Welcome.
This practice is a conscious pause to come back to your center.
You don't need to change anything or become someone different.
This is a space to slow down,
Release some of the pressure and reconnect with yourself.
Allow yourself to begin just as you are.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seated position and allow your body to truly rest.
Feel the weight of your body dropping down toward the base,
As if you don't need to hold yourself up without effort,
Without pressure.
When you feel ready,
Gently close your eyes.
And notice how your body feels right now.
Maybe there is tension,
Maybe there is tiredness,
Maybe there is restlessness.
Simply acknowledge what is present for you.
Now begin to gently lengthen the exhalation without forcing it,
As if each exhale were a signal of permission to let go a little more.
With each exhale,
Imagine something inside,
Something inside you softening and settling.
And feel the shoulders release,
The jaw relaxes,
The abdomen becomes softer.
Feel the contact between your body and the support beneath you,
The chair,
The floor,
The surface holding you.
Even if your mind is active,
There is stability here.
So we connect with this stability,
With the chair,
The floor,
Or the surface holding you.
And if thoughts arise,
Observe them as they pass.
Don't follow them,
Don't fight them.
Return again and again to the simple cessation of breathing.
Start noticing now the air coming in and going out at its own natural rhythm.
Just start connecting with your own breath and notice where you feel the breath most clearly.
Perhaps in the chest,
Perhaps in the abdomen,
Perhaps at the nostrils.
And let your attention rest there.
Stay there,
There is no rush.
Just notice where you feel the breath most clearly and stay there.
Now feel yourself returning to the center of the body through the breath,
Returning to a space in the middle of the abdomen.
This is an inner place where you can simply be with yourself without demands or concerns.
So with each exhalation,
You may repeat silently if you wish,
I return to my center.
Here I am.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
Stay with this feeling for a few moments.
Not seeking perfect calm,
Just enough presence.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
If the mind wanders,
That's okay.
That too is part of the path back.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
Gently return to your center.
Do it gently.
Be kind to your mind.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
Now feel the rhythm of the breath as an anchor.
Something reliable.
Something you can always return to.
The breath is the path back to center.
When we follow it,
The mind settles and finds its own rhythm,
Its own center.
I return to my center.
Here I am.
Remain here in silence for the last few minutes of this session.
To close,
Slowly begin to bring awareness back to your surroundings.
Start feeling your whole body again.
Start feeling the weight of your body,
The support beneath.
And take a deep inhale.
And a slow conscious exhale.
Inhale deeply.
Exhale long and softly.
Inhale deeply again.
Exhale long and softly.
Before opening your eyes,
Acknowledge this gesture of self-care.
Returning to your center is also a way of caring for yourself.
And when you are ready,
Gently move your fingers and toes.
And open your eyes at your own pace.
Carry this sense of center with you into the rest of your day.
Remember that you can return here whenever you need.
Goodbye and see you next time.
