Welcome to this call to rest meditation.
Take a moment to settle yourself whether you are sitting or lying down and when you feel ready begin to notice the flow of your natural breath and notice the flow at your nostrils.
Now depending on what you were doing before you came to settle might show up in how you're breathing.
So if you felt busy you may find that the inhale breath has a greater pull and perhaps even the exhale breath feels a little forced.
You may find that it's up in your chest.
If you had some calm moments before you came to settle you may find that the breath is already in the belly and is slow and steady but without trying to change it just observing right now in this moment how is your natural breath and then take a moment to consciously bring attention to your belly and if the breath isn't already there can you bring the breath down you can even put a hand on your belly and feel that expansion so breathing in that widening of the abdomen and then breathing out and the gentle drawing in as the abdominal muscles naturally gently contract but you don't need to add anything to it just observing and breathing slow and steady.
And it's really important that we notice when our body and mind are calling us to rest.
It can feel challenging to rest in a society that doesn't value it.
A society that praises you for managing an often unacceptable workload,
For being able to work under stressful conditions and for not taking lunch breaks or days off sick.
We are conditioned to believe we are more worthy if we just keep going even though we may be on the verge of burnout.
However there is no substitute for rest.
It helps to soothe frazzled nerves,
Repair the nervous system and break the cycle of habitual stress.
When we answer our call to rest we become more efficient and productive in our lives.
So I invite you to check back in with your breathing but also now to notice if you're holding any habitual tension in your body.
So just gently scan through and notice are you holding anywhere?
It might be around the jaw,
In your belly,
In your hand.
And as you breathe in can you send a soft gentle breath into any tense areas,
Any way of where you're gripping unnecessarily.
And as you breathe out move that tension through your body and into the earth beneath you.
Allow the ground to absorb any habit energy and release tension.
Continue to rest being aware of your breathing and the rising and falling of your belly.
And consider now how it might feel to start saying no to expectations and yes to your intuition which can become clouded especially during times of stress.
How would it feel to follow your own agenda and fill up your own cup so you can be more present to yourself and those around you.
If you're feeling like you are lacking vitality,
Often feel exhausted and unmotivated,
These are clear signs it is time to down tools and make time for regular periods of rest.
To be utterly present to your needs and avoid numbness and disconnection to yourself and others.
To become aware of the natural rhythms of your body so you noticed it's cool to rest.
Try to catch it when it whispers so it doesn't need to shout.
Perhaps you can allow even more softening in your whole body.
Breath gentle and at ease.
Allowing your body to fully rest and not do.
When you anchor yourself in the grounding nature of rest you are less likely to find yourself adrift.
Resting is as essential to your body as breathing.
You need both to feel nourished and energized.
It is time to claim space for yourself.
To release the habit contracted energy of doing and slip into the more spacious energy of being.
We are human beings after all and when you feel rested and more spacious you may find you have more mental clarity around how you wish to spend your energy,
Who or what you wish to spend it on and what kind of energy you wish to expend.
Remember your energy impacts your own sense of well-being and those around you.
When you become aware of this it is an opportunity to notice whose energy lifts you and whose energy depletes you.
Choose wisely.
Now resting in your space for a moment longer can you become a witness,
The observer to your body,
To sensations,
To thought clouds moving through.
Perhaps notice if anything arose for you during the meditation and we can notice this by observing physiologically what is happening in our body.
Perhaps we felt rested and calm throughout the whole practice or perhaps there were moments where you felt a tightening or quickening of your heart rate or holding of your breath and when we notice these reactions these are clear messages to our body in that moment.
Clear messages our body is sending up to our brain about how we feel in the state of our nervous system and these are other opportunities to notice calls to rest.
So honor those messages and take time to rest.
Thank you for your time today.
Enjoy resting.
