Hello and welcome to this short grounding practice designed to help you cross the threshold from the hustle of the work week into the ease of your weekend.
My name is Jamie,
And I'm glad you're taking these next five minutes just for yourself.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
You can be seated in a chair.
Resting on a cushion or lying flat on your back.
Allow your eyes to gently close or simply soften your gaze toward the floor.
Bring your shoulders up to your ears and roll them back,
Opening your heart to the sky.
To all the possibilities of your weekend.
Unclench your jaw.
Soften the small muscles around your eyes and let your hands rest heavy.
And motionless in your lap or by your sides.
For the past five days,
Your mind and body have been in motion,
Reacting,
Solving,
Planning,
And doing.
Right now.
There's nothing left to solve,
Nothing to produce.
This time belongs entirely to your rest.
To help release the tension of the week,
We're going to use a simple belly breathing visual.
Place one or both hands gently over your lower abdomen.
As you take a slow Deep breath in through your nose.
Let's imagine the balloon in our bellies is blowing up with all the week's concerns inside.
Every moment of stress filling up this inner balloon,
Hold gently at the top for just a moment.
Now exhaling slowly out through your mouth as we release the balloon slowly and start to feel our bellies come in back towards our backs.
Allow the concerns to exit the balloon slowly.
Watch them drift out into the air,
Dissolving into nothingness.
They're not serving you right now.
Let's do that together again.
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Expand your belly fully.
Imagine that balloon inflating,
Gathering up every leftover trace of pressure,
Worry,
And fatigue from Monday through Friday.
Fill it all the way up.
And exhale gently and completely.
As your belly moves back in toward your spine,
Release the breath and let the balloon empty out.
Feel the chest sink,
The shoulders drop,
And the weight of the week lift off your shoulders.
One more time on your count,
Inhale.
Inflate the balloon collecting any remaining tension.
And exhale,
Release slowly,
Letting it all drain away.
You deserve to be present in your Friday evening moving into the weekend.
Now allow your breathing to return to its natural effortless rhythm.
You don't need to force or control it anymore.
Just notice the gentle rising and falling of your chest and abdomen.
Notice how it feels to grant yourself permission to pause.
Whatever didn't get finished this week can wait.
Whatever's coming next week isn't here yet.
Right now,
You are safe.
You are grounded.
And your weekend has officially begun.
Let's take a moment to set a quiet intention.
For your evening.
Perhaps your intention is simply rest.
Connection,
Or presence.
Let the words settle softly into your mind.
Take one final nourishing breath in and let it go with a soft sigh when you're ready.
Begin to bring some small movements back to your body.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Take a gentle stretch overhead if that feels good.
When you feel ready,
Slowly blink your eyes open.
And take in the space around you.
Thank you for sharing this practice with me.
I wish you a peaceful,
Restorative,
And joyful weekend.
