Do you ever feel pulled in a million directions?
Do you ever feel like your mind refuses to slow down?
Well if so you're in the right place.
Life can feel like a constant juggling act,
Work,
Family and a stream of thoughts that never seems to stop.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed and disconnected,
Almost like you're just floating through your days without an anchor.
In the next few minutes I'm going to guide you back to a place of stillness.
We're not going to try and stop your thoughts or even to solve all your problems.
Instead we'll just connect to the quiet solid ground that's always beneath you.
This is your time,
A little pocket of peace that you've carved out just for you.
So let's start by finding a comfortable position.
You can sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor or on a cushion.
Let your hands rest at your lap,
Palms turned up or down.
You don't need to force anything here,
Just give yourself permission to be here.
And when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
Let's bring our attention to the simple rhythm of our breath.
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose,
Feeling your belly expand,
And as you exhale slowly through your mouth.
Feel yourself start to let go,
Releasing any tension that you've been holding.
Take a few more like that,
Deep breaths in,
Filling the lungs all the way up,
And slow long exhales,
Letting the day so far melt away.
Now you can close your mouth for the exhales and just breathe through your nose if that's possible.
Let your breath find its own natural easy rhythm.
You don't need to control it or change a thing,
Just notice the gentle flow of air coming in and going out.
Can you feel the slight coolness of the air as you breathe in?
The warmth as you breathe out?
With every breath you take,
You are anchoring yourself in this moment.
Your mind may wander,
That is what minds do,
And when it does,
Just gently guide your attention back to your breath.
No judgment,
No frustration,
Just a simple return.
Notice how your body is being supported at the moment.
Feel the points of contact where you're feeling the tension.
Your body meets the chair on the cushion,
On the floor.
Feel the weight of your body pressing down.
If your feet are on the earth,
Feel your feet on the earth.
That ground beneath you is solid and unwavering.
It is literally holding you.
With each out breath,
Imagine the body getting heavier,
More and more relaxed,
Sinking deeper into that support.
Let the shoulders drop from the ears,
Soften your jaw,
And the little muscles around your eyes.
Let go.
You are completely safe right here.
Now let's bring all of our attention down to our feet.
What do you notice there?
Warmth?
Coolness?
Tingling?
Maybe you can feel the texture of your socks or shoes or bare feet on the floor.
Notice whatever sensations are there.
From this place,
We're going to start a journey into the earth.
Imagine that roots are beginning to grow from the soles of your feet.
With each breath,
Picture these roots stretching down,
Down,
Down into the earth.
At first,
They're just tiny shoots gently pressing through the floorboards,
Through the foundation,
And into the rich soil.
With every inhale,
Feel these roots growing stronger and stronger,
Imagining them spreading out,
Creating a whole network of anchors that firm you to the earth.
Feel the steady,
Supportive earth of the ground holding you.
These roots are your connection,
Your lifeline to stability.
They move past layers of cool soil and smooth stones,
Reaching deeper and deeper into the planet's embrace.
As you breathe in,
Imagine you're drawing up earth's calming,
Grounding energy through this incredible root system,
Feeling the steady,
Peaceful current traveling upwards,
Entering the soles of your feet and filling you with a sense of deep,
Quiet strength.
It feels solid.
It feels real.
And with every long,
Slow exhale that you take,
You get to let go of whatever you don't need to carry,
Releasing stress,
Worry,
Or a sense of overwhelm.
Just let it all travel down through your body,
Down through your legs,
And out through your roots.
The earth can take it.
It can effortlessly absorb and transform it.
So breathe in stability and breathe out tension.
Inhale peace.
Exhale chaos.
Just continue with this powerful exchange for a few quiet moments.
You are drawing in the strength of the earth,
And you are releasing burdens.
Feel how grounded you are,
How connected.
Like an ancient tree,
You are immovably present,
Held securely by the earth.
You are strong and you are steady.
Now holding on to that rooted feeling,
Let's gently bring our awareness back to where we are,
Using our senses to anchor us in the here and now.
First,
Without opening your eyes,
Notice five things you can see.
This may be the play of light,
Shadow,
On the backs of your eyelids,
A memory of the room that you're in,
Or just the quiet darkness.
Gently acknowledge five things.
Next,
What are four things you can feel?
Perhaps texture of clothing,
The support of the chair,
Gentle movement of air on your face,
Or the weight of your hands at your lap.
Acknowledge four different physical sensations.
Now shift your focus to hearing.
Listen for three different sounds.
Maybe it's distant traffic,
The hum of a fridge,
The sound of your own quiet breath.
Just listen without labeling sounds as good or bad,
And notice the silence that holds all sound.
Now gently bring your awareness to your sense of smell.
What are two things that you can smell?
And it could be faint,
A plant in the room,
The natural smell of air.
Take a gentle breath and see what you find.
And finally,
Focus on one thing you can taste,
An aftertaste of your last cup of coffee,
Natural flavor inside the mouth.
Simply acknowledge that one taste.
You have now fully arrived in this moment.
You are here.
You are present in this body,
In this room,
Anchored by your senses.
Take a second to check in with yourself.
How do you feel?
How does this compare to how you felt a few minutes ago?
Maybe there's a bit more quiet,
A sense of stillness,
A feeling of being more at home in your body.
Whatever you feel is perfect.
If it feels right for you,
You can silently repeat to yourself,
I am here,
I am calm,
And I am grounded.
Feeling the truth of those words in your body.
And as we get ready to finish,
You can carry this sense of groundedness with you wherever you go.
You can face the rest of your day,
Not from a place of being tossed around by stress,
But from a place of rooted strength.
When you're ready,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Inviting some light movement back into your body.
Feel the support of the ground beneath you.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Take in your surroundings with a fresh,
Calm perspective.
And let's take one more deep cleansing breath together and let it go.
You're ready to move forward with your day,
Feeling refreshed,
Recharged,
And deeply grounded.
Thank you so much for taking this time for yourself.
Namaste.
