The Perfect Self Care Practice

This is your invitation to pause and join Ian Tucker for a 20-minute self-care session. This practice is a perfect mix of guidance whilst leaving space for reflection. Let it be your personal reminder to build balance into your day as you reset and take care of yourself.

Transcript

Begin by just closing your eyes and I'll be doing the same and have no expectations of this practice.

We're just going to allow ourselves to simply be 20 minutes to offset the other 23 hours and 40 minutes of your day.

Now as I introduce a little silence there you may feel that your body physically,

Mentally,

Emotionally is moving quicker than this moment.

That's absolutely fine,

Mine too at the moment,

But remember that line across a page we're going to gently drift down towards the space,

Towards wellness in this practice.

So with your eyes closed let's just move to our breath now and again just slow down so you can meet your breath.

It's as if we're sinking gently into this space so we can connect with things more,

Become more mindful of things and just for now the practice is the breath so don't try and change the breath in any way but just notice it.

You may notice the temperature as it goes in through the nostrils,

You may notice where it settles in your body is that the chest,

The diaphragm,

The stomach before it begins its journey back.

Let's just have 20 seconds or so in silence together and the practice is nothing more than to notice your breath,

To feel it,

To be with it and if your mind drifts or wonders at the moment that's fine,

That's all part of the noise that we're looking just to gently drop down from.

Maybe you feel some anxiety or a little restlessness as you breathe,

That's fine too.

We're not looking to change anything,

Change will happen of its own accord when you allow yourself just to be here,

To relax.

Remember we're just moving towards that line across the page,

No rough edges,

It just flows through every moment,

Through every experience is the line.

You may visualize a line across a crisp white page now.

How would it feel just to gently land and rest on that line,

As if you're supported by that line,

By this moment.

There's a simplicity and an easiness about that line,

It's under all of the noise,

All of the uncertainty,

Perhaps chaos,

But we can rest here you and I.

Again for now we're just staying with our breath,

Nothing more,

That's the practice.

If thoughts or outside influence come,

Just come back to your breath,

Just come back to the intention and the energy of this group,

My voice,

This moment,

That's it,

That's the practice,

Slowing down.

Let's just have another 20 seconds or so in silence and just allow yourself to feel whether you're experiencing this silence,

This practice,

Any different now that you're slowing down.

Remember there's no rights or wrongs,

It will all happen in its own time.

You're doing great,

Just allowing yourself to rest here.

Just as the breath gently flows,

Let me explain why it's so important to connect with your breath.

You see your breath runs the show,

Truly.

If your breath is easy and flows and calm,

Then very soon your thoughts,

Emotions,

Even actions have to move the same way.

There is always a direct correlation between your breath and your experience.

So if your breath is erratic,

Short,

Then you just know that your experience will be the same.

So that's wonderful to know that just by going back to your breath,

To our breath together,

We're gently taking control of how we are.

It's possible to slow down even more to meet that line across the page using your breath.

Between each in-breath and out-breath there is a space,

A pause.

Just allow yourself to notice that space between each breath now.

You may wish to just lengthen that pause if it feels safe to do so,

As if you're really slowing down time.

Just stay with the space now between each breath.

It's as if you've just melted a little more into each breath,

Gone deeper,

Slowed down.

In music they say it's the space between the notes that truly makes the music.

Otherwise it's just one continuous noise.

Connect with the space between each breath.

Stop the noise,

Slow down and simply be.

Let's have 20 or 30 seconds or so in silence now together and the practice is just to be with the space between each breath.

Have no expectations,

Just keep coming back to that space,

That pause again and again.

Now safe in the knowledge that your breath just continues to flow,

Continues to take care of you.

With your eyes closed just move to the space that you have chosen for your practice in this moment.

Just allow yourself to become aware of this space that you are in now.

Have no expectations about how this space should feel,

It just is.

It's just the space,

The moment.

So allow yourself first of all to connect to this space,

To this moment.

A great way to do this is just by gently feeling your weight against the surface that supports you.

If you're lying down this may be the bed or the couch,

The floor or like me you may be seated but just feel your connection to this moment where you touch the surface now.

And you may have been through that space thousands and thousands of times,

Often rushing,

Not really landing,

Passing through but now you're really allowing yourself just to be here,

Connected,

Still.

And when we slow down in a space like this we can begin to notice things about this moment,

This space.

You may notice the temperature for the first time now that you're slowing down.

Perhaps you become aware that for some reason the temperature is different on the backs of your hands to what it is on your face or your hair.

Maybe,

Maybe not.

There's no rights or wrongs,

It's just the space,

The moment.

Sometimes I sense a gentle breeze moving across the space when I slow down and this really is taking care of yourself by noticing where you are,

Becoming mindful of the moment.

So now we're going to take a minute or so in silence together and again if thoughts come,

Outside influence or noise,

We just come back to our breath and our connection to this space,

How it feels again and again.

And if you and I were being monitored right now then we are regulating our nervous system naturally,

Our blood pressure and heart rate would settle and all because you've allowed yourself to rest,

To truly rest.

The simple practice of noticing your breath and becoming mindful of where you are has been recognized for thousands and thousands of years as the quickest way to settle,

To simply be.

And this doesn't have to be an insight timer session,

This can be sitting in the car in traffic,

Sitting in a reception of a building before an important meeting or an interview,

Taking some time after a sort of small issue or argument,

Disagreement.

You allow yourself to simply move to your breath and connect to the space where you are with the intention of slowing down,

Bringing your energy to this spot,

To this point,

Out of your head,

Into the space.

In this very moment the world moves on around us,

The noise,

The fast pace,

The chaos and we have to dip into that,

That's life,

But it's all about finding balance.

So just acknowledge that you're actually able to find space and a softness and rest right in the middle of all of that,

Wherever you are,

Whatever's going on,

You and I have this.

We're just going to take a minute in silence now as we move to the end of our practice together.

Still have no expectations,

It's just breath by breath,

Moment by moment,

Feeling connected to this space and now when you're ready in your own time I invite you to come back to the space that you have chosen in this moment.

Reviews

A simple but profound practice. Perfectly paced, it allowed me to slow down and get present with ease. Thank you, Ian. 🙏🤍

Perfect way to feel more grounded. Thank you Ian ❤️