Hello everyone,
My name is Faye Brooks and this is a short meditation practice to release the stress following a work day.
Now before you can properly relax and get into the meditation mindset,
You do need to table all of the thoughts that have come with you today.
This could be your work to-do list,
Or your other to-do lists,
Reminders to call people,
To send emails,
To finish something tomorrow.
Whatever it is,
That is something to deal with later.
So you should write those down and empty your thoughts of them,
Because you know once it's written down,
You can read that later on,
And then you do not have to worry about keeping them in your brain.
So take a moment to pause this meditation,
To write everything out on paper as you need to,
And then expel those thoughts from your brain,
Knowing that they will be on paper for you tomorrow.
Now that you have done so,
We can begin.
To begin,
Find a comfortable position.
Ideally this should be your favorite part of your home.
You could put on a blanket if you like,
An extra pair of socks,
Or a pair of headphones,
Whatever makes you the most comfortable.
Now close your eyes and scan your body for tension,
For stress.
Put that knot in your muscles.
Where is that located?
And is it located multiple places?
Start by focusing on the areas of tension one at a time.
It does not matter which you choose first,
But just make sure that you go through them all.
Now take in a deep breath,
And send your breath where the tension is located,
As if you can un-wedge that tension with your breath alone,
And then exhale the tension through your mouth.
Inhale deeply,
And send that breath to the tension,
And imagine that tension being un-wedged from its place,
And then exhale that tension out from your mouth.
You are breathing in the atmosphere from your home,
And expelling the stress from your work with every breath.
Continue your body scan,
And continue to un-wedge that tension with your breath.
Some areas may take longer than others,
But a steady and slow breath will eventually un-lodge everything,
And then remember to exhale all of that stress out from your body.
Soon,
Your body will be full of nothing but positive from the atmosphere around you,
And the last bit of work,
The last breath of work,
And stress from work is gone from your body.
Continue to breathe in,
And breathe out.
Now that you're home physically,
You also want to be home mentally,
So you need to notice everything around you.
Start by noticing how the support beneath you feels,
Whether it be a bed,
A couch,
Or a chair,
And how it supports you.
And notice the temperature of the air around you,
And how it feels on your skin,
Especially if this temperature is one that you chose yourself,
And are comfortable with.
Remember how much you enjoy being able to control your temperature as you are in your home.
Listen to the sounds around you,
And the familiar sounds around you that bring you comfort,
Whether it be the sounds of your family members,
Or the sounds of your pets.
It could be the sounds of the birds outside,
Or sometimes even the sound of nothing,
The quiet and peace of your home.
Whatever it is,
Just listen to it now,
And remember that you are home.
You can take a breath in,
And smell the air around you,
And whatever sense may be in your home.
Smell is certainly one of the main things connected with memory,
And association in your brain.
So breathe in,
And smell whatever there is that reminds you of home,
And remember that you are home.
You may open your eyes,
If they are not already open,
And take a long look around.
You may fixate for moments on whatever is in your home that makes you happy to look at.
It could be flowers,
The painting,
Your pets,
Or even the television,
As long as it is something that you enjoy to look at.
You can continue to move your eyes around the room,
And study the different things as you would please.
But really,
You're just noticing them,
And you're noticing that things make you happy,
And these things are in your home,
Because you are home now,
Both mentally and physically.
At this point,
After a long day at work,
And a good look around your house,
You may inevitably be thinking about how you are going to spend your evening,
Whether it's where you are currently,
And you're going to settle down there,
And just relax.
Or if you have any activities that you wish to do now that you are home,
It's always good to relax after a long day,
And relaxation can come in many forms.
Some people enjoy reading a book,
Or watching TV,
Cuddling under a blanket,
Or drawing a warm bath.
Whichever you enjoy,
You may do so,
And while you're thinking about it,
Just remember while you enjoy it,
Remember how it feels,
And look forward to it as you make your plan for the evening.
For some people though,
You can't necessarily relax right when you get home,
And as you sit here now,
You are thinking of all the chores that you need to do within your evening.
But don't be discouraged by this list of chores,
Because remember the happiness and comfort coming from completing things that you need to do,
The relief of having it done,
And being able to take that aspect off your plate.
So sit here now,
And think over what you want to do in your evening,
And think about why you want to do that.
Whether it be relaxing,
Warm,
Comforting,
Entertaining,
Or just simply productive.
Create that image in your mind,
That list in your head,
And you will have more success doing it,
Feeling accomplished,
And feeling relaxed.
And remember,
You are home now.
You do not need to start thinking about work.
You only can think about work tomorrow.
So tonight,
Think about being at home,
And think about what that means to you as you continue through your day.
And if you ever need to,
Take a deep breath in,
And remember that you're breathing in the comfort from home,
And you are sending it to unlodge any tension,
And you are exhaling any bad thoughts.
This meditation has helped you relax,
And you can have a good time being at home now,
Whatever that means to you.
Namaste.
