Hello,
Welcome back.
I'm Sarah,
A somatic facilitator and coach,
Here to help you build nervous system resilience so you can live up to your fullest potential with ease and confidence.
I'll be guiding you through meditation,
Breath work,
Visualization,
And deep rest so that you can explore the pause between where you've been and where you're going.
Welcome to Liminal Space.
Today we'll explore a short and simple counting meditation,
A gentle way to anchor attention into the present moment.
This practice is not about controlling your mind or breath,
It's a chance to practice the cultivation of attention.
Each time your awareness shifts from the number you gently nudge it back to the start.
When you're ready,
Find a comfortable position lying down or seated,
Your hands resting naturally and your gaze starts to soften or maybe even your eyes close completely.
You notice the weight of your arms and legs as your body grows heavier,
This sense of being held by the earth beneath you,
Supported.
There is nowhere else to be and nothing else to do.
Let your body settle,
You are here.
As the external world starts to fade and you journey inward,
Recognize how you feel,
The sensations in your body that are settling as you land here.
If you're feeling a little scattered,
Call your energy back to your heart space.
Does this summon a calmness within the body,
A sense of wholeness?
And then allow your attention to drift to your breath,
Not changing but just watching.
You might even find yourself in awe of how it just happens without effort.
Witnessing the rise and fall of the belly,
The ribs,
The back and your heart space.
This 360 expansive movement.
And now as you begin to slow your breath down,
We'll count each breath to 10 and then I will leave you to continue counting.
If you lose track,
Simply return to the count without judgment.
You can simply guess where you were and continue from there or just start from one again.
There is no right,
There is no wrong.
Just give yourself permission to be present with your breath count.
So silently together,
We'll inhale one,
Exhale two,
Inhale three,
Exhale four,
Breathing in five,
Breathing out six,
Seven and keep going.
You don't need to control the pace,
Just let the breath breathe you.
The numbers aren't a test or a competition,
They're just a guide,
A place to rest your attention.
I will leave you here for a few minutes to find your anchor in your breath and its count.
So now on your next inhale,
We'll breathe together,
Inhale 10,
Exhale nine,
Inhale eight,
Exhale seven,
Breathing in six,
Breathing out five,
Three,
Two,
Let go of all numbers and just rest in the space you've created in your mind.
Without any expectations,
Notice how you feel now that your awareness has been rooted on one focus for so long.
Maybe it felt difficult to be still and keep your mind's eye on the breath count.
That can happen if we aren't used to stillness and rest.
It feels unfamiliar,
Which our nervous system stays away from,
It feels like it's threat.
Or maybe it felt peaceful to lose yourself in the rhythm of the count.
However you feel about the practice,
Know that with time,
This art of staying with your focus improves,
You become attuned to being with what is,
Being in the present moment and just drawing your attention back to that one focus.
Familiarize yourself with your body again.
Maybe you start to awaken your fingers and toes by twinkling them,
Rolling the head from side to side.
And if you're ready to do so,
Blink your eyes open and take in your surroundings.
Be here for a moment and carry this focus with you into your day or evening or wherever you are in the cycle of your day.
Rest well and I'll see you next time.
