Welcome!
My name is Julia,
And I'll be guiding you today.
We're going to be using our breath to focus on feelings of stress reduction,
Safety,
And tranquility within the body.
Before we get started,
Take a few moments and just settle in,
Closing down the eyes,
Giving yourself a nice little shake or a stretch,
And finding comfort within the body,
At least for now.
If you need to move at any point in the practice,
Feeling free to do so,
Listening to whatever is coming up for you today.
Noticing how you're showing up right now,
In this moment,
Without judging yourself,
Taking a breath in through the nose,
And greeting the breath here.
Exhaling it all out with a nice deep sigh.
Breathing in again,
Taking it deeper this time,
Stretching out your ribcage,
Your torso,
And sighing it all out through your mouth.
Continuing with this pattern,
Breathing in feelings of calm,
Relaxation,
Sighing to release feelings of stress,
Tension.
We'll be here for a few moments,
Just inhaling and exhaling,
Getting in touch with what's going on internally.
If there are any thoughts that come to mind during this time,
Gently pushing them away along with that exhale.
If those thoughts feel good or positive,
Perhaps using your inhale to anchor them further within the body.
Breathing with whatever comes up,
Any sensations,
Any emotions,
Any feelings,
Thoughts,
Ideas.
It's all okay.
Bringing your attention to the physical qualities of your breathing,
The sensation of the air moving in and out of your body.
Noticing if the breathing feels natural and fluid,
Or strained,
If you're breathing quickly or slowly,
If the breath feels shallow or deep.
Leaning in to the physical sensations of your torso expanding with each inhale and contracting with each exhale.
As we focus on the breath here,
We'll move into a pattern.
Inhaling for a count of four,
And exhaling for a count of four.
You can breathe in and out through the nose here.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
Keeping this pattern up,
As you stay in this pattern of breathing,
Matching the length of your inhales to the length of your exhales,
Bringing to mind a stressful situation that you've experienced recently.
It could be a deadline at work,
A difficult conversation,
Or a health concern,
Or anything else that you found challenging or upsetting.
Taking a moment,
Fully feeling the stress and the tension associated with this situation.
Now,
Picture yourself standing at the edge of a peaceful lake.
The water is calm,
And the surface reflects the clear blue sky above.
You feel a gentle breeze on your face,
And the sun warming your skin.
Take a moment and use your inhales to draw in the tranquility of this scene.
As you stay here,
Visualizing this peaceful lake,
You look down and realize that you're carrying a heavy stone.
It's been weighing you down,
Making it hard to move.
This stone represents all of the stress and tension associated with the situation you brought to mind.
You see yourself walking towards the edge of the lake,
Dragging this heavy stone.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
You throw the stone into the lake.
You continue to breathe here as you watch it immediately sink down beneath the surface of the water,
Disappearing from sight and taking with it the feelings of stress and anxiety that have been weighing you down.
As you stand here,
The lake grows calmer and still again as the stone disappears.
You suddenly notice the weight has been lifted from your body and your soul,
Feeling a sense of calm washing over you,
Immersing yourself fully in this moment of peace.
With each inhale,
You draw in those feelings of peace and calm,
And with each exhale,
The tension slowly melts away from your face,
Your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your hands,
Your torso,
Your pelvis,
Your legs,
All the way down to the tips of your toes.
You feel completely at ease,
Completely calm,
Free of tension,
Free of worry.
Continuing to stay with this pattern of breathing,
Inhaling and exhaling.
As you breathe here,
Immersing yourself fully in these emotions of love,
Compassion,
Respect,
Joy,
Positivity,
And anything else that comes to mind that you wish to hold on to.
Knowing that you are truly capable of leading a beautiful,
Balanced,
Calm life.
You are capable of managing stress and finding peace,
Even in challenging times.
Each cycle of breath deepens your sense of calm and peace,
Bathing every cell in your body in these feelings.
Noticing any shifts or anything that might have changed physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally,
Spiritually,
From when you first sat down.
Simply acknowledging whatever might have come up,
And letting yourself sit with it for a moment,
Without judging,
Without taking action,
Just being an impartial observer.
Thanking yourself for taking this time today,
For releasing those heavy feelings,
And for calling in the peace that you deserve.
Whenever you're ready,
Giving yourself a gentle wiggle or a stretch,
And slowly shifting back to the present moment.
Releasing that breathing pattern,
Taking one final deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Releasing any of those final heavy feelings that might still be lingering.
