This is a five-minute meditative exercise for releasing stress and reclaiming power.
Allow yourself to reach your arms up as high as they'll go.
And then as you inhale,
Feel your breath filling your chest,
Going down into your belly.
And then as you exhale,
Bring your hands down to each side and imagine that you're swimming through the air and letting the clutter and worry of your life flow behind you.
Reach up again,
Inhale.
Feel your body moving through time and space and exhale,
Bringing the arms down and letting your hands push back behind you,
Whatever is making you feel stuck right now.
Another big breath in as you reach your arms up and exhale and flow forward as you let things go into the path.
Now bring your hands together in front of you,
Cupping them together as if they are a bird's nest.
And hold this bird's nest in front of your belly.
Feel your breath moving in and out,
And a gentle,
Natural pain.
Then imagine that you are holding a small bird in your hand.
Feel the soft feathers,
The body inhaling and exhaling,
And the tiny little heartbeat.
You care for this bird,
Fragile,
Miraculous,
Alive.
You are like this bird,
You need a net,
Place to land and rest and be safe and comfortable.
Notice any feelings or sensations in your body or in your emotions.
Let them be there,
Just cradle them in the soft nest of your hands.
And then bring your hands up towards your heart and hold the bird in the nest of your hands in front of your heart.
Feel the rising and falling of your chest as you breathe.
You might even feel your own heartbeat.
Your heart is like this bird,
Fragile,
Miraculous,
And alive.
When you're ready,
Reach your hands out in front of you and let the bird fly,
Knowing that our greatest power comes in expressing our freedom and stretching our wings.
And then stretch your own wings and settle back in,
Knowing that you can take this feeling of letting go of the worry and settling into the nest of our breath and belly and reconnecting to our heart.
And let this small moment of peace can begin to plant itself into your everyday life.
