Hello,
My friends.
My name is Kalyani,
And I invite you to join me for a short and sweet,
Powerful break from your day.
Please allow each mindful minute's practice to be a soft landing,
A gentle reorientation,
A way of remembering yourself in the midst of the chaos of everyday life,
Bringing peace to your mind and ease to your body as we regulate our nervous system in small,
Bite-sized practices.
You deserve this time to feel better.
Taking a few long,
Slow breaths as together we push the pause button on our day,
Inviting the eyes to close gently for a few moments.
Today's topic is releasing anger.
The Buddha said holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else.
You are the one who gets burned.
Today we will take some time to let it go,
Setting ourselves free from the poison of anger.
But this is not a way to simply bury our anger deep within or to pretend it never existed.
We are supposed to feel all emotions.
We simply get into trouble when we continue to carry them with us,
Forgetting to let go.
So together,
Let's think about the last time you were really angry.
It's okay.
We all get angry sometimes.
Just remember the details of that situation.
Who was it?
How long ago did it happen?
Remember how it felt to be taken over by anger?
What shifted in your breath?
How did the quality of your thoughts change?
Now,
Let's tighten our entire body.
Make fists with your hands,
Squeezing the eyes tightly closed.
Squish up your whole face,
Even your lips.
Draw the shoulders up around your ears as you tighten your belly,
Your buttocks,
Your legs,
And even your feet.
Make everything tight,
Tighter,
And tighter with red-hot anger.
Take a deep breath in through your nose to gather all of that anger and frustration.
Then make some noise as you exhale through your mouth and let it all go,
Softening the entire body as you breathe it out.
One time is usually not enough,
So let's try that again,
Now that you know what to expect.
Make everything tight,
Tight,
Super tight,
From the top of your head all the way down to your feet,
Tight.
Inhaling,
Gather the last drops of anger,
Exhale through the mouth,
Let it all go.
Now allow the body to remain still.
Each inhale through the nose helps you to gather anger,
Frustration,
Resentment,
Even guilt,
And every exhale through the mouth helps you to set it free,
Releasing it all.
No longer being stuck in those low vibration thoughts and feelings.
With each exhale growing lighter and more open,
Then gently allow the mouth to close as you begin to breathe slowly in and out of your nose,
Welcoming softness into your mind and body,
Easiness into your breath.
Breathing in and out of the nose slowly and deeply as we very gently constrict the breath at the back of the throat,
Hearing both our inhalation and our exhalation slowing down.
This is known as victorious breath.
A way to anchor our mind in the present moment.
All depression resides in the past.
All anxiety resides in the future.
The past is done and over.
And the future may not arrive as we expect it to.
Our power is right here,
Right now,
As we celebrate our victory over anger.
Notice how your body feels with that release.
Observe the tranquility in your mind,
No longer having to carry the burden of anger,
No longer remaining stuck.
Each inhalation helps us to feel light and open.
As we begin to imagine that we can breathe directly in and out of our heart center,
And remember a time when you felt immense gratitude,
Possibly spending time with loved ones or the birth of a child.
It could be a success at school or work,
Or maybe meeting your soulmate.
Wherever you land is okay.
Drop into the memory of gratitude.
And if that's a challenge today,
Don't worry.
Simply reach for a small moment of joy and allow that moment of joy to be your portal into the feeling of gratitude.
How does gratitude feel in your body?
Come back to your breath now,
Allowing your breath to find its own comfortable rhythm and pace,
Allowing yourself to be filled with gratitude,
Sending gratitude into your mind and body for the ability to pause,
Letting go of the busyness of your day,
For this brief moment of awareness,
Cultivating gratitude for the gift of your breath.
And remember,
You can return to the breath whenever life overwhelms,
Coming back to this place of peace and calm within by simply deepening your breath.
Make today a great day,
My friends.