Welcome.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
If it feels okay,
Allow your eyes to gently close or simply soften your gaze.
Nothing needs to be perfect here.
Arrive exactly as you are in this moment.
See if you can let a little bit more of your weight be received by the surface beneath you.
Your chair,
The floor,
Or the earth beneath you.
You don't have to hold yourself up quite so tightly right now.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
And gently let it go.
Again,
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
One more slow inhale.
And a slow,
Steady exhale.
Just feeling your breath moving through your body with awareness.
If your mind has been moving from one thing to the next,
If today has felt especially full.
I'm grateful you've chosen to spend these next few moments with yourself.
Perhaps you've been carrying so much that you haven't even noticed how heavy it feels.
For the next few moments,
Just see if you can set some of that down.
Even just a little.
It'll still be there later if you need to pick it back up on your way out.
Notice if your shoulders are willing to soften.
And if you can,
Unclench your jaw.
And soften the space between your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose.
And bring your attention to your breath.
Your breath is always with you,
Right beneath your nose.
Quietly moving in and moving out.
Whether you've noticed it today or not.
And begin to slow your breath and stretch it out just a bit.
And simply notice how your body responds to a slower breath.
You don't have to make anything happen.
Just notice.
Notice the support beneath you.
And how your body is being held.
You don't have to do anything right now.
Simply let yourself be supported.
Imagine standing beneath a tree on a gentle windy day.
Its branches sway,
Its leaves dance with the breeze.
Sunlight peeks through the leaves.
You can hear birds singing overhead.
And the whole tree seems alive with movement.
And yet beneath the surface,
The roots remain steady.
Quiet and reaching deeper beyond what the eye can see.
At times life can feel a bit like that wind,
Busy,
Full,
Asking for your attention.
And some days those responsibilities and thoughts arrive in your mind before your feet even touch the floor appointments,
Conversations,
Those you love and care for.
Decisions waiting to be made.
Some days it can feel like your mind is being pulled in every direction.
And perhaps at times you felt a little like those branches and leaves pulled in different directions,
Trying to keep up.
Trying to remember.
Trying to be everything for everyone.
Take another slow breath in.
Notice your body again.
Notice the support beneath you.
And notice your breath.
It's been with you this whole time.
Always with you,
Right under your nose.
And just like that tree,
There is more to you than what is moving on the surface.
Beneath today's thoughts.
Responsibilities.
And emotions,
There is a quieter place within and underneath it all.
Already there.
You can return to it whenever you need to.
Imagine gentle roots extending into the earth beneath you.
Not roots that hold you stuck in one place.
But that support you and anchor you.
Each breath,
Allowing them to settle just a little deeper.
In this process,
We're not trying to push the thoughts away.
But just sit with them,
Observe them.
And create space.
Watching the thoughts roll in.
Roll out.
And just carry on their way.
I'm gonna take this time to observe.
All of these different layers of self.
What you see on the surface.
And what lies beneath,
Tucked within.
All these layers,
Responsibilities,
Roles.
Decisions to make.
Life will continue.
And so will you.
Take another slow breath in.
And just slowly let it go.
You are more than today's worries on your to-do list.
You are more than the thoughts moving through your mind.
You are beyond your thoughts,
Beyond your feelings.
Taking this time to connect with your inner wisdom.
Your inner knowing.
Finding the deepest layer of self that you can connect with here.
Like tuning to a specific radio frequency.
Layer by layer,
Going deeper and deeper.
Finding space,
Yet connection.
And allowing yourself to breathe a little deeper.
Before we finish thanking yourself for taking these moments to connect and go beyond what weighs you down beyond what weight lies on your shoulders and thoughts fill your mind.
Thanking yourself for taking this time to reconnect.
And remember who you are.
Recharge,
Reset.
Begin to notice the sounds around you.
Feeling of the air against your skin.
The surface beneath you.
The gentle rhythm of your breath.
The beat of your heart.
Taking one more slow inhale.
And a long,
Easy exhale,
Letting it go.
Nothing around you may have changed.
You can pick back up and watch you set to side.
As you started this journey.
And although nothing may have changed there,
Maybe you have.
How you carry that weight with you of responsibility.
Giving yourself just a little more breathing room.
As you move back into the rest of your day.
Remembering that this breath is always with you.
That strength and softness can exist together.
You don't have to do anything perfectly.
You don't have to carry everything all at once.
Whenever life begins to feel busy.
And your mind starts moving from one thing to the next.
Come back to this space.
To your breath.
That is quietly waiting for your attention.
Thank you for meditating with me.
