Take a moment to get comfortable.
You can be seated or standing,
Whatever feels supportive.
We're just here with your body,
With yourself.
If it helps,
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
We're going to start with five deep breaths,
Where we inhale through the nose and exhale for a little bit longer through the mouth.
Alright,
Let's begin.
One,
Inhaling through your nose,
And slowly exhaling through your mouth,
Letting your shoulders drop as you breathe out.
Two,
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale through the mouth,
Letting your body know that it's okay to settle.
Three,
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhaling through the mouth,
Releasing any tension.
Four,
Breathing in through the nose,
And exhaling through the mouth.
And five,
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhaling fully through the mouth.
Good job.
Now bring your awareness to the center line of your body,
Imagining it running from the top of your head,
Down the center of your face,
Your chest,
Your belly,
All the way down between your feet.
Now without changing anything,
Just notice.
Let your attention move gently to the right side of your body now.
Start with your right foot,
Let it soften,
Relax your toes,
The sole of your foot,
Your heel,
Move your awareness up to the right ankle,
Let it loosen,
Up through your right calf,
And shin,
Loosen your knee,
Your thigh,
Feel the weight of your right sit bone,
Notice your belly on the right side,
Your lower back,
Your rib cage,
Let your attention move into your right shoulder,
Down your right arm,
Into your elbow,
Your forearm,
Your hand,
And your fingers.
Soften the right side of your neck,
The right side of your jaw,
Your cheek,
The space around your eye,
Your mind.
Take a breath here and notice what it feels like to fully inhabit the right side of your body.
Now gently return to the center line and let your awareness move to the left side of your body.
Begin with your left foot,
Relax the toes,
The sole of your foot,
Your heel,
Up through your left ankle,
Your left calf,
Your left shin,
Into your knee,
Your thigh,
Feel the weight of your left sit bone,
The belly on the left side now,
The left side of your lower back and your rib cage,
Bring awareness to your left shoulder,
Down your left arm,
Your elbow,
Your forearm,
Your hand,
And fingers.
Soften the left side of your neck,
Your jaw,
Your left cheek,
The space around your left eye,
The left side of your mind.
Take a breath here,
Now notice the whole of you,
And now the right side,
And now the left side,
And the right side again,
And now the left side again,
And now back to that steady center line,
Holding you upright.
From this place of full awareness,
We are going to let the imagination come online.
Bring your attention back to your right foot,
Imagine it beginning to extend into the earth beneath you,
Like roots,
Strong,
Curious,
Reaching far and wide.
Feel these roots anchoring you,
Stabilizing you.
As your awareness moves up the right leg,
Imagine the trunk of a tree forming,
Your posture naturally becoming taller,
More alert,
More confident,
Your spine strengthens,
Your chest opens.
Let that energy travel into your right arm,
As your right arm becomes a branch,
You might even feel inclined to let it float slightly away from your body,
Or not,
Either is fine.
Let the right side of your head lift gently,
As if it's growing toward the light.
Notice if this side of your body already feels more expansive,
More alive.
Now bring your attention to the left side of your body,
Starting with your left foot,
Let it also send roots into the earth,
Deep,
Wide,
Curious,
Stable.
Feel the left side of your body matching the strength and presence of the right,
The trunk of the tree rising through the center,
Your left arm becoming a branch as well,
You might allow it to lift or open slightly.
Both sides are now reaching upward towards warmth,
Toward light.
Take a moment to simply be this tree.
Notice how you breathe here,
Notice what feels different in your body.
Feel the steadiness of your roots,
The lift of your spine,
The quiet strength held along your center line.
This center is your truth,
It steadies you.
Everything grows from here.
Stay 100% committed to this energy,
This image of yourself as a tree for a few more breaths.
And when you're ready,
Release about 50% of this visualization.
You're not 100% the tree anymore,
But part of you still is.
Maybe your branches soften,
Your roots settle.
And now let there be 25% of the tree still living in you.
And now bring your awareness back into your own body.
You now are 100% you.
Carrying it with you back into the room,
Being held by your breath and this new rhythm that you have found.
Take one slow inhale through your nose,
And a full exhale through your mouth.
And as we close this practice,
Know that this was meant to stretch your attention,
To challenge your imagination,
And to help you stay with yourself a little longer than you might be used to.
This is the training.
Your emotional fitness is revealed in how present you can stay.
And the practice itself is the gym.
This is something to come back to.
A practice to do again and again.
And to practice when nothing is wrong.
When things are going well.
That's how the body remembers.
That's how it learns where to land when things feel uncertain.
You did so good.
Thank you for showing up,
For doing this work.
It isn't easy,
But it is available to you.
And you will feel yourself get stronger every time you return.
Take your time coming back and carry this strength,
This steadiness with you into the rest of your day.
Thank you for taking a breath with me.
