Sit with your feet flat to the ground,
Legs uncrossed.
Arms just relaxed at your side.
Shoulders unclenched.
And if that's comfortable for you,
You can close your eyes.
And then just take a few moments to draw inward,
Either listening to your breath go in and out slowly,
Or maybe you can listen to the sound of other people breathing.
Just follow the sound of the rain.
Taking deep breaths all the way to the pit of your stomach and exhaling slowly.
If you start to get distracted with thoughts of the week,
Or irritations,
Or anxieties,
Just listen to the gentle rain,
Cars going by,
Your breath and the breath of people around you.
Breathing in slowly to the quiet.
And exhaling gently through your nose or through your mouth.
Imagine yourself as a toddler or an infant.
So very small that a much larger being,
Whom you did not fully understand could carry you.
Breathing in slowly,
Feel your seat as though it were the hand or arm of a loving and supportive parent.
You are safe and held.
Return to your breath or the rain or the sound of others fidgeting or whispering.
Let your body be a soft focus for your attention.
You are held and resting in the warm sun,
Like the gentle warmth of a rock blessing your skin.
Breathing in slowly,
Feeling the solidity of your seat like a rock in the sun.
As you breathe,
It's like the caress of a caring hand.
You are held.
And now think of an evening during the week.
Find a moment in the past week when it was dark and something delighted you,
Something gracious.
Gather that gratitude into you as you breathe in fully and out slowly.
Now think back to a recent morning.
A warm blanket,
Hot coffee,
Sunrise.
Could be a newspaper or a prayer you said.
A moment in the morning of that small,
Still touch of grace in your life.
Breathing in as profoundly as you can.
And breathing out as slowly as you may.
Now look back to a waning moment of daylight,
Close of an afternoon.
You are still held by your chair as if on a warm rock or in the hand of a loved one.
And find a moment in the waning hours of light this week of beauty.
Maybe you had some great achievement professionally or a special call with a loved one or saw something significant on your drive home.
Breathe in deeply,
Acknowledging all the beauty in your life and its many gifts.
Find a spot in your body that needs a little extra care.
A sore shoulder,
A stiff leg.
Gather up all the gratitude you just cultivated and bring it to the part of your body that needs it the most.
And store that thanksgiving safely for the future.
Take three more slow breaths.
As you exhale on the third breath,
Let your eyes gently open.
