This meditation will teach you a way to slow down and help your body recharge.
Just like batteries on a flashlight that need replacing from time to time,
Our inner light shines brightest when we take the time to recharge and take care of ourselves.
Begin by sitting in a comfortable position on a chair or on the floor.
Imagine that you have a container inside your body that holds all of your worries and the things that you're stressed about and the busyness of your day.
Your container might be big or small,
Round or square or something else.
It doesn't matter.
Everyone's looks different.
Just notice what yours looks like.
Take a peek inside and notice how full your container is.
How much busyness or worry or stress is in there?
Each day it might look different.
Sometimes our containers can be a little bit full.
Sometimes they can be very full.
Sometimes they might even be overflowing.
See what yours looks like.
There's no right or wrong,
Good or bad.
Now bring your focus of your attention to your breathing.
See if you can follow the breath as it comes into your nose and fills your chest and your belly and as it goes out.
Feel the breath as it comes in and as it goes out.
Notice if your breath feels quick or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Pretend that your breath is like an anchor of a ship that keeps it steady in the water,
Whether the waves are calm or rough.
Your breath is always there for you,
Coming in and going out.
So you can ride the waves of your own breath whenever you want.
Your anchor helps you feel stable and safe.
Breathe in and notice air coming into your body.
Breathe out and notice air leaving your body.
See if you might notice when one breath ends and the next one begins.
Imagine that you could send some breath into your container to create some extra space in there.
Watch your breath as it travels in and through your container,
Flowing all the way from your head into your toes and back from your toes to your head,
Gently moving through your container as it goes.
It's safe to let your body relax right now in this moment.
Now think about a feeling that you might want to fill yourself up with right now that would feel good for your body.
Maybe it's a feeling of calmness,
A feeling of peace,
Relaxation,
Courage,
Or something else.
Imagine that you could breathe that feeling right into your body.
Invite that feeling into your container too and let it flow in there.
You might imagine a warmer,
Soothing feeling filling you up from head to toe.
Invite that feeling to spread so that it takes up a lot of space.
You might even imagine that feeling flowing to any parts of you that feel worried or stressed or tense and bringing kindness to those parts like a gentle hug.
Take a few slow,
Deep breaths and notice how your body is feeling now.
Thank yourself for taking this time to take care of yourself.
When you're ready,
Bring your attention back into the room and notice if you might carry that feeling that you imagined with you as you go into the rest of your day.
