Hi,
This is Paige.
Do you ever or often feel you're juggling way too much,
Way too fast,
Without a moment to catch your breath,
Much less to pause and reflect?
Today's embodied meditation carves out a tiny pocket of time to help you slow down.
We'll shift the pace in just a few minutes,
Starting by slowing our breath and then linking it with meditative movement so you can reset your speed to a rhythm that's more soothing and sustainable.
Take a comfortable seat wherever you find yourself.
You could be in a chair at your workspace,
On a cushion on the floor,
Even in your parked car.
And let's start with a breath.
We'll inhale naturally through the nose if that's comfortable for you.
And then when you're ready to exhale,
As if you're blowing your breath out through a straw,
Slowly,
Incrementally,
Through pursed lips,
Letting that entire breath exhale.
And again,
If it's comfortable to breathe in through your nose as you're ready,
Inhaling.
And when you're ready to exhale,
As if you're blowing that breath out slowly,
Gently,
Incrementally through a straw.
Do that two or three more times on your own,
Letting your inhales happen through your nose.
And as if you're slowly blowing your breath out through a straw,
Maybe even pausing at the very bottom of your exhale,
At your own pace,
In your own way,
Another time.
And you can stick with that breathing pattern if you'd like,
Or if you'd like to just breathe a little bit more naturally,
That's fine.
We'll start to string some movement along that slowing down breath.
So the next time you're ready to inhale,
Simply arc your arms out to the sides and all the way up to the sky.
And then when you're ready to exhale,
As if your arms and hands are pressing through the air,
Let them arc right back down slowly,
Gently to where they started.
And again,
When you feel ready to inhale,
No rush,
Arcing your arms out and up.
And when you feel ready to exhale,
As if your hands and arms are slowly pressing through the air,
Making their way all the way back down to their starting point,
Slowly,
Meditatively.
One more time through with that very simple movement,
Inhaling when you're ready,
Arcing your arms up.
And a slow motion when you are ready,
Pressing,
Almost decompressing your arms all the way down until they rest by your sides again.
And you might pause.
From here,
Three rounds of seated cow and cat breath and movement along your spine.
So again,
When you're ready to slowly inhale,
You can lengthen so much through your spine that maybe it arches gently.
And then very incrementally,
When you feel ready to exhale,
Curving in through your low back,
And then your middle back,
And then your upper back until maybe your chin drops and your head bows.
And at your own pace,
When you feel ready to inhale,
Begin to unwind again,
Lengthening through your spine,
Maybe arching gently through your spine.
And that slow meditative exhale beginning to curl inward through your low back,
And then your middle back,
And then your upper back,
Dropping your chin,
Bowing your head.
One more time like that on your own time,
Taking the pace that your breath naturally moves through your entire spine.
And as you're ready,
You can make your way back through upright and effortlessly tall spine.
And one big releasing shoulder roll here.
When you're ready to inhale,
Scoop your shoulders forward and way up towards your ears.
And again,
A slowed down exhale,
Maybe as a sigh as you roll your shoulders around and back and down.
Let's finish by gently folding forward.
You can fold forward toward a surface in front of you.
If you're sitting on the floor,
You can gently walk your hands forward a bit.
So it doesn't matter how much you fold,
Just allowing your body this inward turn of the shape,
This quieting inward turn of your focus,
A gentle hinge at your hips,
A drop of your gaze,
A quieting bowing inward.
Three more of those slowed down exhales here on your own,
Taking your time.
And as you're ready,
You can very slowly and gently make your way back to upright.
Thank you so much for intentionally slowing down for a few minutes.
I hope you can take this slower,
Calmer pace with you into whatever's next.
