So inviting you now to land into this space,
Maybe adjusting the posture so that it is comfortable and alert,
Allowing the body to settle.
Maybe rolling back the shoulders,
Feeling into that nice tall spine if you're sitting.
Rooting into the sit bones,
Rising in the spine with the crown of the head,
Pointing towards the ceiling,
Chin slightly tucked,
The gaze lowered,
Inviting the awareness inwards.
And maybe taking a few rounds of those deep breaths,
Ensuring the nervous system is regulated and calm,
And a hand on the heart to embody the intention to take care of yourself throughout the day.
So a few deep breaths into the belly,
Breathing in,
Nice fresh cleansing breath.
And on the out breath,
Letting go and releasing anything now that needs to be let go of,
Physically,
Mentally or emotionally.
Any stuckness,
Letting it go.
And after a few rounds,
Just settling into observing the body breathing,
Not controlling it now in any way,
And just noticing the flow of the breath in and out of the body,
Wherever you notice it.
The ebb and flow,
The waves of the breath,
Maybe in the chest or the belly,
Maybe even into the shoulders,
Or maybe you notice more in the nostrils and the throat.
Of course,
As always,
If the breath for any reason is uncomfortable,
Choosing an anchor that supports you,
That you can rest your awareness on whenever you need to,
In times of intensity that you need a pause,
Or simply when the mind is racing,
Just coming back to being here in your body in this moment,
Whether that's sounds or sensations in the body,
You choose,
This is your space,
This is your practice,
Reminding yourself now that for the next little while,
There is nowhere else to be,
There is nothing else to do,
Simply connecting in with yourself and taking care of yourself.
So just checking in with the posture,
The head stacked over the heart,
Heart over the pelvis,
A sense of alignment,
Maybe embodying that sense of moving in alignment with your values,
With what's important to you today,
Leading from the heart to setting that intention and allowing your body to reflect that intention,
Opening up the shoulders,
Strong back and a soft front,
Indicating that you acknowledge that you have all within you to approach any challenge or situation that arises today with curiosity,
Openness and kindness,
Maybe sensing into your strong,
Stable base,
Glutes and thighs pressing down onto the chair or whatever you're sitting on and sensing into that sense of being supported and held in whatever you do today,
Maybe feeling the feet onto the ground,
Making contact with the earth,
A sense of being rooted,
Grounded,
Moving with dignity and poise throughout the day.
And if the mind has wandered,
Just gathering the attention and bringing it back onto either your anchor or some other place in the body.
Just being with your intention for a few moments now.
How do I want to move and carry myself through today that's in alignment with my values and who I am?
Where might I catch myself in ways where I might be betraying myself for the comfort and safety of others' emotions and feelings?
So letting go of anything now that is misaligned,
Taking care of yourself.
Then maybe bringing your awareness up into the crown of your head and just placing the awareness in the head.
Any tightness or contraction being felt here?
Can you offer a breath?
Smoothing out the forehead,
Softening around the eyes,
Offering yourself that inner smile,
Noticing the lightness or spaciousness that it might bring,
Unhinging the jaw,
Unclenching the teeth and just softening,
Relaxing and releasing as best you can.
Inviting the attention down through the throat and the neck and onto the shoulders.
If there's any tightening or unpleasantness,
Can you just simply be with the sensations?
Just being curious around the sensation.
Breathing with it,
Being with it,
Not needing to judge or react by way of the mind and just sitting in an open,
Receptive presence with whatever is here.
Offering yourself kindness as opposed to judgment,
Gentleness as opposed to harshness.
Feeling the waves of the breath maybe move in around the heart and the chest.
Feeling the shoulders and the upper arms drop down away from them.
Feeling the length and the volume of the arms,
The softness in the hands.
Letting go of any holding.
If the mind has run off into the day or busyness already,
Just inviting it back.
Catching mindfulness and coming back to your intention to just for this time be with your body and your experience internally.
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Just noticing them all coming and going and focusing your attention back on the body.
Feeling into the belly,
The lower back,
The internal organs in between.
Movement,
Aliveness,
Sounds even.
Any tightness or tension gathered around the hips,
Maybe breathing around there and letting it go.
And then sensing into that stable base again,
The legs and the feet,
Grounded and earthed.
And as you expand your awareness into this whole body,
Breathing.
Maybe just bringing into awareness the gratitude for this body,
For this vehicle that will take you through this new day,
This new opportunity for learning,
For growing.
Grateful maybe for a good night's sleep and if not a good night's sleep,
Maybe just grateful to be here and showing up for yourself.
Grateful for the home that you woke up in.
Whatever comes into your mind,
A kind word or a gesture,
An act of kindness that you experienced recently.
Maybe hearing the sounds of nature,
An experience,
A person in your life that you're grateful for.
Something about yourself that you appreciate.
Just letting that sense of appreciation come into your body.
Where does it manifest?
What does it feel like?
Knowing that you can cultivate this feeling throughout your day whenever you need it.
Simply by taking a pause,
Relaxing the body and bringing these things into your awareness.
And just taking time to notice the things that are nourishing and uplifting and that support you in moving through your day.
If the mind is running off into stories or commentaries,
Just anchoring your attention back into the felt sense of the body.
How does the body feel right now in this moment?
In the spaces of silence,
Each time just bringing the mind back if it wanders off.
That's the practice of mindfulness.
To close out the practice today,
A poem by Jane Kenyon called Otherwise.
I got out of bed on two strong legs.
It might have been otherwise.
I ate cereal,
Sweet milk,
Ripe,
Flawless peach.
It might have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill to the birch wood.
All morning I did the work I love.
At noon I lay down with my mate.
It might have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together at a table with silver candlesticks.
It might have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed in a room with paintings on the wall and planned another day just like this day.
But one day,
I know,
It will be otherwise.
