Welcome,
So to begin I invite you to find a comfortable position where your body can both relax and stay awake,
Allow your eyes to gently close and take a full breath in through the nose and a soft exhale out the mouth,
And do that again inhaling to gather yourself and exhaling to release what you've been holding,
And notice the current of your breath.
It's always moving,
Always adjusting,
Always guiding.
You don't need to control it,
You only need to follow.
Now begin to imagine your breath as water,
A flowing stream that knows exactly where to go.
You may not always understand its direction,
But you can trust that it's moving toward balance,
Toward wholeness.
As you inhale,
Feel the breath rise,
A gentle wave of life energy.
As you exhale,
Feel the surrender,
The wave returning to the sea.
Let your breath lead the body into a slower rhythm.
Inhale through the nose for four,
Hold for two,
Then exhale through the mouth for six.
Inhale through the nose for four,
Hold for two,
Exhale through the mouth for six.
And once more,
Inhaling through the nose for four,
Hold for two,
Exhale through the mouth for six.
Notice what happens when you exhale longer than you inhale,
A natural invitation for the nervous system to relax,
A quiet message of safety,
I can let go.
And now sense where you might still be gripping,
In your jaw,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your hands.
Without judgment,
Exhale into those places as if melting the effort right out of them.
You don't have to fix anything,
You don't have to push the river,
You can simply flow with what's here.
Feel the ground beneath you,
It holds you even when you're holding yourself up.
The breath moves you,
Life breathes you.
Let yourself rest in that trust,
That there's an intelligence deeper than you thought,
A current carrying you exactly where you need to be.
Breathe into the mystery and on each exhale,
Whisper inwardly,
I trust the flow of life.
I am guided,
I am safe.
Stay here for a few moments,
Letting those words echo through every cell.
I trust the flow of life,
I am guided,
I am safe.
And now as we come toward the end of the practice,
Take one last deep breath,
Inhaling life fully,
Exhaling control completely.
When you feel ready,
Open your eyes softly,
Bringing this quiet faith into the rest of your day.
