For the next five minutes,
We're just going to create some space to gently slow down.
And if your day allows for more time to slow down,
You're welcome to pause this audio at any time for as long as you want.
As we start,
I invite you to just take some nice deep breaths,
Whatever that means for you today,
Whatever's most comfortable for your body,
Not forcing a certain rhythm or cadence that you think is what a deep breath should be,
But just noticing how your body wants to breathe.
Inhaling,
Tracing that breath as it enters your body.
And exhaling,
Following that breath out.
As you settle in for these couple minutes,
Just notice,
Is my body comfortable where I am?
Would I like to stretch or move at all before I get comfortable and settle in?
Do I want to let out a heavy sigh?
As you honor those instincts right now and throughout our time together,
I invite you to place your hands just on either side of your face,
Kind of where your jaw is,
Opening and closing your jaw and just noticing,
Okay,
What tension might I be holding here?
What are all the little muscles in here that I oftentimes don't even notice,
That I'm often not even connected to?
As you open and close your jaw,
You can also kind of move it around side to side,
Just noticing what's happening there,
What feels comfortable,
What feels tight.
In whatever ways are comfortable for you,
Letting out some exhales,
Almost imagining releasing any of that tension or any of that stress that you might be noticing that you're carrying there.
The next,
I invite you to place your hands on the back of your neck and just noticing,
How do these muscles feel?
You can gently rub those muscles if that would feel nice,
Just thinking about how much work these muscles do every single day to hold your head up,
Thinking about,
What do these muscles maybe need?
If I were to care for them,
What would that look like?
When moving your hands down to your shoulders,
You can keep your hands gently there,
Or if it feels nice,
You can almost apply a little bit of pressure,
Just getting in touch with those muscles,
Considering,
What have I been carrying on my shoulders?
Is there anything that any specific part of me,
Or all of me,
Feels has been too heavy that I feel like I have no option other than to continue to carry day in and day out right now?
Now,
Mindful of those spaces in your body as a whole,
I invite you to take three really deep breaths.
After that,
The audio will be over,
And I encourage you to be really mindful about how you re-engage with your day.
If you'd like to shake a little bit,
If there are any other muscles you want to get in touch with,
And just notice,
How is my day different now that I have slowed down for just a couple minutes and gotten in touch with some of what's happening inside my body?
I invite you to take a nice deep breath,
And another,
And one last one.
