We'll start by coming to a comfortable seated position.
Just finding a space that's safe for your body,
And that you're able to sustain for some time.
Getting out your last bit of movement or fidgeting.
Really allowing yourself to start to settle.
Letting go of any thoughts or memories about anything that happened before this moment earlier in your day.
And also letting go of any thoughts about what's going to happen next.
Just arriving into this space in this present moment.
We'll start with three cleansing breaths.
Take a big inhale through your nose.
Filling up your lungs.
And then hold your breath at the top.
When you're ready,
Exhale and sigh it out your mouth.
Two more like that.
Inhaling through your nose.
Holding your breath at the top.
Exhale and sigh it out.
One more time,
Inhaling through your nose.
Holding.
And see if you can sip in a little bit more air.
And then exhale and sigh it out.
And then when you're ready,
Return to your natural breath.
Taking a moment to notice your body in space.
Noticing all of the points of contact that your body makes to the earth.
Or to the surface where you're sitting.
Maybe on a couch or a chair,
Or maybe you're lying on the floor.
And just noticing here.
Noticing gravity.
Gravity is working to hold you to this space.
Maybe you can feel the weight of your body.
And taking a moment to notice any tension,
Clinging sensations or squeezing.
And using your breath to breathe into these areas.
Releasing any leftover tension.
So every inhale moving into that area of tension,
Or stress.
And every exhale allowing that area to release a little deeper.
And some common areas include the feet.
The hips.
Maybe shifting your hips side to side as you allow them to release.
Noticing the belly.
The shoulders.
Maybe squeezing your shoulders up towards your ears for just a moment.
And then allowing them to fall down your back.
Releasing any tension that's in the jaw.
The space between your eyebrows.
And the forehead.
Just smoothing out any wrinkles that may form there.
And start to notice your natural breath.
Without trying to change anything.
Noticing your inhales and your exhales.
Taking a moment to focus on the belly and just see what breathing feels like there.
You may notice with every inhale the belly expands.
And every exhale the belly contracts.
It may help you to place a hand at the belly.
So you can feel the movement there.
You can also place a hand at your chest.
And noticing breathing happening there.
With every inhale the chest rises.
And every exhale the chest falls.
Maybe feeling air move in through your nose and into your throat area.
Noticing coolness at your nose as you breathe in.
And warmth at your nose as you breathe out.
And then start to place your attention at the area of the body where you feel breathing the most.
Focusing your attention on the sensations of breath.
And allowing your breath to act as an anchor holding you here to this present moment.
When a thought or a sound or a memory or anything else pulls you away from this present moment.
Just simply notice that you drifted off.
And then when you're ready gently return to your breath.
And you're always returning to the breath.
Noticing what your inhales and your exhales feel like in this moment.
Returning to your breath again and noticing what breathing feels like in this moment.
When you're ready place the backs of your hands on either leg so that your palms are facing up towards the sky.
On your next exhale empty your belly of air.
And on your next inhale squeeze your right hand into a fist.
When you're ready to exhale release and allow your right hand to open back up.
When you're ready to inhale squeeze your left hand into a fist.
And when you're ready to exhale release and allow your left hand to open back up.
When you're ready to inhale squeeze both hands into a fist.
When you're ready to exhale release and allow both hands to open back up.
We'll repeat this cycle again.
Inhale and squeeze the right hand.
Exhale and open.
Inhale squeeze the left hand.
Exhale and open.
Inhale and squeeze both hands.
Exhale and open.
Repeating for a few more rounds on your own.
Keeping that same pattern,
The right hand,
The left hand,
And then both hands.
Allowing your breath to be a guide for the movement of your hands.
Taking the bottom of your next exhale,
Relax your hands,
And come back to your natural breath.
Just taking a moment to notice what's changed.
And noticing what stayed the same.
And slowly starting to come back into your space.
By noticing your surroundings and all the sounds that you can hear around you.
Bringing a little movement back into your body by wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Maybe stretching out your head and neck by doing some neck circles.
Reaching your arms overhead for a big stretch.
And when you're ready,
Gently start to open your eyes.
Allowing a little bit of light to come in.
Taking your time,
Just take a look around your space,
Noticing what you can see around you.
Reorienting yourself.
Bringing your hands together at your heart space.
Bowing your chin to your chest.
Just taking a moment for gratitude.
Thanking yourself for showing up to this practice.
Namaste.
