Welcome to this moment of calm.
I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Whether that is seated in a chair or lying on the floor.
Whatever position or spot you choose,
Please be sure that it's quiet and you can be uninterrupted for the next few moments.
If you're seated,
Please place your feet flat on the floor with an upright posture,
Gently easing the crown of the head towards the ceiling and dropping your shoulders.
Hands in your lap,
Palms down.
If you're laying down,
Be sure your body is comfortable.
Your legs can be out straight,
Or you can bend your knees and have your feet on the floor.
Hands are by your side with the palms facing upwards.
Close your eyes if that's comfortable for you.
If not,
Gently soften your gaze.
You'll want to breathe in and out through your nose.
If that's not possible for you at this moment,
Go ahead and gently part your lips and breathe gently through your mouth.
Relax your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your cheeks,
Your ears,
Your jaw,
Particularly at that place where the upper jaw and the lower jaw meet.
Place the tip of the tongue on the roof of your mouth right behind your teeth where the tongue might tap to say life or laugh or love.
A small,
Gentle separation between the teeth.
And now bring your awareness to your breath.
Feel the breath come in and the breath go out from your body.
You may notice cool air coming in through your nostrils and warm air flowing out.
Maybe you notice the feeling of your ribs and your belly expanding as you inhale and then falling back down as you exhale.
Just notice whatever you're noticing.
As you exhale,
Take it as an invitation to release any tension in your body releasing anything that doesn't need to be held at this moment.
Now slow your inhale and let the air in through your nose.
And lengthen your exhale.
We're inhaling slowly and deeply,
Maybe to about 80% full.
And exhaling long and with ease.
Gently,
Slowly in.
And out.
Long and gentle out.
A few more rounds at your own pace.
If your mind wanders away,
That's okay.
Just notice and bring it back to your breath.
Slowly,
Gently in.
Long and relaxed out.
On your next inhale,
I'd like you to count the length of the inhale.
Whatever it is,
Is fine.
Then you're gonna add two to that count.
And that would be the length of your exhale.
So if your inhale is four,
Your exhale would be four plus two or six.
So let's go ahead and inhale and exhale at whatever your formula is.
Go ahead and inhale to your count.
And exhale to that count plus two.
We're still keeping the breath slow and gentle.
If you feel that you can do a longer exhale,
That's fine.
Go ahead,
But keep it gentle.
We're not wanting to create any tension or any stress in the body or the mind here.
So continue your inhaling and your exhaling to whatever your personal formula is.
If you would like a little deeper connection to your breath,
Place your hands on your belly.
Maybe right at the height of your ribs,
The lower part of your ribs,
And bring your fingers in towards the center of body where the fingertips gently touch.
Remember your count for your inhale.
And your count for your exhale.
Just noticing the sensations that are created as you breathe in this way.
There's no judgment here,
No analysis.
Just notice what's happening in your body as you breathe this slowly and gently.
If your hands are on your belly,
Return them to your lap or to the floor next to you.
And at the end of your next exhale,
Release your counting and let your body breathe however it wants to breathe.
Swiggle your toes and your fingers in a happy way.
Maybe put a little smile on your face.
And thank yourself for taking this moment to experience a few breaths of calm.
And may peace be with you for the rest of your day.
