Welcome.
We will begin by taking a big breath in through the nose and sighing it out through the mouth.
Find a position that feels comfortable and supported.
You may be sitting in a chair,
Resting on the floor,
Or lying down.
Allow your hands to settle.
If it feels comfortable,
Gently close your eyes or simply soften your gaze.
Begin to notice the surface beneath you.
Feel the places where your body makes contact.
Perhaps your shoulders can soften.
Your jaw can relax.
And your hands can release any unnecessary effort.
You don't have to feel calm to begin.
However you're feeling right now is welcome.
If your mind has been busy today,
Perhaps replaying conversations,
Thinking about tomorrow.
Or trying to work through something that doesn't have an answer yet,
I'd like to invite you to take a few moments for yourself.
For now.
Let go of the need to solve what has you overthinking.
Allow yourself just a little time to pause.
Begin to bring attention to the breath.
There's no need to change how you're breathing.
Simply notice.
Feel the gentle movement of the air coming in and moving out.
Perhaps you notice the movement of your chest or your belly.
Maybe you feel the air passing through your nose.
Choose whichever sensation feels most natural to you.
And if focusing on your breath doesn't feel comfortable today,
You can rest your attention on the feeling of your feet,
Your hands,
Or the support beneath you.
As you rest here thoughts may continue to come and go.
That's perfectly natural.
When you notice your attention has wandered,
Gently return to your chosen point of awareness.
Let go of any judgment and choose to begin again,
Returning gently.
Now,
As you continue to rest here,
Notice the thoughts that may be moving through your mind.
Perhaps they're about something that happened earlier,
A conversation,
A decision,
Something you wish you had done differently.
Or maybe your thoughts are about the future.
Something you're worried about.
Something you need to prepare for.
Something you wish you could know for certain.
Rather than getting involved in each thought,
See if you can simply recognize it.
You might quietly say to yourself,
Thinking.
Then return your attention to your breath.
Or the feeling of the surface beneath you.
When another thought arrives,
You can notice that one too.
Thinking.
And gently return.
There's no need to push thoughts away.
And there's no need to follow them.
You can allow them to be here without giving them your full attention.
Perhaps you find yourself caught up in a thought before you even realize it.
That's okay.
The moment you notice is an opportunity to return.
This isn't about having a perfectly quiet mind.
It is simply about becoming a little more aware of where your attention goes.
I'd like to invite you to imagine sitting beside a gentle stream.
The water is moving slowly.
Perhaps you hear the sound of the water flowing past.
Every so often a leaf floats by on the surface.
You notice the leaf.
And then watch as the water carries it downstream.
Imagine that one of your thoughts is resting on a leaf.
It might be something you're worried about.
Something unfinished.
Or simply a thought that keeps returning.
You don't need to examine it.
You don't need to decide whether it's important.
For this moment,
See if you can allow the leaf to continue along the stream.
Perhaps another leaf arrives.
Another thought.
And you can allow that one to continue too.
Some thoughts may feel harder to release.
You may find yourself following them.
That's okay.
You can always return to the stream.
To the movement of the water.
To the feeling of your breath.
You can care about something without needing to think about it every moment.
For now,
Perhaps you can give yourself permission to set aside the things that don't need your attention right here,
Right now.
Perhaps you can choose to simply rest.
Allow the image of the stream to gently fade away.
And bring your attention back to your body.
Notice where you're resting the gentle movement of your breath.
And the sounds around you.
If thoughts arise,
There's room for them.
You don't have to make them disappear.
Simply notice and return.
You might remind yourself,
I can pause.
I don't need to solve everything right now.
Continue resting here for a few quiet moments.
You begin to gently expand your awareness.
Notice the sounds around you.
Feel the temperature of the air.
Notice the support beneath your body.
Perhaps notice how you're feeling now.
There may be a little more space.
Perhaps your mind is still busy.
Either experience is okay.
The attention was never to stop every thought.
Simply to practice noticing when your mind wanders and gently bring yourself back.
And that's something you can carry into your day.
The next time?
You find yourself replaying a conversation or worrying about tomorrow.
Perhaps you'll remember that you can pause.
Notice.
And return to the present.
Begin to introduce a little movement into your fingers and toes.
Perhaps roll your shoulders or take a comfortable stretch.
And when you're ready.
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for sharing these few moments with me.
May you find a little more ease and breathing room in the moments ahead.
