Before a gathering,
Choose how you want to feel and breathe that in.
Find a comfortable position somewhere you can pause for just a few moments before your holiday gathering.
Let your feet connect with the ground beneath you and allow your shoulders to soften away from your ears.
If it feels safe,
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze to a soft point in front of you and take a slow deep breath in through your nose and exhale gently out through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale and exhale,
Letting a little more tension melt away.
Begin to notice your body.
Notice any areas that feel tight or buzzy or on edge.
You don't need to fix anything.
Just notice and breathe.
Now bring one hand to your heart space,
The other to your belly.
Feel your body rising and falling with each breath.
You're about to enter a space with other people,
Other energies,
Other emotions.
Before you walk into that room,
You get to choose how you want to feel.
Quietly ask yourself,
How do I want to feel at this gathering?
Light,
Grounded,
Connected,
Maybe another word or something that reflects your values gently appears.
Let one word rise to the surface.
Trust the first word that comes.
Once you have your word,
Whisper it silently to yourself.
Now,
As you inhale,
Imagine yourself breathing in that feeling into your body.
Inhale that word,
Feeling it filling your chest,
Your belly,
Your entire being.
Exhale and release anything that doesn't match that feeling.
Stress,
Pressure,
Expectation,
Old stories.
Inhale your word and exhale release.
Breathing in lightness,
Breathing out heaviness.
You don't have to have all the answers.
You're just here to notice,
To listen,
To explore.
Breathing in curiosity,
Breathing out judgment and assumptions.
Let your breath become a rhythm.
Inhale your chosen feeling,
Exhale what you're ready to set down.
Do this for three slow breaths at your own pace.
Now imagine a soft,
Shimmering bubble of energy around you,
The color that best matches the feeling you chose.
This bubble is your energetic boundary.
Inside it,
You feel the way you choose.
Know that you move into your gathering.
You can always return to this feeling with a single breath.
One inhale to call it in,
One exhale to release what isn't yours to carry.
Take one more deep breath in,
Letting your feeling fill you from the inside out,
And a long,
Gentle exhale,
Anchoring the state into your body.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Roll your shoulders if it feels good,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
You are now tuned in,
Aligned,
And ready to walk into your gathering with the energy you choose,
Not the energy you absorb from others.
Carry this with you,
One breath at a time.
You got this.
