And drawing our awareness and attention to the breath and the body with a gentle noticing can support us in returning home to the present moment and root us back into the body.
This requires practice and a new way of coming home and re-arriving to the sensations.
These grounding practices can shift us out of the spinning mind that may actually activate our anxiety and stress and allow us to slowly reactivate the body's ability to release and relax.
You may notice that the relaxation and release of the body and the deepening of the breath may calm the mind and alleviate the spinning worry and chronic stress that literally resides in the tissues of the body.
Taking a moment to settle into the body,
Allowing the pelvis to feel heavy and to settle into the chair or the mat.
Resting here with a steadiness.
Allowing the spine to elongate with a gentle lift.
Using some softening to the shoulders without hunching.
Affirming your space here.
Crown of the head is lifted,
Perhaps slightly tucking the chin to elongate the back of the neck.
Relaxing into the body as a whole.
The energy here that is holding you.
Inhale slowly and then slow,
Steady exhale through the mouth.
If the nasal passages are open,
Allow the mouth to gently close and sense the flow of the air in the nostrils.
Using the temperature,
Perhaps any coolness or warmth.
Inhale deeply,
Allowing for slow,
Comfortable exhale.
Perhaps bringing a slight extension to the exhale without forcing.
Intuitively know or count if that is helpful to lengthen the exhale.
Even out any edges of the breath.
Exhale slow and comfortable.
Smooth.
Allow the breath to rhythmically and naturally flow.
This may be more of a felt sense.
Keeping the breath calm,
Steady and sustainable.
Consider what needs to be brought in and brought forth to steady the mind and shift the attention to the body.
Allowing the breath to travel to the base of the body.
Your pelvis holding you here.
Sensing the base of your body holding you steady.
Sense the contact with the chair or the mat.
Where can you steady your attention?
The lift of the belly on the inhale and the release of the belly on the exhale.
The rise and fall of the chest.
Inhale,
Sense the lift and expansion.
Exhale the softening.
Releasing the shoulders,
Releasing any strain or tightening in the jaw.
Perhaps turning towards the beating of your heart.
Lift and expansion of your lungs,
Filling and bringing expansion into the rib cage.
Any vibrations or tingling in the hands.
Choose a point of focus.
Study this focus and ground into this moment.
For now,
Allow the anticipation or worry for the remainder of the day to rest while you practice this moment of presence and grounding.
Sensing the body here.
The whole body breathing.
Making this moment be right here,
Right now.
Bringing the fingertips to connect at the heart center.
Exhale space between the palms.
All this to arrive and come home.
This body.
This breath.
This concludes our meditation.
