Let's begin by settling into our space,
Closing down your eyes,
And taking a few conscious breaths in and out.
Begin to come into your body,
Feeling your sit bones connected to your seat,
Your feet,
Grounded on the floor,
And breathing into these points of contact.
Just let yourself land,
Drawing your spine tall and giving a little length to the sides of your body,
Maybe tucking your chin in slightly to align your spine,
And then feeling as though a silver string were drawing you up through the crown of your head.
And just be here in this relaxed but energized posture.
Now,
Starting at your feet,
Moving up through your lower legs,
Just scan,
Checking for what's there for you today,
Moving to the upper legs,
Then into the hips,
Just seeing what's here,
Moving through the pelvis,
Into the torso,
Your lower back,
All the way to the base of your neck,
Just feeling for what sensations you're experiencing.
And these sensations,
They might be pleasant or unpleasant,
Or maybe they're neutral and barely register at all,
And that's okay.
Now moving across your belly and up into your chest,
Scanning across your shoulders,
Then down your arms and hands,
Into your fingers,
And being what's there for you today,
Moving through your neck,
The back,
Sides,
And the throat,
And what's here.
Now moving up through the jaw,
Into the cheeks,
The eyes,
Softening all the muscles that surround your eyes,
And smoothing out the muscles of your forehead,
Moving across the top of your head,
And just being with this experience.
Then taking in the body as a whole,
If you find any challenging sensations,
Just sit with them and breathe.
If a sensation is too unpleasant,
You can take a deep breath in and send it to that area,
Asking it to release,
Soften.
It may or it may not,
With whatever you're feeling,
Just sit in acceptance of it as it greets you today.
As if you're rolling out the welcome mat for an honored guest,
Now placing your focus on your breath,
And there's no need to manipulate it,
Just breathe normally in and out.
And as you're breathing,
Where are you noticing it most in your body?
The air passing in and out of your nostrils,
The expansion and contraction of your chest and ribcage,
Or maybe the belly rising and falling with each breath.
Wherever you're feeling it the most today is where your attention goes,
That is your anchor.
And what are the qualities of your breath?
Is it shallow and quick,
Or maybe smooth and deep?
However it is,
It's perfectly fine.
Continue placing your awareness on your breath.
If thoughts take your attention away,
That's okay.
Just note that you're thinking,
And then gently return to your breath.
Now let's spend some time just being with this breath,
Always returning back to it.
And with each breath,
Begin to connect with your body as well.
This being of systems,
Respiration,
Circulation,
Digestion,
And so many more,
All working together to keep you alive.
Just be with this amazing experience.
And maybe the body is breathing you,
All of your bones,
Your muscles,
Tissues,
Your pores.
This body breathing,
Being so very alive.
Just be with this for a few breaths.
And if any thoughts come into your mind,
Just let them pass by like clouds crossing a sky and come back to your body breathing.
Now let's move towards your emotional landscape.
Whatever emotions you're experiencing,
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral,
Acknowledge them as such and just be with this without placing judgment.
And where do you feel your emotions in your body?
The shoulders and neck,
The throat,
Chest,
Or maybe your stomach?
Wherever you feel emotional energy,
Just breathe into that space.
Continue to send your breath there.
And as you place your attention on your emotional charge,
Does the sensation start to shift?
It may or it may not.
We experience emotional energy physically,
And emotions change from neutral to pleasant,
Unpleasant to neutral.
So emotions are really energies that you can realize and then shift to a more comfortable tone that's easier to manage.
This is how we begin working with difficult emotions,
By connecting body and breath and listening to our internal landscape physically.
How wise is your body to give you such rich information?
It's such an empowering gift.
So I'll hold this safe place for you while you spend a few minutes to really make any shifts you may need,
Breathing into whatever emotions that are rising for you today.
Now feeling a sense of ease and peace,
Return your awareness to your breath,
Taking a conscious breath in and hold,
And then breathing out completely.
And another conscious breath in,
Hold,
And exhaling fully.
Start to feel your body in your space.
The contact points,
Sit bones,
On your chair,
Your feet on the ground,
And feel the air that touches your skin,
Any sounds that you may hear inside your room or outside.
And when you feel ready to enter your space completely,
Take some gentle movement in your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
Slowly begin to open your eyes and return to the space that you're in today.
