Welcome back.
So when you're ready,
Just make yourself comfortable.
And you might want to listen to this audio with headphones.
Okay,
And when you are comfortable,
Become aware of your breathing.
And as you notice your breathing,
Or perhaps you don't fully notice it in the way that you think you do,
Something else can begin to happen quietly in the background.
A part of you might be listening,
Another part of you can already begin to drift,
To settle.
Breathing in and out.
And as your breath continues in its own rhythm,
There may be a moment where you notice the exhale becoming a little longer and the mind in its own way beginning to slow down without needing anything to be done about it.
And sometimes it can be interesting when you wonder how deeply your body can relax.
It actually does not need an answer,
Because the body may already be responding underneath the thinking,
As the breath can continue perhaps through the nose as you breathe in,
And then gently through the mouth,
As if the air is simply leaving at its own pace,
Naturally lengthening the exhale by breathing out through your mouth,
As if you're breathing out through a straw,
Allowing the nervous system to settle in a way it already knows how to do.
And it can continue on its own,
There's no need to maintain that or to remember it,
You can just let it happen.
And as you follow your own rhythm,
You might begin to feel that following your own rhythm brings your body more ease,
More relaxation,
And I wonder how deeply you can relax.
Perhaps you can feel that the more your body relaxes,
The more you let go,
And the more you let go,
The more your imagination awakens.
Now,
I want you to imagine having a box right in front of you.
It can look however you like,
Perhaps simple,
Perhaps beautifully detailed.
And as you notice this box,
You might begin to realize that this is a place where things can be put down,
Without needing to hold on to them any longer.
So you might begin to place anything work-related into this box.
Perhaps it's conversations from today,
Emails,
Decisions,
Things left unfinished.
That's right,
As each thing goes into the box,
You might notice a small shift.
A little more space,
A little more quiet.
Placing everything inside,
Knowing it will be safely held there.
Nothing lost,
Nothing forgotten.
Just set aside for this moment,
For today.
And as the box closes,
Your system can begin to understand that the workday is complete,
There's nothing more to carry right now.
And you can place that box somewhere,
Perhaps a little further away,
Or in a place where it naturally belongs.
Knowing that you can return to it tomorrow,
Tomorrow,
Or any other day,
With fresh energy,
Clarity,
Without needing to think about it now.
And as the distance grows between you and this box,
You may notice your body responding.
Your breath might be deepening,
Your shoulder softening.
In a way that happens naturally,
Without even trying.
That's it.
And now,
With nothing left to hold on to from the day,
You can begin to come back to yourself,
To this moment,
To the simple rhythm of your breath.
Allowing yourself to rest,
To simply be.
Now,
Before you open your eyes,
Take a moment to think of one thing that went well today,
And one thing that you're grateful for today.
No matter how small or significant that thing is.
Now wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take a deep breath in,
Breathe out.
And become aware of the temperature in the room.
Notice three sounds that you're hearing.
Two things that you can feel.
One thing that you can smell right now.
And when you are ready,
You can slowly open your eyes,
Taking this feeling of calmness and ease with you throughout the rest of the day.
