To begin this practice,
I invite you to take a comfortable seat,
Perhaps closing your eyes,
Perhaps keeping them open,
And just take a few moments here to draw your attention to your breath.
Noticing the way the air feels as it enters and leaves your body,
Noticing whatever there is here to notice,
Perhaps noticing where in your body the air goes.
If you're breathing higher up into your chest or lower down into your abdomen,
Just noticing this with mindful curiosity.
Next,
I will guide you through a few breaths where we will extend our exhales.
So inhale and exhale,
Inhale and exhale,
Nice and slow.
Inhale and a nice slow exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Continue breathing like this for a few moments on your own,
Just making the intention to draw out your exhales,
Following them all the way out.
If you find it helpful to keep count,
You can aim to inhale for about four seconds and exhale for about six seconds or longer.
And as a little experiment,
I now invite you to bring a gentle hum to your exhale.
Continue doing this on your own for a few more moments,
Noticing any changes that happen in your body or your mind,
Noticing any points of tension in your body,
Anywhere that you experience some constriction or holding.
Bring some compassionate attention to that part of yourself and perhaps directing your hum exhale to that part of your body,
Inviting it to soften,
Inviting a sense of calm and relaxation.
Now taking a pause here to just notice whatever you notice in this space that you've created within yourself.
If you experience a greater sense of peace or calmness,
Just I invite you to bring your awareness to that and notice what that feels like in your body and your mind and just giving yourself a few moments to soak in that experience before you move on with your day.
