This is my 4 step mindfulness exercise.
Let's start by taking 3 deep breaths.
And you can breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.
And if at any point during this exercise your mind is taking you elsewhere,
It's perfectly fine.
Notice it and gently come back to the guidance.
Come back to your breath.
It doesn't matter how many times you drift away,
All that matters is how many times you can come back to the present moment.
Bringing the attention to your breath.
Noticing the quality of your breath.
Whether it's quite fast or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Just notice.
Not trying to change it,
Not trying to adjust it in any way.
Observe what it's like today.
Notice where you can sense it most in your body.
It can be your belly,
Your rib cage,
Your chest,
Your nostrils,
The place in your body where you can sense it most.
Every time you get distracted,
Every time your mind is taking you to the future or taking you to the past.
Notice it but gently bring it back.
Relax your forehead.
Relax your eyes.
Relax your cheeks,
Your lips,
Your tongue.
Relax your jaw.
Your neck.
Your throat.
And your shoulders.
Relax your arms,
Your wrists and your hands.
Relax your chest,
Your rib cage,
Your back.
Relax your pelvis,
Your hips,
Your belly.
Relax your thighs,
Your knees,
Your shins.
All the way to your ankles,
Your feet,
Your toes.
Allow yourself to sink into the chair,
Sink into the floor.
Let the earth fully support you.
Let go of any tension,
Any stress you might be holding in your body.
Really let go.
And if you know that there is a place in your body where you do store tension,
When you do store stress.
Just focus on that part of your body for a moment.
And consciously direct your breath into that area.
Relaxing that part of the body with each in-breath.
Breathing as you're breathing out.
Now direct your attention inwards.
Notice your emotional body.
And notice if there are any feelings,
Any emotions that are present for you right now.
Trying not to judge,
Not to analyze.
Just notice.
And sometimes our feelings can be very obvious.
We can name them.
And sometimes there's a mix of different feelings.
Other times we feel neutral.
There is no right or wrong.
There is just your experience in the present moment.
Staying with your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Trying to let go of everything that happened earlier today.
Yesterday.
And trying to let go of everything you need to do later.
If there is anything you're resisting,
Or you're not happy with at the moment,
And it might have popped up in the meditation,
Or maybe you're just aware of it,
Bringing it to your awareness right now.
One aspect of your life that you're finding hard to accept,
Hard to agree with.
And for a moment,
Imagine that it's perfectly fine to experience whatever it is that you're experiencing.
Let go of the resistance.
Try to fully accept it.
Even the moment we accept something,
We move beyond it.
So when you're breathing in,
You're thinking acceptance.
And when you're breathing out,
You're letting go of all your resistance.
Breathing in acceptance.
Breathing out resistance.
Breathing in spaciousness.
Breathing out tension.
Breathing in spaciousness.
Breathing in spaciousness.
Breathing out tightness.
Breathing in acceptance.
Breathing out resistance.
Fully accepting whatever it is that's present for you right now.
Relaxing your jaw.
Relaxing your shoulders.
Relaxing your belly.
Relaxing your chest.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Bringing to your mind,
Directing your attention to three things that you're grateful for.
Three things that are present in your life right now that you already have,
That you can be grateful for.
One by one bringing them to your awareness.
Things that you don't need to get.
And if you haven't done that yet,
Think of a person that is very important to you.
A person that supports you,
That loves you,
That accepts you.
Bring this person to your mind.
Bring this person to your awareness.
What is it about them that makes you feel so special?
What is it about them that makes you feel safe?
What do they look like?
What are they wearing?
What does their voice sound like?
Really see them.
What qualities do they have?
What do they see in you?
Take a moment to say thank you.
Gently come back to your breath.
To the sensation of your legs touching the chair,
Your back touching the chair,
Your arms resting on your legs.
Maybe wiggle your toes,
Wiggle your fingers.
Take a couple of deeper breaths and slowly,
Gently start coming back to the room.
