Let's take a breathing break together with the thought and the words,
I am doing the best I can.
In all of us,
We can get to a situation where our load,
Our stress load is really building up and where we haven't had a chance to take a break and our bodies,
Of course,
Are gonna feel that.
They're gonna feel it with some tension and particularly a feeling that when we're breathing,
Our breath is kind of shallow and trapped.
Sometimes we feel that because we find ourselves taking some very short,
Sharp-sized exhalations.
And sometimes we feel suddenly that we've been holding our breath.
So we're just gonna take a little breath break here to regulate our breathing back into a nice,
Safe,
Settled pattern with the thought,
Which is the truth,
That we're doing our best.
There are so many demands on us and our load can get big and sometimes we have to check in on that and say,
Look,
I'm a human being and I have the energy that I have today,
I have the time I have today,
I have the capacity and there are things in my life that are gonna influence that.
And all I can do is show up and do my best.
No one is asking for more from you,
But sometimes we ask so much of ourselves.
So let's really settle into our glorious,
Wonderful humanity.
There's nothing wrong with us and we really are doing our best and we're doing a good job.
You are doing a good job.
So first of all,
Just being in a short time and space where you won't be disturbed,
Remembering that this is not more time than you can spare and it's going to have great rewards for you in how you go forward.
And as you ground your body where you're sitting,
Where you are,
However you are,
Feel your body.
What parts of your body are connected to a support right now?
Is it your feet on the ground?
Is it your hands on the armrest of your chair?
Is it your spine where you're resting?
Let's take some breaths into those parts which are connected to the earth or a support.
And by taking our breath there,
We're just taking our awareness there too.
And now take one hand to your chest toward your heart space and maybe spread your fingers a little there or whatever's comfortable.
And then take your other hand to your belly.
And just sense how you're breathing right now.
Does it feel like your breath is flowing evenly between your hand and your belly?
Or does it feel like a bit of an effort for your breath to reach those parts?
And can you tell yourself,
That's fine,
I'm doing my best and this is my experience right now without trying to fix that or change that or tell yourself it's wrong.
This is just the experience you're having now.
And it's useful to get curious and know.
And then see if there's a part of your body that feels like it's holding a load that's saying you're not doing your best and there's more to be done,
You're not doing it right.
Like it's very often in our neck or our shoulders as if we're carrying a heavy backpack.
So is there a way you can drop your shoulders and release that backpack for a moment because it's not needed in this space?
This is just a breathing space.
As simple as that.
And if it's hard for you to release your shoulders,
And here's a little technique,
Bring them up to your ears,
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze at the top and then let them go.
And do that a couple of times.
On an inhalation,
Flexing your shoulders right up to your ears and squeezing.
As tight as you can and then when you exhale,
Just let everything drop.
Or any kind of rolls that help.
But you don't need to over-focus here.
We're just helping our body out.
And now coming back to your hand on your chest and your hand on your belly and those words,
I'm doing my best.
And feel that you're beginning your breath as you breathe in from low down in your belly and very slowly,
In a very flowy way,
Bringing your breath up to your chest where it turns over like the turnover tide and you release your exhalation and feel your breath slowly wandering down to your belly again.
And see if you can make it leisurely.
You might not feel that way at first,
But do your best.
Breathing in from your belly and filling slowly,
Smoothly up to your chest and then releasing a beautiful wave of breath all the way back down again into your depths.
And as you breathe,
Saying,
I'm doing my best.
I'm doing the best I can,
Which is really good.
The best I can is enough.
You might visualize that your breath is like water that flows and it flows upward and then spills over the top and flows downwards slowly,
Slowly in a meandering way.
Maybe like the waves in the ocean drawing in and up and then down and out lapping the sand,
The seabed,
Which is you safe and settled inside that truth.
I am doing my best and my best is more than enough.
Feel how your body is mobilizing which parts are mobilizing under your hands and in what way.
That as you breathe in your belly expands and there's a movement upwards under your hand and your rib cage draws in and your chest rises and then as you breathe out your chest drops,
Your rib cage drops,
Your belly drops and you can feel all of that under your hands and this is a magical breath that restores you and restores you back to you and to the truth that you are enough,
More than enough,
You are valuable and you are doing your best for yourself and in the world and for who you love and care about and we thank you for that,
Thank you.
Can you thank yourself now as you breathe and have these feelings of your body,
These parts mobilizing in this beautiful breath?
Maybe say to yourself,
Thank you for doing your best.
Simply that.
And then just check in with how you're feeling now.
You can keep your hands there or place them anywhere.
Let's check in with your shoulders again,
See if they might feel a little looser as you give them a shoulder roll or you might be turning your head one ear to one shoulder,
One ear to the other letting your head drop forward and getting that lovely stretch in the back of your neck.
You might be flexing your feet,
Wriggling your toes,
Your fingers,
Stretching.
And taking some big breaths in maybe with one final stretch and saying,
I am doing my best and I am enough and I am valuable and I am grateful for all I do.
Appreciate yourself.
And then step back into your day,
Hopefully feeling a little lighter,
More settled more grounded in your truth.
Maybe there are some things you can now take off your to-do list because you are asking too much of yourself or maybe you just feel a little more energy,
A little more readiness to do those things.
I wish you peace.
Namaste.
