This is a meditation to help you pause with awareness.
Sometimes over the course of our day we forget how important it is to pause.
We push through,
We force it and we get caught up in the structures of the mind and we forget that the deepest wisdom is actually found in the body and the breath.
So in this meditation we will just briefly check in with your body and your breath and see what's alive in you in this moment.
Take a moment to find a comfortable seat or you're also welcome to lay down.
If you feel comfortable doing so,
Close the eyes and allow your palms to rest open in the lap or out to the side.
And a gesture of receptivity.
And just begin by noticing how you're breathing.
Notice if your inhale is longer or shorter than your exhale.
Notice if your breath stops in the chest or can you feel your belly rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.
Just tuning in to the rhythm of your breathing as it is in this moment.
And then in your own time,
Begin to take three deeper breaths.
Nice long inhale into the belly and a big full exhale out.
With each breath dropping a little bit more into the present moment.
And as you finish your three deep breaths,
Start to bring a nice even rhythm to your breathing.
Make the inhale and exhale equal length.
And if you need help doing that,
Just let me know.
And as you finish your three deep breaths,
Start to bring a nice even rhythm to your breathing.
Make the inhale and exhale equal length.
And if you need help doing that,
You can add a count to your breath.
Inhaling and exhaling for a count of four.
And as you continue to breathe nice and deep and even,
Begin to bring your attention to your body.
Maybe your attention goes straight to some area of the body that's feeling a little extra tight or tense.
Maybe as you bring your attention to your body,
You start to notice certain sensations,
Emotions that come up.
Maybe your mind instantly tries to distract you with things from your to-do list.
Take a few deep even breaths and just be present with what's going on for you right now without judgment.
And as you continue to take nice deep even breaths,
Just gently ask your body what it needs in order to relax just a little bit more.
Maybe you consciously release tension in the muscles.
Maybe you just gently acknowledge any sensations or emotions,
Allowing them to be and exist.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is just to allow and acknowledge what is going on in this moment.
To pause,
To breathe,
And just gently check in with the body.
Gently begin to deepen your breath.
Once more,
Pulling the breath deep into the belly and letting all the air out.
Bring tiny movements back into the body,
Shifting from side to side,
Rolling through the neck and the shoulders,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Notice the sounds in your environment and the feeling of the chair pressing up against your body.
And as you feel ready,
Just gently open the eyes.
And before you go on with your day,
Take a moment to look around,
Noticing your surroundings and feeling a sense of gratitude that you allowed yourself this brief pause in your day.
And know that at any point you can make time and space for a pause,
Whether it's guided like this one or just three deep breaths all on your own.
Thank you for being here today.
I hope you have a great day.
