Welcome to this meditation to release anxiety and stress.
Let's get started.
Find a comfortable position of your choice.
It can be cross-legged on the floor,
Maybe on top of a pillow or a block.
You can do it on a chair or a sofa,
Making sure your spine is nice and long.
Or you can even do this meditation laying down.
We're going to start by taking a big breath in through the nose together.
Open up your mouth and sigh it out.
One more like this,
In through the nose,
Big breath,
Fill up your lungs.
And when they are full,
Start releasing the air out slowly.
Pushing the navel in so you can get every bit of air out.
Take another big breath in through the nose.
Now close your mouth and let the air out through the nose.
Now slowly let the breath come to its natural rhythm.
And see if you can get taller from the crown of your head,
Slightly tucking your chin so you can feel the stretch in the back of the neck.
And we're going to start by bringing the attention to the floor that's beneath us.
Or maybe the chair or the bed,
Whatever it is for you today.
Feel all the points of contact with the ground that's holding you.
Feel the temperature,
Is it cold or warm?
Feel the texture.
And slowly bring your attention to the sound,
The sound of my voice,
The sound of the background music.
Just listening to the sound,
Not trying to judge if it's good or bad,
But being open to the sound itself.
Now slowly bring your attention to the feelings in your body,
The clothes that you're wearing,
The warmth,
The textures.
And slowly we're going to bring the attention inwards to the breath.
So taking a big breath in through the nose,
And out through the nose.
And letting the breath be natural.
See if you can pay attention to the feeling of breathing.
Where do you feel the breath the most?
Is it in your nostrils?
Maybe in your chest?
Or maybe in your belly?
See if you can bring the attention to the movement of your body every time you breathe.
As you breathe in,
The lungs expand,
The belly expands,
The chest,
The shoulders rise slightly.
And as you breathe out,
Everything seems to settle back to centre,
The chest,
The belly.
And we feel heavier on the ground.
Taking a couple of breaths here to notice the sensation of breathing.
And remembering that this breathing is giving you life right now.
It's giving you oxygen to support your body,
To support your mind.
So maybe you can take this to the rest of your day and remember that the breath is always with you.
You can come back to it anytime.
