So beginning this exercise by making sure that you're in a space where you can stop sitting or standing.
And beginning by taking a posture that supports a feeling of dignity.
Standing the back.
And it can be helpful to close the eyes or look down in front of you.
And then becoming aware of whatever is happening for you right now.
We can do that by first becoming aware of what's happening in the world of thoughts.
You might imagine that you're watching clouds in the sky.
And you can notice if the thoughts are moving quickly or slowly.
If there's one or if there's many.
Perhaps there's particularly strong thoughts that are pulling you in a particular direction.
You may notice if they're pleasant or unpleasant or maybe neutral.
Allowing whatever you find to just be.
Not needing to change it in any way.
Seeing what's here now.
Becoming aware of any particular emotion or mood,
Feeling.
Perhaps naming what you find.
My God,
This is sadness,
This is happiness,
Restlessness.
And then allowing emotions to fade into the background and allowing the sensations in the body to move to the foreground.
So noticing any particular sensations or lack of sensations in the body.
Perhaps scanning briefly from head to toe.
Noticing any tension.
Noticing any temperature.
It could be then in the process of this that you find things particularly difficult,
Unpleasant,
Challenging.
And if that's true for you right now,
Perhaps just experimenting with allowing it to be this way for right now.
Or even saying to yourself,
It's okay that I feel this way right now.
Can it be okay that this is how it is right now?
It's okay that it's difficult right now.
And then shifting your attention quite intentionally to the sensations of breathing.
Really the sensations of breathing as the belly expands with the in-breath and contracts with the out-breath.
Fixing your attention on breathing.
Perhaps naming the breaths if that's helpful for you.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Or just simply in,
Out.
And then allowing the attention to expand to include the whole body,
This breathing body.
And then expanding the attention to include the space around you.
And returning to your day,
Perhaps with the question of what do you need to do to take good care of yourself in this situation?
