Welcome.
To begin today,
I invite you to close your eyes and let your attention land softly in your body.
Feel the contact points beneath you,
The ground,
The seat,
The support that's always here.
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
And let it out through the mouth with a sigh.
Again,
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale through the mouth,
Letting the body settle a little deeper each time.
Now gently bring your awareness to the flow of your breath,
Not forcing or controlling it,
Simply observing.
Notice how the inhale rises and the exhale falls like gentle waves on a quiet shore.
If your mind is busy,
That's okay.
Thoughts can come and go like clouds passing through a vast sky.
Your only task is to keep returning,
Softly and kindly,
To the body beneath the thoughts.
As you breathe,
Begin to sense the subtle movements inside,
Your chest rising and falling,
Your belly expanding and releasing,
Your shoulders melting just a little more with every out-breath.
And now take a deeper inhale into the belly,
Feeling it expand outward,
And exhale with a sound,
A gentle ah,
Letting the vibration wash through the nervous system.
You might imagine your breath as a calm river,
Flowing through the body,
Clearing noise and tension as it moves.
Inhale,
The river enters,
Bringing clarity,
Exhale,
It carries away what no longer needs to stay.
And stay with this for a few breaths,
Slow,
Rhythmic breathing,
Each breath a reminder that peace is not found by escaping thought,
But by returning to the body that's holding it all.
If you'd like,
Place a hand on your heart and whisper inwardly,
I am here,
I am safe,
I am whole.
Allow those words to ripple through you and breathe into the space between them and beneath them.
This quiet stillness that has always been here,
Waiting for you to remember.
And rest here for this final minute,
Not trying to feel calm,
But allowing calm to find you.
And when you're ready,
Take one last deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
And when you feel ready,
There's no rush,
Invite you to gently open your eyes,
Bringing this soft steadiness
