Just be.
Just breathe.
This is my personal mantra.
And so I wanted to share this short meditation with you so you can perhaps incorporate it into your life and call upon it whenever life seems a little out of sorts.
Find yourself a comfortable seat or laying down in your bed and close your eyes.
Drop your shoulders away from your ears and allow your body to melt into the surface beneath you.
If you're laying down let your limbs move away from your body.
Stretch out your arms and legs and let your feet softly fall to either side.
Get comfortable and allow yourself to soften in places where you may still be holding on.
Unfurl your brow and release your jaw.
Begin to notice your breath without changing the depth or the rhythm.
Just notice how it moves in and around with each inhale and each exhale.
This meditation practice is centered around the breath the one constant in our lives.
Every day we take about 20,
000 breaths.
How many of those do you think you notice?
How many do you pay attention to?
Does each breath have intention as it comes in?
And how do you feel with each exhale?
In everyday life we really only notice the breath in times when it's under pressure or out of breath after a workout or a long run or we're holding our breath when we're scared or stressed.
But how about giving our breath the attention it deserves by just being with it?
The oxygen we breathe in feeds the rest of our body.
The bodily systems are relying on breath to regulate functions like heart rate and blood pressure but we never really think about that.
So let's spend a few minutes together honing in on the breath this vital tool that we have.
Let's spend some time breathing deeper and breathing intentionally.
To get started take your right hand and place it on your tummy and your left hand just below your heart.
I will guide us through some breaths.
Getting ready for the first inhale.
Two.
Three.
Exhale.
Two.
Three.
Inhale.
Three.
Exhale.
Two.
Three.
Inhale.
Two.
Three.
Exhale.
Two.
Three.
Inhale.
Two.
Three.
2,
3 and release.
Come back to your natural breath and just notice how you're feeling.
When you breathe in your diaphragm contracts and moves down towards the abdomen,
Allowing for more space in the chest to draw in fresh,
Clean air.
When you breathe out the diaphragm relaxes and moves back up as the lungs push out the stale air.
Our internal body shifts to accommodate every single breath.
See if you can notice it happening.
Let's take one more round together.
Inhale 2,
3.
Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3.
Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3.
Exhale 2,
3.
Inhale 2,
3.
Exhale 2,
3.
How did that feel?
It's so powerful to ground yourself in a moment of high stress,
Retention and find presence using your breath.
In this moment all I can do is breathe.
I hope you enjoy this meditation and remember,
Just be,
Just breathe.
