Welcome.
As you begin your practice today,
Perhaps take a moment to pause and find a comfortable place to let your body and your mind rest.
This time is just for you.
Feel free to let your eyes softly close if this feels alright.
Let's start with a deep,
Grounding breath.
Deep inhale,
Long exhale.
Beautiful.
See if you can gently guide your attention to the touch of your back against the chair or the floor.
Wherever you are resting.
Perhaps you notice the place where your spine touches the chair or the floor.
Maybe you become aware of your head resting gently upon your neck,
Your neck sturdy upon your shoulders,
Your ribcage just over your hips.
Let's take a deep breath.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Now see if you can softly guide your attention to your breath.
Perhaps you can find the flow of air in your body as you breathe in.
Perhaps you can sense the cool air flowing in as you breathe out.
Perhaps you notice the feel of the warm air flowing out as you breathe in.
You might notice the sensation of your belly button moving away from your spine as you breathe out.
You might notice the feel of your belly button moving back toward your spine as you observe your breath.
You might notice a thought or emotion emerge into your awareness.
Perhaps you can acknowledge the presence of the thought or emotion.
You might note I am thinking or I am feeling.
Perhaps you choose to let that thought or emotion be as it is and then you gently guide your attention back to your breath.
Now see if you can gently shift your attention down to your toes with a sense of curiosity.
Just notice,
Highlight any sensations that emerge,
Anything that draws your attention.
Perhaps you notice a spot that feels comfortable and soft.
Maybe you find a part that feels tense,
Uncomfortable or painful.
See if you can breathe deeply into these places,
Softening tension,
Creating space.
Slowly and softly guide your attention to your lower legs and then to your upper legs.
Perhaps there are sensations here that you notice.
Maybe there is a place on your lower or upper legs that would like your attention.
Maybe you stay with this place for a moment and breathe into it,
Taking a deep breath in,
Softening and massaging with rejuvenating air.
Now perhaps you invite your awareness to travel to your stomach and up to your chest,
Taking a moment just to breathe and to notice whatever emerges into your awareness.
Observe if there is anything here that would like your attention.
Let's take a deep breath into this place,
Softening,
Soothing.
Here you might choose to flow your awareness to your upper back and your lower back.
What do you notice?
Breathe deeply with whatever you can sense.
Here gently guide your attention to your upper arm and to your lower arm,
Noticing what needs your attention and sending a rejuvenating breath to those places.
Now shifting your focus down to your hands,
Fingers and even the very tips of your fingers.
Perhaps you wiggle your fingers and notice what that feels like.
See if you can hear the voice of your body guiding you to the places that would like your attention.
Maybe you softly guide your awareness to your neck and to your face.
You might notice your chin,
Your lips,
Your tongue,
Your cheeks.
Pausing for a moment to release any tension in your cheeks.
Letting them soften.
Bringing your attention to your nose,
Your eyes and the space between your eyes.
Inviting that space to soften and to release.
Now to the very top of your head,
Noticing any tension and softening that place.
Bringing your attention into your mind.
Perhaps you observe the processes occurring in your mind.
As if you are watching the contents of your mind on a video screen in front of you.
Maybe you note,
I am thinking.
Perhaps you pause here for a moment.
Maybe you choose to place a hand on your heart.
Tuning in even more deeply to the voice of your body.
To what it feels like inside.
Let's take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Feeling our chest rise and fall.
Maybe there is a part of you that stands out right now.
That calls for your attention in this moment.
Perhaps it is a physical part of your body.
Or maybe this part feels more like an emotional place.
You might sense tension in this place.
Discomfort.
Maybe you feel pain in this part.
Perhaps you can gently acknowledge what this part feels like.
Without judgment,
But with a sense of compassion for the struggles of this part of you.
This can be a hard thing to do and that's ok.
Maybe you can try to ask this part of you what it needs in this moment.
And you can listen closely for its answer.
Perhaps it needs some space.
Perhaps some love and comfort.
Maybe it doesn't know what it needs right now and that's alright.
How might you respond to this part?
Let's take a deep breath with this part of you.
As you take a deep inhale,
You can guide your flow of air,
All this refreshing and healing oxygen,
Right into this space or any other space that you sense would like this flow of air.
As you breathe out,
Perhaps you can feel this flow of air massaging,
Softening,
Releasing any discomfort that you might notice.
As you breathe in,
As you breathe out,
Any extra tension,
Discomfort or pain to release with your exhale out into the space beyond your body.
Pause while you take a few moments to practice breathing in and out in this way if it feels good for your body and mind.
And now,
When you are ready,
See if you can gently shift your attention back to your feet and notice your back against your chair or the floor.
Bring yourself back into the space around you.
Slowly open your eyes if they are closed and notice what you see.
Beautiful practice today.
I am so honored to have guided you through and I send you all of my warmest wishes as you step into the rest of your day.
