Breathing Into New Beginnings

Whether you're excited for something new or feeling anxious or nervous, this meditation will guide you to become still with the feelings and connect with your breath and body. Recognizing that you have the power to just 'be' with your new beginning in whatever shape it may take.

Transcript

Hello everyone,

And welcome to this meditation on new beginnings.

Now I would invite you to find a comfortable seat,

Whether that's sitting on a cushion or maybe in a chair with your feet firmly rooted in the ground,

And at any point in this meditation you feel the need to move or stretch,

Please do so.

It's not about being perfectly still.

It's more about being comfortable in your body,

Comfortable in this space,

Comfortable in this new beginning.

Now,

New beginnings can take many shapes and forms.

Maybe they're exciting,

Makes you happy,

Gives you motivation,

You feel eager,

And new beginnings can also take another shape that might make you feel a bit nervous,

Or worried,

Or tense.

And whatever the feeling that you have right now,

It's okay,

We're going to learn how to sit with it,

How to be with it,

And also how to transform it.

So now I would invite you,

If your eyes are closed,

To open them again,

And just to scan the room,

Scan the space where you're in,

The sights,

The sounds,

Maybe also the smells,

Or the subtle energies that you feel in the room.

And what do you see?

And now in your body,

Or maybe it's in your mind,

What do you feel?

What do you notice?

What comes up for you now?

Does it feel exciting,

And happy,

Or calming?

Or maybe does it feel a bit nerve-wracking,

Or stressful,

Or overwhelming?

And see if you can feel in your body where you notice these sensations.

For me,

When I start to feel both feelings of joy and struggle,

It often comes to my chest area,

To my belly,

And I can notice either an opening,

Or a subtle tension,

And tightening in these areas.

And now that you've found this feeling,

I want to invite you to now close your eyes.

Maybe roll your shoulders up and back and down.

Relax your arms.

Relax your jaw.

Maybe wiggle the bottom part of your jaw from the upper part to release some tension.

Relax your eyes and your eyelids.

Relax your hands and your fingers.

And now relax your belly.

On your next inhale breath,

See if you can feel your belly really fill up with air.

And on your next exhale,

Just allow the breath to flow out of your body through your mouth or your nose.

And now again,

Feel your belly grow bigger,

Filling up with air.

And as you exhale,

Allowing the breath to flow out of your body through your mouth or your nose.

As we've relaxed our body,

We slowly come into our breath,

Just noticing whatever is there.

Not pushing away the feelings and the sights that we saw,

But just being with them.

Not reacting,

Not pushing,

Just accepting and being.

Now again,

On your inhale,

Feel your belly get big with air.

And now exhale through your nose.

And slowly,

Breath by breath,

Start to deepen your inhales and exhales.

Maybe you inhale for one count longer,

And maybe you slow your exhale.

So you're deepening your inhale,

Filling up your belly with air.

And lengthening your exhale,

Slower and longer.

And if at any point in this meditation,

Your mind gets flooded with thoughts,

Or maybe you feel a physical sensation,

Just recognize it,

Allow it to be there,

And let it go.

And bring your attention gently back to your inhale and your exhale.

Inhale,

Filling your belly up with air.

And exhale,

Slowly releasing all of the air through your nose.

And you might notice that during your new beginning phase,

You feel things that you haven't felt before.

Situations and circumstances come together that have never existed before.

So there is newness.

And whether that newness feel light and open,

Or tight and constricting,

It's a new opportunity to be with something.

To breathe with something.

And as you've started to deepen and lengthen your inhales and the exhales,

I would like you to bring back,

With your eyes still closed,

The sights,

Or the feelings,

Or the sounds that you saw at the beginning of this meditation.

And what do you notice?

And what happens in your body?

Do you feel that feeling of tension in your chest?

Or maybe an eagerness?

And whatever you feel,

And whatever you see,

That's okay.

You can accept it without judgment.

Allow it to be there.

And now,

I invite you to feel your fingers.

Maybe you can wiggle them on your knees.

What does it feel like?

Do they feel fine?

And now,

Wiggle your toes.

Do they all wiggle and move?

Do they feel fine?

And now,

Come back to your breath,

Filling up your belly on the inhale,

And slowly exhaling through the nose.

Allow your fingers and toes to rest,

If you haven't yet.

And as you continue to breathe,

You can become aware that even in the midst of intense feelings,

You can bring your attention to your fingers and to your toes to recognize that,

I'm okay.

I am okay.

My right baby toe still wiggles,

All of my fingers still move,

And the feeling in my chest,

Or in your neck,

Or in your belly,

Maybe momentarily fades away as you notice that your fingers and toes still have the ability to wiggle and move.

And this is a technique that I like to use,

Dealing with strong emotions,

And dealing with intense feelings,

Whether good or bad.

Sometimes the feelings can take over in your body,

And you feel you don't have control.

And now is an opportunity to come back,

To feel your toes,

Feel your fingers,

And recognize,

I am in control of my body,

And I am in control of my breath.

And by breathing slowly and deeply,

And by noticing my fingers and toes,

I can calm my nervous system.

And now,

Putting your attention gently back on your breath,

Filling up the belly on the inhale,

And releasing all of the air through your nostrils on the exhale.

See if you can follow the cycle of your breath,

So from maybe the base of your belly,

Filling up your belly on the inhale,

Following your breath up to your nose,

And exhaling,

Following the breath back down the body,

And see if you can notice how you can gently deepen and slow down your breath.

With each inhale and each exhale,

We have a chance to calm our minds and to calm our bodies,

Subtly through our breath.

And now,

When you bring your attention back into the space,

And into the room,

Keeping your eyes closed,

Just bring yourself back into this moment.

And now,

What do you notice?

What are the feelings or sensations in your body and mind?

And I'll invite you to start bringing yourself back into the physical room.

So maybe you want to bow your head a little bit towards the ground,

And slowly open your eyes.

Maybe you want to keep your gaze down for a bit,

Welcoming in the new energy,

The new light,

The new sights.

And as you're ready,

You can lift your head up,

And just as we did at the beginning of the meditation,

I invite you to look around the room.

Feel yourself in this space.

And what do you notice?

And how does it feel?

And remember that you are in control of your body,

And you are in control of your breath.

And with any new beginnings,

Whether exciting or frightful,

You have this ability to be with the feelings,

And be with your breath,

And calm yourself.

And as we take one last inhale together,

And one last exhale together,

I invite you to be with your new beginning.

Thank you for practicing,

And have a good day.