Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Whether seated upright or reclined,
Or laying down on your favorite couch or your bed.
Find a space that feels utmost comfortable for you and settle into it.
Begin to blink your eyes closed or soften your gaze and start to draw some attention into your breath.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
As you do so,
Let your shoulders melt away from your ears.
Soften your jawline.
Peel your tongue from the roof of your mouth and unfurrow the space between the breaths.
Take a few breaths here,
Keeping the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Don't make any effort to change the breath,
Deepen it,
Or make it super meditative.
Just notice the natural ebb and flow of your breath and know that just by noticing the breath,
It often tends to begin to slow and deepen.
Notice what thoughts are popping up for you.
Notice where your mind wants to wander.
Perhaps there's a space within your body that is calling for attention,
Physically or emotionally.
Perhaps you have some sensory information around you that might be distracting.
Or perhaps you've simply got some monkey mind,
A mind that's scattered,
Spouting off to-do lists,
Memories,
Anything to keep from being still.
Whatever you notice here,
There is no judgment.
There is no added narrative or weight.
Simply breathe and notice.
In your own time,
Slowly begin to shift your narrative.
Notice each thought one by one and then envelop each one into a balloon.
Take the balloon for the purpose that it once served and let the balloon go.
Some days you may experience three or four balloons.
Some days you may experience hundreds or thousands.
Each thought you experience,
Continue to wrap it up into a balloon,
Letting it go,
Letting it be light and free without the weight of judgment to anchor it down.
As you begin to let your thoughts go,
Notice that what remains is the breath and the present moment.
Slowly begin to shift from releasing balloons into focusing fully on the pathway of the breath.
As your mind begins to clear,
Cultivate a rhythm to your breathing.
With each inhale,
Expand your breath into your throat,
Chest,
Belly,
All the way into the low space where the navel is.
Each exhale,
Slowly let the belly,
Chest,
And throat compress.
As you deepen your breath,
Notice where you feel most connected to the breath and where you feel least connected,
Again without any judgment.
Perhaps you feel the breath the most in the chest or in the air coming in and out through nostrils.
You may feel it in the expansion and compression of your lungs or even in some yawns or sighs that you need to release.
Breathe deeply,
Letting each inhale drive a little bit lower,
A little bit further into your diaphragm.
Connect with where the breath feels strong and connect with where the breath seems to catch or pause or stick along the spine and along this pathway.
It's natural to continue experiencing thought.
Come back to wrapping your thoughts into balloons as many times as you need to,
Ebbing and flowing between releasing thoughts and focusing on the breath.
Now seal in your meditation by taking your deepest breath of your session so far,
Your deepest inhale driving low into the low belly,
And your longest exhale out.
I leave you with one of my favorite Sanskrit mantras of guidance,
Love,
And support.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Until next time,
Namaste.
