Welcome and take a moment to settle into this space.
Getting yourself into a comfortable position where you feel supported enough to relax.
There is nothing you need to do right now apart from allowing yourself to arrive here in this moment and giving yourself permission to rest,
To relax and to gently reset.
If it feels comfortable allow your eyes to close or let your gaze soften and becoming aware of the weight of the feet on the support,
The chair or surface holding you and feeling into the quiet steadiness and stillness underneath it all.
Often when the mind is busy it's because it's been trying to take care of everything constantly thinking ahead,
Considering all possibilities,
Preparing,
Planning and holding things in place and after a while that effort can feel tiring,
Not just in the mind but in the body too.
So for these next few moments you can allow yourself to step out of that effort.
Right now nothing needs your attention and nothing needs to be solved.
Bringing your awareness gently to your breath.
There's no need to breathe in any special way,
Simply noticing the breath as it is.
The breath arriving and the breath leaving.
Allow the exhale to be easy,
Unforced,
As though the body already knows how to let go and with each breath allow a little softening,
Noticing the shoulders gently relax,
The jaw beginning to unclench and the space around the eyes feel less tight and sore.
Letting the body settle in its own time.
And thoughts may still come and go and that's okay,
You don't need to follow them and you don't need to move them on and if you notice you've been caught in thinking,
Gently bring your attention back to the breath or to the feeling of being supported.
Again and again,
Without judgment,
This returning is the reset.
And now allow your awareness to include the whole body,
The weight of your legs,
The steadiness of your back and the natural rhythm of your breathing.
If emotions are present,
You can allow them space too.
There's no need to label them or work them out,
Simply letting them rise and settle,
Held within your awareness.
This is how balance returns,
Not by pushing anything away but by allowing things to be as they are.
And for a few breaths we're going to rest here,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Resting in the body and resting in the moment.
Nothing to do and nowhere to go.
And as we begin to come towards the end of this practice,
Take a moment to notice how it feels to be here now.
The mind may still be active and that's fine,
But perhaps there's also a sense of grounding,
A quiet stillness and steadiness underneath.
This is something you can return to,
Not by effort but by pausing and by allowing.
When you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back,
And noticing the space around you and the sounds and the light.
And as you gently open your eyes and come back into your environment,
See if you can carry even a little of this softness with you into your day.
Take care.
