Welcome,
I'm Jackie,
And I'm glad that you've taken this moment for yourself.
Stress can feel heavy,
But even a few minutes of presence can bring relief.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable position,
Sitting or lying down.
You're welcome to close your eyes if that feels good.
Take a slow,
Deep inhale through the nose,
And sigh it out through the mouth.
Once again,
Inhale fully,
And exhale completely.
One more.
Inhale calm,
And exhale tension.
Now allow your breath to return to a steady rhythm.
Notice your body making contact with the chair,
The ground,
The surface beneath you.
You are supported.
Bring your awareness now to your body.
If you're currently holding stress,
Where does the stress live right now?
Maybe in your shoulders,
Maybe your chest,
Your heart,
Your jaw,
Wherever it is,
Can you imagine those areas as clenched fists,
Holding on ever so tightly?
And can you lean into your breath?
With each exhale,
Picture that area of the body slowly unclenching.
Notice that stress has both physical weight and mental noise.
You don't need to push it away.
Simply notice,
This is stress,
And it's here right now.
Naming it can help soften its grip.
In DBT,
We talk about three states of mind,
Emotion mind,
Reason mind,
And wise mind.
The emotion mind reacts from feelings alone.
The reason mind reacts from logic.
And the wise mind is the overlap.
The calm knowing place where both emotion and reason come together.
Can you now imagine a circle of light at the center of your chest?
This is your wise mind.
It's always there,
Even if stress pulls you away.
With each inhale,
Imagine drawing energy down from your head,
Your thinking mind,
Into that circle.
And with each exhale,
Imagine sending the intensity of your emotions,
Your heart fire,
Into that same circle.
Inhale reason,
Exhale emotion,
Both gathering at that center.
In their gathering,
Can you notice how they blend?
They're not fighting,
Not competing,
Just joining.
This is wise mind.
Stress may still be present,
But notice,
Does your body feel any different?
Maybe a little softer,
Maybe a little more balanced.
Wise mind doesn't erase stress.
It reminds you,
You can hold it with clarity and compassion.
Never so gently,
Bringing your awareness back to the space that you're in,
Back to the support beneath and around you.
And when you're ready,
Slowly opening your eyes.
Thank you for taking this time to practice with me.
You've done enough.
You are enough.
I'll meet you back here whenever you're ready.
