Hello everyone and welcome to this mindful moment.
As I was reflecting,
It seems to be a couple of reoccurring themes that I've noticed in my life.
One of them is that nothing is for certain.
And the other is the only constant is change.
And depending on how secure we feel in these moments can determine how we manage these themes.
When we are in an upswing,
Uncertainty and change can feel more exciting despite our natural propensity towards nervousness or even mild apprehension.
We are able to manage our low level of anxiety with enough confidence that our feathers aren't too ruffled.
However there are moments when we tip the scales and find ourselves sliding into a greater depth unable to shake the daunting fear that arises.
And this is where our mindfulness toolbox can become our first aid kit for our activated nervous system.
So let's practice right now.
Wherever you are,
Take a slightly deeper inhale and exhale through the mouth.
Let's do that again.
Slightly deeper inhale through the nose.
And then like you're blowing through a straw,
An extended exhale through the lips.
Taking your time.
Let's try that again in through the nose and through your imaginary straw,
Taking your time slow and long.
Continuing to repeat this pattern of breath.
And if you're comfortable,
Let's close our eyes or soften and lower your gaze.
Blowing through the nose and blowing through your straw.
As we continue this breath,
Let's inhale for a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Blowing for eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
And then following your own natural count.
In for four and out for eight.
Noticing on the inhale,
The belly expanding,
The chest rising.
And on your exhale,
Connecting to the slow release of air passing through your lips.
Staying with this feeling in your body,
Feeling your breath,
And inviting your senses to relax and soften.
Let's take one more inhale for four and out for eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Keeping your eyes closed or your gaze soft,
Allow your breath to flow into a natural rhythm.
Let's allow our shoulders to relax and our hands to be soft.
Now let's gently place one hand over your heart.
Notice the connection to your breath and your body.
And ever so lightly,
Press your hand into your heart space and notice the warmth of your own hand over your heart.
And as we notice this connection,
Let's softly whisper,
We can do this.
Breathing in,
Let's repeat that again.
We can do this.
You and me,
Breath and heart,
Ease and grace,
Gentleness and love.
In this moment,
We can be certain of our heartbeat.
And in this moment,
We can experience the consistent flow of breath.
Breath and heart,
Always with us.
Let's bring our second hand up to our heart and feel the warmth and softness of both hands gently over our heart space,
Hand over hand and hand over heart,
Whispering,
We can do this,
This breath and this heart.
And we can tap into what we know for sure right now.
It is our connection to our breath and our connection to our heart.
We can be reassured by our inhale and certain of our exhale.
Let's feel into what is true in this moment,
Our personal connection.
We can rely on this right now.
Whatever possible future awaits us,
It will be what it's meant to be.
But right now,
We will rely on our breath and our heart.
We can be sure of this.
We can trust and we can know that this breath and this heartbeat is certain.
We can do this.
We can do this.
Keeping your hands over your heart,
Keeping your breath slow and steady.
Gently open your eyes,
Feeling your breath connected to your heart.
And slowly allow your hands to rest softly in your lap.
Adjust your senses and awareness back into integration with our surroundings.
And as we integrate externally,
We maintain our internal connection,
Remembering our truth.
We can do this.
As you go about your day,
May you remember to take these next steps with certainty and trust.
Ever so bravely,
We move forward with confidence in our heart,
One breath at a time,
Knowing we can do this.
And as always,
Sending you out into the world with love from my heart to yours.
