Welcome.
Go ahead and find a comfortable position where your body feels fully supported,
Either sitting down or lying down,
Either is perfectly okay.
And as you bring yourself into that comfortable position,
Get settled a bit,
Easily and gently allow your eyes to close if that feels right for you,
Or just soften your gaze.
Let's really take a moment to arrive,
Simply noticing that you are here in this space,
Giving yourself this time.
As we begin,
I'd like to invite you into a practice of consciously connected breathing.
This simply means allowing your inhale to flow right into your exhale,
And your exhale to flow right back into your next in-breath with no pauses in between.
The breath becomes a continuous circle.
This way of breathing can help soften tension,
Open space in the body,
And restore a natural sense of balance.
It also gently engages the vagus nerve,
Which supports calm,
Ease,
And emotional regulation.
And perhaps most powerfully,
This continuous rhythm of breath anchors you in the present moment,
Drawing your awareness out of the past or the future and into the living experience of now.
So I invite you to begin to bring attention to the breath,
First just noticing its natural rhythm.
No need to change anything yet.
Simply becoming aware of the gentle movement of air flowing in and out.
Now,
When you're ready,
Begin to connect the breath.
Let your inhale flow seamlessly into your exhale,
And your exhale to flow seamlessly into your inhale with no pause in between,
Creating this continuous circle of breath.
As you breathe in,
Notice the natural transition the breath makes into the exhale.
And as you breathe out,
Gently initiating the next in-breath just before the pause.
Notice the steady rhythm of the breath.
The consistency of the flow.
The breath carrying you into the present moment again and again.
And for the next few minutes,
Continue this consciously connected breathing,
Smooth,
Gentle,
Without force.
And if your mind wanders,
Simply return to the rhythm.
Inhaling here,
Exhaling now.
If that's helpful,
You might silently repeat this simple cue on the inhale here,
And on the exhale now.
Inhaling here,
Exhaling now.
And now begin to release,
Connecting the flow of your breath and allow your breath to find its own natural rhythm.
Unhurried,
Effortless.
Notice the shift.
Notice how it feels to simply receive the breath as it is.
And for the next few minutes,
Rest your attention here with natural breathing.
Sense what has opened,
Softened,
Or shifted through your practice.
Notice the quality of your body,
Your mind,
And your heart.
Allow yourself to simply be present with the effects.
As we move toward closing this practice,
Take a deeper than normal breath in and a long,
Soft,
Steady exhale.
You might like to bring some movement into your body,
Perhaps rolling your shoulders,
A stretch,
Or something else that your body is asking for.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes or lift your gaze.
Carry this awareness with you into your day,
The reminder that each breath is a path back to presence,
Back to balance,
Back to yourself.
Thank you for the practice today.
Thank you.
