Hi,
I'm Cathy French and this is a short centering practice that you might find helpful when life feels overwhelming.
Think of this next few minutes as an exercise to bring you into the here and now and to find some peace in your day at any time.
Before we begin this short practice for centering,
Take a couple of moments to really arrive in the room that you're in.
Come fully into presence by taking a little look around you and then settling yourself into a comfortable seated position.
Find a tall posture with a feeling of stability in your seat.
Your hands can rest on your laps,
Palms facing up or down.
See which feels best for you.
And now inviting a deep intentional breath through your nose,
Fully filling up your lungs.
And exhale out through your mouth long and slow as though you're blowing out a candle.
We'll continue like that for a few more rounds.
A slightly shorter inhale and a long slow exhale.
In through the nose and out long and slow and steady through the mouth.
Doing two more rounds on your own.
And you can let that go now and allow your breath to be natural.
While controlling your breath,
Start to follow it as it passes through your body.
As you follow the slow wave through your body,
Allow it to un-grip any tension from your face,
Jaw and neck.
Feel this breath clearing away tightness from your shoulders as you soften them back and down.
From your shoulders travel down into the aliveness in your hands.
Fully aware of the feeling of your hands now and any sensations you find there.
Might be spacious,
Warm,
Clammy or cold.
And then breathing down deeper into your body,
Moving into your pelvis toward your centre of gravity.
From this centre noticing length without straining up through your spine.
Allow yourself to sit as tall as you already are.
Softening and sinking into gravity at your seat.
Feel your spine gently climbing upward from the weight at the base of your body.
And continuing to watch the wave of breath breathing your body as you sit here with this energy of dignity and an internal feeling of length and pride through your spine.
Trust this feeling and allow it to hold you upright.
This is your centre,
This length of your spine,
This depth of your breath returning you back to the wholeness of who you really are.
And gently now,
Very slowly coming back into some movement through your fingers.
And then moving your body in any gentle way you wish.
Notice how you're feeling.
Maybe there's a new sense of ease.
I thank you for taking this time for yourself today and for sharing my practice with me.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Namaste.
