In these few minutes,
We're going to press pause and simply slow down together.
This audio track is the first of three that follow the movements in the book The Sacred Art of Slowing Down.
Those movements are Slow Down,
Tune in with the Body,
And Tend to the Depths of the Soul.
I invite you to get comfortable,
Taking a few mindful breaths,
Anchoring in,
Not trying to force a certain cadence of breath,
Just noticing how your body wants to inhale and exhale right now.
Maybe shifting your body around,
Seeing if there's any stretch you want to take,
Anything you might want to shake out of your wrists or your arms.
Pressing pause if you would like more time to settle your body into the space.
Whenever you're ready,
You can place one hand over your heart,
One over your abdomen.
If this doesn't feel comfortable,
You might place your hands over your shoulders,
Your legs,
Your feet,
Whatever might feel most natural.
Continuing some nice mindful breaths,
I invite you to simply notice what it's like to have nothing required of you in this moment right now.
Knowing that the only thing you are attempting to do is simply slow down,
Which really is an invitation not so much to do,
But to simply be.
Maybe you imagine distractions or things on your to-do list being placed on a shelf or in another room,
Setting those things aside for these couple of minutes,
Knowing they will be there waiting for you when you come back.
But right now,
Right here,
You get to simply breathe and be.
You might shift the placement of your hands if something else would feel more comfortable.
Maybe you'd like to have both hands on your abdomen as you breathe.
Maybe you'd like to have your hands over your neck or the sides of your head.
Again,
Just following what feels natural.
There's not a right or a wrong here.
And as we continue to press into this pause,
Letting ourselves,
Simply be letting ourselves slow down.
I invite you to notice how that's sitting with you.
Maybe noticing,
Okay,
Does it feel nice to take a slower inhale,
A slower exhale?
Is my body naturally taking a slower inhale,
A slower exhale?
Or does this not feel good?
Is there some resistance or perceived resistance in my body?
Is there any part of me that doesn't seem to like this,
That doesn't want to slow down?
Just noticing what's popping up,
Whether that's a sensation in your body,
A thought,
Maybe even a memory,
An emotion.
Maybe there's a message that's been internalized that says,
I don't have time to slow down.
Maybe there's a message inside that says,
I shouldn't be taking this time right now.
I should be doing this,
That,
Or the other.
Maybe there's a message inside that's saying,
I don't deserve to slow down.
Wherever you are,
Whatever you're noticing,
I invite you to simply breathe with that.
Be with what's coming up.
If it feels helpful,
You can almost imagine with each breath,
Creating space.
A space to hold both the longing and wanting to slow down,
And also what's naturally coming up that might feel contradictory to that.
Seeing what it's like to be curious about what you're noticing.
Being curious about what might prompt those thoughts or reactions internally.
What might prompt a perceived resistance to slowing down.
Getting curious about,
How might that reaction be trying to help me?
In what ways might slowing down feel risky or threatening to any part of me,
To my body?
Rather than trying to force yourself into a cadence of slowing down,
Or to feel good about slowing down,
Honoring that slowing down is often complex and not very simple in the world that we live in,
And that it can take time to play with a new cadence,
A new rhythm or tempo of slowing down.
Finding safety in slowing down,
And honoring what our bodies might need in that,
What different parts of us might need in that.
And if you'd like more time right now to sit with curiosity about what you're noticing,
I invite you to press pause for as long as you'd like.
Otherwise,
Whenever you're ready.
We're going to close this time with setting an intention of how you might want to come back to that curiosity.
You might want to play with slowing down in your regular life.
And then lastly,
We'll close with some nice deep breaths together.
So before we shift out of this time,
I invite you to think about in the rest of the day that's ahead of you,
The week that's ahead of you,
Maybe even the month that's ahead of you.
Where might there be moments that you would long to stretch a bit,
To breathe into,
To create a spaciousness and room to slow down?
Even if it's just a little bit.
Even if it's just for a breath for a moment.
This might be when you're brushing your teeth,
Washing dishes,
Getting in your car or getting out of your car.
Really,
Even in the most mundane moments of life.
Just trying to be curious,
What might it look like to invite slowing down there?
You know,
Maybe I'm not starting with 20 minutes of meditation every morning.
Maybe I'm starting with simply taking a breath when I pick up my phone or open my email.
It's just taking a moment to think about maybe one way that you might want to play with slowing down,
Creating even just a tiny bit of space.
Again,
You can press pause if you would like to think about that anymore before we close.
Otherwise,
I invite you to take three of the deepest breaths you've taken all day,
Making as much noise as you might want to with every exhale.
Inhaling.
Exhaling.
Two more.
Following your own cadence,
If my cadence of breath doesn't work for you.
One last breath.
Thank you for joining me.
I hope you join me for the other two audios in this series.
