Hello and welcome.
Begin by finding yourself in a comfortable position.
This could be seated,
Could be lying down.
It could even be standing if that feels good for you in this moment.
And I invite you to close your eyes if that feels comfortable to you.
And we'll begin by taking a few breaths to bring us to greater presence.
And so I invite you to breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth and doing that a few more times in your own time.
Allowing yourself to come into your body and to begin to bring yourself to stillness and beginning to just notice how it feels to be in this moment.
So perhaps noticing how your body feels.
Noticing if there's tension in the jaw or in the shoulders.
Maybe taking a nice breath in and with the exhale allowing your body to be a little bit more at ease.
Allowing the hands and arms to rest,
The belly to soften,
And the body to sink a bit more deeply into the surface beneath you.
Allowing your body to relax into this moment even if you're not totally relaxed.
Feeling the pressure of your body if you're sitting or you're standing.
Feeling your bottom against the chair,
Your feet against the floor.
Noticing any sensations of warmth or coolness,
Tingling,
Tightness,
And maybe even feeling the softness of your clothes against your skin or your hair against your neck.
Inviting yourself to bring your awareness to what you're thinking in this moment.
Maybe even asking what am I feeling and kindly noticing it and maybe even naming it if it feels right.
This is exhaustion.
This is stress.
This is peace.
Whatever it is just saying I see you.
I know you're here.
I acknowledge you.
Remembering that part of being human is feeling.
Feeling all of the emotions on that spectrum.
Knowing that thoughts and emotions come and go.
If it helps thinking,
Thinking of them like clouds that float through the sky,
You notice it and then it passes with the breeze.
Or even a bird that perches on a branch for a few minutes or maybe longer but eventually flies away.
So reminding yourself that you can simply observe your thoughts and feelings without having to fly away with them.
But knowing that you can honor yourself by allowing yourself to feel whatever it is that you need to feel in this moment.
And when you're ready,
Bringing your focus to the breath.
Maybe feeling the breath in your belly.
Noticing the expansion of your torso,
Your tummy,
Your whole midsection and then the contraction as you exhale.
Or maybe that gentle rise and fall of the chest as you breathe in and out.
Maybe noticing the coolness of the air as you inhale and the warmth of it as you exhale.
In this moment,
May you be thankful to yourself,
For yourself,
For the love,
The care that you give to others,
For the comfort and the security that you provide.
May we have gratitude for this chance to be still and to check in with ourselves.
And may we extend this gratitude to all of those who we love.
Giving thanks for all that we have.
And perhaps even these feelings of gratitude.
Cause you to have your lips curl into a smile.
And as we end this meditation,
Thank yourself for taking the time to care for you and gently bring yourself back into this moment.
Maybe by rolling your shoulders.
You can move your ankles.
You can do a stretch.
Whatever feels good for you in the moment.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes knowing that whenever an emotion comes up for you or thought,
Whether it's a comfortable one or an uncomfortable one,
That it's important to acknowledge it.
To take the time to be with it and knowing that you can use this meditation anytime you need to.
