Welcome to today's simple meditation for slowing down.
This simple meditation provides us an opportunity to practice slowing down and creating stillness from within.
Sit comfortably with your back straight.
Relax your shoulders,
Relax your face.
And whenever you feel ready,
I invite you to gently close your eyes and allow yourself to settle.
Notice the sensations of your feet resting on the ground.
Perhaps noticing where the ground ends and where your feet begin.
And as you scan up from the feet through the calves,
The knees,
The backs and fronts of the upper legs.
Now notice the sensation of your hips and your legs resting on the chair or the floor.
Allow yourself to sit tall,
Relaxed but alert.
Allowing space in your body to breathe.
Begin to bring your awareness to your breath.
Without any judgments,
Allow the breath to be as it is.
What do you notice about your breath?
Is your breath fast or slow today?
Is your breath short or long?
Where do you feel the breath in the body?
Notice the rise and fall of your chest or belly.
And see if you can tune in to a more subtle detail.
Notice the temperature of your breath as it comes in through the nostrils.
And then the temperature as it leaves the nostrils.
Perhaps noticing slightly cooler air coming in.
And slightly warmer air going out.
Now begin to lengthen your breath.
Breathing in through the nose deep into the belly for a count of four.
Allow your outward breath to be twice as long,
Exhaling for a count of eight.
Again,
Breathe in deep into the belly for four.
Long,
Slow exhale for eight.
Continue to breathe like this,
Allowing your exhale to be twice as long as your inhale.
Allow every inhale to be full.
Breathing not only into the front of the body but also the back and the sides,
Expanding the lungs.
And again,
Let the exhale be slow and long.
If the mind wanders or you get distracted,
It's okay,
It's normal.
Simply bring your attention back to the breath.
Nice full inhale,
Expanding the lungs.
Long,
Slow exhale,
Slowing everything right down.
If the breath feels a little long,
You can just bring it back to breathing in for three and out for six.
Or if you're comfortable,
Stay with your inward breath for four and out for eight.
Notice how every outward breath creates this feeling of slowing down and being still.
The inward breath welcoming in the new.
The outward breath,
A sense of letting go.
Allow every inward breath to be full,
Expanding the lungs,
Finding space in the body to breathe.
Allow each outward breath to be long and slow.
A sense of letting go.
Now relax your attention,
Allow yourself to breathe in whatever way feels most comfortable.
Allow the mind to wander and simply be at ease.
Notice how it is now to be in your body.
Notice how your breath is now.
Short or long.
Fast or slow.
Shallow or deep.
How does the quality of your breath affect the quality of your mind?
And now slowly inviting some movement back into the body.
I encourage you to wiggle the fingers and the toes.
Twist or stretch or do whatever you need to do to start to come back into the body.
Gently opening the eyes whenever you feel ready.
There's no rush.
And scanning the room,
Remembering where you are.
Coming back into this place at this time,
In this body.
Anytime we slow or exhale,
We elicit a restful state in the body and mind.
I thank you for practicing this slowing down meditation today.
Have a great day.
