The 5-Minute Arrival: A Neuro-Affirming Nervous System Reset

Taking a moment to arrive in this body,

In this space.

Taking a moment for yourself,

Separate from the rest of the day.

A pause to allow your nervous system to align.

Allowing space for emotions to regulate.

Pause from the busyness,

Pause from the doing.

Beginning by taking a deep breath in.

Whenever you're ready taking a long,

Slow,

Soothing breath out.

And taking another one of these breaths in your own time.

Breathing in long and slow.

And as you breathe out,

Releasing with a sigh of letting go.

Nothing to do,

Nothing to achieve,

Simply being.

Taking a moment to notice those parts of your body that rest on the earth,

Those points of contact.

This might be the feet.

There might not be much sensation there.

You may like to remove the feet.

If you push them into the floor,

Move the toes.

Maybe this is the sit bones.

You might like to move slightly to feel this a little stronger.

Maybe the hands,

Noticing what they're resting on.

You might like to tighten and relax the hands.

And if you're lying down,

Maybe this is the whole back of the body.

Noticing this,

Maybe allowing movement to notice this a little more.

Noticing that contact.

Whatever is supporting you,

Whatever is holding the body.

The floor,

The chair,

Whatever it might be.

And when you're ready,

You're releasing awareness of these parts of the body.

And guiding your awareness,

Either to the sounds around you,

To the sense of the breath,

To the feel of the body.

Whatever you might like to rest your awareness on today.

Or perhaps you'd like to have the eyes open and look at something.

Maybe there's something in front of you that's interesting.

Or out the window,

A tree,

An animal.

Perhaps you'd like to bring your awareness to a sensation.

Maybe there's a texture.

Maybe there's a pen that you like to click.

Or perhaps there's a cat curled up in your lap,

Perhaps noticing the warmth,

The texture of the fur.

However you'd like to rest your awareness on today.

We'll just take a couple of moments to simply notice this for 20 seconds or so.

And if you notice your mind's wandered off,

Gently guiding your awareness back.

And if you decide you'd like to change what you're focusing on,

Knowing that's fine as well.

And as we come towards the end of this practice,

Beginning to release awareness on whatever you've chosen to focus on,

Knowing you can come back to this whenever you want,

At any time in your day.

Perhaps taking another deep breath in and out.

You might like to tighten the hands and the toes,

Maybe the face as you breathe in.

And then breathing out,

Letting that go.

Slowly opening the eyes if they are closed.

Becoming aware of the space around you.

Whenever you're ready,

Stepping back into your day.