Find a position where your body can fully rest its weight,
Seated with support or lying down.
Let your eyes close.
Begin by simply noticing your breath,
Wherever it is right now.
Fast,
Shallow,
Tight.
Or already a little easier just from sitting down.
There's no wrong starting point.
Now let's gently slow it down.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
Holds gently for a count of two.
Breathe out through your mouth for a count of six,
Longer than the inhale.
The longer exhale is doing the real work here,
It signals to your nervous system that the moment of threat,
Whatever it was,
Has passed.
Now repeat this pattern three or four times.
In for four,
Hold for two,
Out for six.
As you do,
Notice anything that's shifting even slightly.
Your shoulders,
Your jaw,
The pace of your thoughts.
Now when you're ready,
Let your attention move slowly through your body.
The way you might check in on someone you're caring for.
Your body is your constant companion through life.
Start at your forehead.
Is there tension there?
Let it soften,
Even a little.
Move down to your jaw,
A place most of us carry more than we realise.
Now unclench it.
Slowly move down to your shoulders.
Picture them being carried,
For a moment,
By something other than you.
Chair,
A wall,
Gravity itself.
Let them drop.
Move to your chest and your belly.
Notice without changing the breath still moving here doing its quiet constant work whether or not you've been paying attention to it Move to your hands.
Unclench them if they're closed and let your arms feel heavy,
Supported.
Notice,
With as little judgment as possible,
Where stress tends to live in your body,
That place that tightens first before your mind even catches up to why.
Just bring your attention there now,
With kindness.
No need to fix it.
Awareness is often enough to loosen its grip even slightly.
Now return to the breath.
Counting in for four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Hold for two,
And out for 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1 and do a few more rounds in your own time.
In for four.
Hold for two.
Out for six.
Stress is not a character flaw or a sign you're not coping.
It's your body doing exactly what it's built to do when it senses too much for too long.
This practice doesn't erase what's stressing you.
It just gives your nervous system a few real minutes of evidence that it's allowed to stand down.
Even if the rest of it is still true.
Silently if it helps offer yourself this.
I can meet what's ahead without carrying it all in my body right now.
I'm allowed to stabilize before I go back in.
Take one more slow breath in for four and out for six.
And as you come toward the end of this practice,
Notice how your body feels now,
Compared to when you sat down.
Not if it's fixed or not,
Just is it a little steadier?
When you're ready,
Deepen your breath.
Let your fingers and toes wiggle and move,
And bring your attention back to the room.
Whatever's waiting for you can wait a few more seconds while you finish this last easy breath.
