Hello!
Welcome to Hello and welcome to session one in this audio series.
Today's session is all about you.
Now before we begin,
We're going to take a few moments to relax.
So I just would like you to close your eyes now and follow my voice.
We're going to take a few deep breaths together.
And I'm going to teach you a simple way to bring yourself into the present moment that works really well and is super quick.
This is really useful for those times when you feel a bit anxious,
Where you want to focus on something.
We're going to do this exercise at the beginning of each session,
So by the end of the week you will be an expert in being in the present moment.
We call this exercise opening three presents,
Because we always do three things.
First we breathe,
Second we are very still,
And third we notice something.
So let's begin.
Eyes closed now.
Make sure that you are sitting very comfortably and we will open the first present.
Now I want you to exhale,
Breathe out all of the air that is in your lungs.
And once you've done that,
I want you to take a long,
Slow breath in for me for the count of three.
So I'm going to count for you.
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now hold your breath for the count of one,
Two,
Three.
And then a long,
Slow breath out.
One,
Two,
Three.
That's brilliant.
Now do that again.
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three.
Holding,
One,
Two,
Three.
And breathing out,
One,
Two,
Three.
And we're going to do that one more time.
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three.
Holding,
One,
Two,
Three.
And breathing out,
One,
Two,
Three.
Brilliant.
And now we're going to move on to open our second present.
So now I want you to become very,
Very still.
As you are sitting,
We spend a lot of time thinking about the past or the future.
And often our minds are miles away.
And the best way to bring ourselves into the present moment is to focus on our physical body.
Because our body is the only thing that is always in the present moment.
So just be here,
Breathing in your body,
Completely still in the room that you are in.
And now we're going to open the third present.
And today we're going to notice something using one of our five senses.
This series is five sessions,
So in each session we're going to use one of the different senses.
Today,
To open our third present,
We're going to listen for the sounds in the room that you are in.
So breathing slow and deep,
Being very still,
Just take a moment,
Hear the sound of my voice,
Hear the music behind my voice.
Maybe notice the sounds in the room.
Is there traffic in the distance?
Can you hear bird song,
Voices,
The sound of your breath?
I just want you to notice and just listen.
And now as you are,
Breathing very still in the home of your body,
Listening,
You are here in the present moment,
In reality,
In the now.
So really well done.
And now when you're ready,
Open your eyes and keeping that sense of presence,
Focus on my voice.
Now what I want you to do is to think about the things that you really like about yourself.
We are all born with qualities,
Gifts,
And talents that just arrive with us,
And it's so important to recognize these in ourselves.
Our world can be very confusing.
On the one hand,
It seems that we have to present a perfect version of ourselves,
Whether that is to our peers or on social media.
We feel so much pressure to conform,
But we also don't always want to be singled out for being boastful or trying to be too different.
And so it's hard to be ourselves,
And sometimes harder to like ourselves.
But when we can see our own gifts,
Talents,
And qualities,
It makes it easier to see them in others and to inspire and encourage others with our true selves.
All of us have things about ourselves that we're maybe not so keen on,
Perhaps things about ourselves that trouble us.
And we may find that it's easier to focus on the flaws rather than on the qualities that we possess.
So today we're going to change that,
And I want you to write down three things that you really,
Really like about yourself.
Now you don't have to share your writing with anybody.
Nobody has to know.
The most important thing is that you know and that you spend a few quiet moments appreciating the uniqueness of you.
Now these three things can be anything at all.
It might be your smile.
It might be that you can feel when other people feel down and you always try to cheer them up.
It might be that you're a really good friend or a great teller of jokes or that you love music and dancing.
Whatever these three things are,
And if there are more than three,
Then great,
Add them to the list.
Write them down,
And as you write,
I want you to smile,
To let yourself feel how wonderful these gifts and qualities are.
How much they add to your life and how much they add to the lives of people around you.
When we're really in the flow of our gifts and qualities,
We light up in ourselves,
And that light,
Even if it's invisible,
Makes other people feel better.
Makes other people want to be around you,
To feel inspired by you.
And as you prepare to write your list,
I want you to think about this beautiful quote from Winnie the Pooh by A.
A.
Milne.
Promise me you'll always remember.
You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.
I'm going to give you one minute with some music playing to make your list now,
And I'll be back for you when your time is up.
So good luck with your writing.
Okay,
Wonderful.
Well done.
That is about a minute.
Now you can add to your list whenever you want to.
The important thing to remember is that what you like about yourself is usually what other people like about you and why people will be drawn to you.
And maybe you don't always show the qualities that are on your list,
But you can start today with just accepting that you like some things about yourself and that you are a unique and valuable person with a great deal to offer.
Thank you for listening,
And I will see you in our next session when we're going to be looking at listening with kindness.
Thank you.
