Let's begin now by taking just a few minutes to settle into a really comfortable seated position.
Feeling your feet firmly planted in the ground beneath you.
Feeling your spine anchoring you down into the ground.
Each vertebra building up one on top of the other.
Feeling a gentle lengthening upward of the spine.
And a gentle rootedness down into the ground beneath you.
And closing your eyes now.
And beginning to turn inward.
So you take just a few big deep breaths in and out.
Inhaling through your nose.
Exhaling through your mouth.
As your breathing now begins to settle and calm.
Begin to breathe in for a count of four.
And breathe out for a count of four.
Breathe in for a count of four.
And breathe out for a count of four.
Allowing each inhale to become slightly longer than the one before.
And each exhale to become slightly longer than the one before that.
And as we begin our meditation and leadership presence,
Begin to bring to mind a leader that you really admire.
Someone who embodies the qualities that you aspire to.
And the screen of your mind,
See them standing in front of you.
And really begin to notice all of the details of how they stand,
Of how they move,
Of how they communicate,
And of how they interact with others.
Becoming almost a detective as you pay attention to all the small details.
That go into this leadership presence.
Now imagine yourself stepping into the shoes of this leader.
Feeling their presence and energy.
Taking on their confidence and their poise.
And take a moment to connect with these qualities within yourself.
What does this feel like?
As you embody this leader's presence.
Let this energy fill you up from the crown of your head.
All the way down to the tips of your toes.
And now imagine yourself in a situation where you need to demonstrate leadership presence.
Perhaps when you're giving a presentation or leading a meeting.
Or just engaging in a difficult conversation with a team member.
Notice how your body responds.
Do you feel confident and grounded?
Or do you feel anxious and unsure?
Allow yourself to reconnect to that image of that grounded leadership presence whenever you need to.
And taking a moment to feel all of these observations without judgment.
As you continue to breathe deeply.
Imagine yourself radiating this great energy of leadership presence out into the world around you.
See yourself inspiring others with your confidence.
Notice what that feels like within you.
Feel that impact that you're making on the world.
Noticing how your own physical presence begins to change perhaps.
As you embody this mindful compassion of leadership.
Taking a few more moments now to bask in this energy of leadership presence.
And knowing that you can access this energy any time you need.
Simply by bringing your attention back to the breath and back to your intention.
With your eyes still closed now.
Ask yourself,
What qualities do you most admire in the leader you visualized earlier?
How did it feel to step into the shoes of this leader and embody their presence?
What situations in your life require you to demonstrate your leadership presence?
How can you cultivate this energy of leadership presence in your daily life?
Both personally and professionally.
And now letting go of any thoughts or reflections.
And beginning to gently bring movement back into your body.
Waking up your fingers and toes.
Giving a little bit of a stretch and taking as long as you need before your eyes open again.
And whenever you're ready,
Coming out of this meditation and picking up your journal.
Spending a few minutes journaling on any of those questions or any of the other observations that came up for you in this meditation.
Always remembering that you can reconnect to this sense of leadership presence.
Just by reconnecting with your breath and your intention for your mindful leadership practice.
