Find a comfortable position,
Either lying down or sitting upright.
Shrug your shoulders all the way up to your ears and take a breath in and as you exhale let them sink all the way down to the earth.
Unclench in your jaw,
Shake out any minor movements you need to feel more settled in your position and start to soften your gaze.
If you'd like,
You can keep your eyes open for this meditation,
Or let your eyelids gently soften and close.
Start to bring your awareness to your five senses.
What do you hear,
Smell,
Taste,
Feel,
See?
If your eyes are closed,
Perhaps it's shapes and colors behind your eyelids.
No need to categorize or label these sensations,
Just observe.
Relax your jaw.
Let your shoulders drop down just a bit more.
Use every exhale as an opportunity to soften tension somewhere in your body.
Next time you exhale,
Fully,
Fully empty your lungs.
Once you're empty,
Take a big breath in for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Again,
Inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Two more times on your own,
Counting silently in your head.
Once you finish out your last cycle,
Breathe normally.
Imagine your breath as a wave going out towards the horizon as you inhale,
And coming back to shore as you exhale,
Going out to the horizon as you inhale,
Coming back to shore as you exhale.
Continue with this visualization,
Using every exhale to soften a little bit more.
If your mind becomes distracted,
It's okay,
It's normal.
Gently bring your awareness back to the wave going out to the horizon as you inhale,
Coming back to shore as you exhale.
A few more moments of stillness is all that's left.
Start to invite small movements to your fingers,
Your toes,
And if your eyes are closed,
Go ahead and open them now.
I hope you have a calm and relaxed rest of your day.
