthening up through the spine,
A little opening through the crown of the head,
But the body is giving in to gravity.
Hips,
Feet,
Hands,
Shoulders softening.
And a beautiful way to check in with the tension is to become aware of the face and then soften the jaw.
Let the jaw be loose,
Smooth out anything that's going on in the forehead.
We're going to take three arrival breaths.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Let the water-like quality of the air leave the lips,
Just like a waterfall.
Two more like that.
In through the nose and then wash it away.
And as you exhale,
Just letting any stresses of the day,
Any stories of the day,
Just gently dissolve.
The inhale brings you closer to the present moment,
Breath by breath.
And then gently sealing off the lips after those three initial arrival breaths.
And just continue now to breathe in and out through the nose.
Natural,
Effortless breathing.
And the observation here is just to notice.
Where is your breath?
How is your breath being expressed in the physical body?
Is it up in the chest?
Is it in the ribs?
Is it in the back of the body?
For the next 30-40 seconds,
Observe your breath.
Nothing less,
Nothing more.
Breath awareness.
As you start to become aware of your breath,
You also become aware that your physical body is relaxing.
The stories of the day are untangling.
And you start to become more and more present.
Breath by breath.
A way we can access a smoothness from within or a calm interior is through the breath.
It starts there.
And from that place of inner smoothness comes confidence,
Like a springboard.
Calmness springs into confidence.
So just let the body,
Let the mind receive that.
Breath by breath.
Beautifully done.
Acknowledge if you're judging yourself in practice at this moment.
Are you judging yourself because you drifted off?
Are you judging yourself because you're breathing a certain way?
Try and release the judgment here.
Try and just openly become aware of what's present.
Judgments become limitations.
Let them go.
From here we're going to be extending the exhale breath.
So it's going to sound like this.
You're going to breathe in for a count of four and breathe out for a count of six.
And I'd like you to do it in this way.
As you breathe in,
Internally saying one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
As you exhale,
Internally saying six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continuing.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continue with this in your mind and your body.
In for four,
Out for six.
This is the practice.
Release judgment of the practice and just be in it.
Freely moving with the breath.
Make it a choice.
I choose to breathe in this rhythm.
I give it my all.
In for four and out for six.
Supporting the nervous system on a deep,
Deep level.
And just a few more rounds to commit to fully.
In for four and out for six.
Final round in that shaped rhythm.
And then after that round,
Simply return to your natural breathing.
Notice if your natural breathing feels different after that shaping.
And as you breathe naturally,
Are you able just to support the breath into the ribs a little bit more.
Breath by breath,
Slowly working into the rib cage.
Taking up space.
Allowing the body to take up space in the room that you're in.
Expanding the edges,
The parameter a little bit more.
So nice.
And the next part of our time inwardly explores us using the breath and using numbers to be with the breath.
So you're going to use the breath to ride upon.
And as you inhale,
You'll count one.
As you exhale,
You'll count two.
And continue like that all the way to ten.
This is a practice.
You may never get to ten,
Even with years of meditation experience.
But you commit all the same.
You show up and commit.
Counting the breath.
Notice as you go where the mind wants to take you when you get pulled away.
And if you do get to ten today,
Take a moment and then come back to one.
And you simply start again.
If you lose track and you go off on a thought experience into a cave of all known thoughts,
Come back to one.
This is the practice.
It's not about getting there.
It's about being able to start again.
Notice where the mind goes and start again.
Be willing to start again.
Can you stay with it just a little bit more?
Committed to getting to ten.
Riding the wave of the breath.
Let everything else dissolve.
Prioritize the breath.
And then notice where you are right now in your mind space.
Are you on a number?
Are you on a thought?
Are you rehearsing the future?
Are you reviewing the past?
Just notice the flavor,
Where the mind has gone.
And then release the counting and just simply journey back to breath awareness.
How is my breath?
Stay with the stillness.
Stay with the centering feeling of being internal for now.
And now I want you to rehearse the future in a positive contemplation.
Have you got something coming up this week or next week that requires you to step forward,
Take up space and move from a calmness and confidence?
If so,
Bring that into mind and it could even be a conversation with a loved one.
It could be applying for something or doing something new that you haven't tried.
Maybe it's a presentation.
Maybe it's training someone.
Whatever it is that's coming up,
Visualize yourself in that moment.
How do you want to feel?
How do you want to be received?
And start to cultivate that feeling now inside yourself.
Using the breath as much as you need and then coming up with a statement to meet that feeling.
I meet this moment and then finish the sentence.
I meet this moment and keep feeling into it.
I meet this moment and your end sentence.
And it could be with genuine authenticity,
With the willingness to fail.
Whatever it is,
Just find that end sentence and repeat it a few times as you visualize that moment.
Breathe it in fully into your body.
Fill up the entire body with breath and then exhale through the mouth.
Wash out any limiting beliefs around you not achieving that feeling.
Do that again.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale.
Dissolve any tension,
Any fear,
Any worry around that moment.
Let it go.
And then from here we're going to go on a journey of positive affirmations.
So clearing the channel,
Making the canvas blank and we start again.
Come to the breath if you need to,
To regain focus.
And I'll leave a space between each affirmation for you to either just marinate in or to repeat a few times internally for yourself.
I give myself permission to take up space.
I explore my gifts.
I stand firmly in my talents and share them with those around me.
I acknowledge that I am of immense potential.
I tap into my unbound potential now.
I'm open to falling so I can learn how to stand back up stronger.
And if you have any other affirmations you would like to drop in to your consciousness now,
Anything that might meet a personal or professional scenario and infuse it with positivity,
Explore that for yourself now over the next minute or two.
What does your heart need to affirm?
What does your mind need to affirm for yourself?
And whatever affirmation that has come through and if nothing has come through that's okay too.
Just be here and breathe into it.
Noticing your inner landscape and if anything shifted since we began.
And start to become aware once again of the support beneath your body.
Feeling held,
Feeling supported always.
And start to bring your awareness to the space that you're in through the ears,
Any sounds that are present.
Deepening the breath,
Maybe starting to move the fingers or toes,
Maybe the neck.
Might feel really nice to take some stretches.
And then when you're ready you can blink the eyes open.
