This meditation will act as a pause between eating and the rest of your day.
A chance to settle and watch as your body begins its digestion process.
So finding a position sat down that's comfortable for you.
A place where your spine is upright or as close to it as feels good for you.
And where your belly feels soft and relaxed.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Feel your lungs and your ribs expand.
And as you take a breath out you can close your eyes if that feels right for you.
If not you can keep your eyes open.
Just find a soft gaze and settle your attention inwards.
First just see if you notice any obvious signs of tension.
Maybe in your shoulders,
In your belly or your face.
And just release those tense areas as you feel yourself drop into your body.
Now bring your attention to your lips.
Soften them.
Relax all the muscles around your lips.
Notice how your lips are the very beginning of your digestive tract.
They are often first place food from outside your body enters into your body.
Keeping your mouth closed so you are breathing in and out through your nose if that works for you.
Moving your awareness into your mouth now.
Feel the sensations and the taste in your mouth.
And see if you can rest your tongue so it fits gently in the roof of your mouth with the tip just touching behind your front teeth.
This is a wonderfully relaxing position for your tongue to be in.
As you move your attention now down the back of your throat I wonder if you can feel the air as it flows down past the back of your tongue from your nasal cavity and into your lungs.
It is a subtle feeling.
Noticing that the air tends to be cool as it goes down the throat and is warmer as it is exhaled upwards towards your nose.
Following the digestive tract further down into your stomach.
Focusing your attention on the place in the middle of the ribcage.
Feeling the food you've just eaten being processed by your body.
After about 20 minutes the food will continue its journey into the small intestine where more nutrients will be absorbed and used by your body.
So bringing the focus down into your belly now.
Breathing into your belly.
Sending plenty of oxygen to the organs processing your meal.
If you like you can follow my guidance.
Breathing in for 3 and out for 3 for a few rounds.
Breathing in 2 3 and out 2 3.
In 2 3 and out 2 3.
In 2 3 and out 2 3.
Now let the breath settle into its own natural rhythm.
Notice if some tension has crept into any other areas of your body without you realising.
Maybe your jaw.
You can wiggle it left and right.
Relax your cheeks.
Your eyebrows.
Let your arms hang from your shoulders.
And just feel your belly rise and fall with each breath.
You don't need to think about it.
Just feel the sensation of the rise and fall.
Let your body breathe the way that it wants to breathe.
And if you want you can focus your attention gently on the inhale part of the breath.
Noticing how each inhale is slightly different.
Knowing that it's okay for your mind to wander.
It's what the mind does after all.
Softly bringing it back to the breath in your belly each time.
Feeling the rise and the fall.
Giving your body the space it needs to rebalance after your meal.
Just for these few moments.
Noticing just how much your body does for you without you having to consciously tell it to.
Sending thanks to your body for working and for digesting the food you have just given it.
And maybe also sending some appreciation for the food you have just eaten.
And when you're ready,
Without opening your eyes,
Bring your awareness to the place outside of your body.
What sounds can you hear?
Are there any sensations around your body?
Feel the temperature of the air.
And you can open your eyes in your own time.
Bringing yourself back into the room.
Thank you for watching.
