Welcome,
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
You might sit with the spine gently upright or lie down and allow the body to be fully supported.
Take a moment to settle.
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to figure out,
Just arriving.
Notice the natural rhythm of the breath moving in and out of the body.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and gently release it out through your mouth.
Again,
Breathing in through your nose and letting it go out through your mouth.
Now allow the breath to move quietly through the nose and gradually begin to smooth out your breath.
Let the inhale deepen slightly and allow the exhale to lengthen.
Feel the places where your body is supported,
The steady contact beneath you.
Allow your muscles to release into that support.
Your body doesn't need to hold itself upright now,
Instead soften,
Let gravity do some of that work for you.
Let the shoulders settle,
Your jaw unclench,
And the muscles around your eyes relax.
With each exhale,
Your body begins to settle a little deeper.
Inhaling slowly,
Exhaling slowly.
Allow the inhale and exhale to begin meeting each other in a more balanced rhythm.
Smooth,
Steady,
Unforced.
With each inhale,
The body receives breath and space and oxygen and nourishment.
With each exhale,
The body softens and releases and lets go.
Over time,
Your nervous system beginning to follow the rhythm of your breath.
Smooth,
Balanced,
Steady,
Regulated,
And calm.
Outside of us,
The natural world is always moving through cycles.
Days gradually grow longer,
Then shorter again.
And the seasons shift quietly,
Often without us noticing right away.
These rhythms of activity and rest,
Expansion and contraction are part of nature.
And your body,
Part of nature,
Understands these rhythms too.
This practice is simply a small pause inside that cycle,
A moment to return to center,
To reconnect with a steadier rhythm in the body and breath.
Continue your smooth,
Balanced,
Steady breath here.
The inhale even,
The exhale long and unhurried.
Let your breath become a point of balance,
An anchor in this moment.
A rhythm you can return to whenever things begin to feel scattered or overwhelming.
Each breath reminding the body how to settle.
Gently guide your attention back to your breath,
Back to your body,
Back to this moment.
Balance doesn't come from changing everything around you.
It begins with simply returning your attention to something steady.
The breath moving in,
And the breath moving out.
Little by little,
Allow your breath to deepen as you relax.
One slightly deeper breath in,
And a slow breath out.
At the top of each inhale,
A little extra sip of breath in.
At the bottom of each exhale,
A little extra push out.
Do this a few rounds,
And begin to notice how your body feels now.
Perhaps more grounded,
More spacious,
Or simply a little quieter than before.
All of that is enough.
Observing your true nature.
The aspects and qualities of yourself that exist between and underneath all of these layers.
Before moving on with the rest of your day,
Acknowledge this pause.
This moment of balance.
A small act of care for yourself.
When you're ready,
Begin to bring gentle movements back into your body.
Slowly waking up your hands and feet.
Rolling your shoulders.
And gradually blinking open your eyes.
Carrying a little of the steadiness and balance with you into whatever comes next.
Thank you for meditating with me.
