The work has stopped for now,
But maybe the body hasn't quite got the message yet.
The laptop's closed or nearly closed,
But part of you is still at work.
Still going over what got done and what didn't.
Still holding the shoulders up.
As if there's one more thing that's about to be added to your to-do list.
Hey,
I'm Chibs Okereke,
And if you can't seem to switch off right now.
.
.
You're in the right place.
Now whatever's still open,
The inbox,
The list,
The conversation that keeps replaying.
All of it will keep for the next few minutes.
The day.
Can wait.
So I invite you now to find a comfortable position,
Sitting or even lying down,
Whatever feels good.
This is your time.
And just allowing the body to settle into whatever's underneath it.
Now most people feel more relaxed by closing the eyes,
But feel free to open the eyes if that feels more relaxing to you.
And to begin.
Let's bring our attention down.
Out of the head.
And into the body.
After a long day,
Most of us.
.
.
Been living up here.
Behind the eyes.
So let's come down to what's here.
Noticing where the body is being held right now.
Noticing the weight of the body in the chair.
Or on the sofa.
Or on the bed,
Or the floor.
Whatever's underneath you,
It's already taking the weight.
You don't have to hold yourself up.
For the next little while.
Noticing the places where the body meets something solid.
Maybe it's the back,
Resting against something.
Maybe the backs of the legs.
Maybe the arms.
Or the hands.
Resting wherever they've landed.
And moving to the feet.
And wherever the feet are right now,
Just noticing them.
Maybe the soles of the feet on the floor or the heels resting on a cushion or a bed.
Maybe there's a little warmth there.
Or a little coolness.
There's nowhere the feet need to take you for a while.
Just staying here for a few breaths.
With the contact.
With the white.
With the stillness.
For a lot of us,
The whole day has been spent leaning forward.
Leaning into the screen.
Leaning into the next email.
Leaning into the next thing.
So allowing the body to lean back a little now,
Into whatever's holding it.
Allowing whatever's underneath to do the holding for a while.
And bringing some attention to the breath now.
We're not changing anything just yet.
Just noticing the breath as it is.
Maybe it's a quick breath.
Maybe it's a shallow breath.
Maybe it's sitting high up in the chest after a busy day.
Whatever we find is okay.
Whatever the breath is doing is fine.
And we're not so much watching the breath.
But we're feeling the breath.
So what does the breath feel like?
Perhaps we can feel the cool air.
Coming in through the nostrils as we breathe in.
As the lungs and the chest and the belly expand.
And then a short pause as the breath changes direction.
And then the warm air leaving as we breathe out.
As the body softens.
And relaxes.
When the breath out is longer than the breath in.
The vagus nerve carries a message to the body that it's safe to stand down.
It's one of the simplest ways we have of telling the body it can stop bracing.
So now we're going to lengthen the exhale.
And we're going to keep it going for a little while.
Now a good way to lengthen the exhale is to do a little count inside our minds.
So let's breathe in for a count of three.
And out for a count of six.
You can follow my count for a couple of rounds.
And then you can do a couple more in your own time.
Breathing in 2 3 Breathing out 2 3 4 5 6 Breathing in 2 3 Breathing out 2 3 4 5 6 Breathing in 2 3 Breathing out 2 3.
.
.
4.
.
.
5.
.
.
6.
.
.
And doing a couple more at your own pace now.
Breathing in.
And slowly breathing out.
Let me be quiet for a few moments so you can carry on by yourself.
And if the minds wandered back to the day.
That's okay.
It's perfectly normal.
It's what our minds are designed to do.
Whenever we notice that we're lost in thought.
Just gently coming back to that next long breath out.
And allowing the breath to come back to its own natural rhythm now.
And noticing if anything has shifted.
Maybe the breath is sitting a little lower than it was.
Maybe there's a little more space around the ribs.
And now.
Let's find the places where the day gets held.
When we've been pushing all day,
The effort doesn't only live in the mind.
It gets held in the body.
And usually in the same few places.
So today,
We're just gonna visit each place.
And give it a chance to soften.
Starting with the jaw.
A lot of us hold a jaw tight when we're concentrating.
Teeth together.
Without ever noticing.
So noticing whether the teeth are touching right now.
And if they are touching.
Allowing the teeth to come apart.
Just a little.
Allowing the tongue to rest low and soft in the mouth.
Maybe even allowing the lips to part slightly,
If that feels comfortable.
And allowing the whole jaw to hang a little heavier.
And moving down into the neck now.
After hours of looking down at a screen.
The back of the neck can feel tight.
And it can feel tired from holding the head up.
If there's something behind the head now.
Allowing the head to rest back into it.
If not,
Just allowing the head to balance,
Without any strain.
Allowing the muscles at the back of the neck to soften and lengthen a little.
And moving our awareness to the shoulders now.
Maybe the shoulders have been creeping up towards the ears for hours.
Ready for the next thing.
So on the next breath out.
Allowing the shoulders to drop.
And on the breath out after that.
Maybe dropping a few millimeters more.
We're allowing the shoulders to feel heavy.
Wide.
And low.
There's nothing coming right now that the shoulders need to be ready for.
And finally.
.
.
Moving our awareness to the hands.
The hands carry so much of the day.
TYPING Scrolling.
Holding the phone.
Reaching for the next thing.
Noticing what the hands are doing now.
Maybe the fingers are still curled a little.
Still slightly ready.
So we're allowing the fingers to uncurl.
Or allowing the palms to open.
Perhaps even turning the palms to face upwards if that feels comfortable.
Maybe we're feeling the air on the palms.
A little warmth in the fingertips.
There's nothing to hold now.
And nothing to reach for.
Were just resting here for a moment.
Arresting the jaw.
Were resting the neck.
The shoulders.
And the hands.
Let me be quiet again for a little while.
So you can simply rest.
Checking in with the body now.
Is the jaw a little looser than it was?
At the shoulders sitting a little lower.
Perhaps the hands are a little warmer.
A little softer.
And perhaps the breath is a little slower.
And checking in with the mind now.
Maybe the day is still turning over in there.
And that's alright.
The mind doesn't have to be quiet for the body to stand down.
Now part of you might still be at work.
And that's okay.
The day doesn't have to be finished.
For you to stop for a while.
Gently wiggling our fingers and toes.
Having a little stretch if we need to.
And gently opening the eyes if they were closed.
Now whatever's still on the list,
Will still be there.
But when you do pick it back up again.
You will be able to meet it with a body that's a little less braced.
You've taken a wonderful step in caring for yourself today.
And you're welcome to come back here anytime you can't switch off.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
