Hi this is Michelle Morrison and if you're having a rough day at the moment I hope that this meditation helps a little bit.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
You can sit on a cushion or in a chair or if you prefer you could lie down as well.
Let your hands rest softly in your lap or by your sides.
And gently close your eyes or lower your gaze if that feels better.
Take a moment to arrive.
Allow your body to settle.
Let your shoulders soften.
Feel your jaw unclench.
The bottom jaw might move gently away from the top jaw.
Let your breath come in just as it flows naturally.
In and out through the nose if you can.
There's nothing you need to change.
You're just noticing how your breath moves in and how it moves out.
Noticing any sensations around the nostrils.
Any movement around the rib space and the belly.
So let's begin to just gently guide the breath a little now.
Take a slow inhale through your nose and a gentle exhale through your mouth.
Let's do that again.
A slow inhale through the nose and an exhale through the mouth.
Just letting go of any tension through the body,
Through the mind.
And we're just starting to feel the ease come through the body,
The shoulders,
The spine,
The legs and through the mind.
We might notice a greater gap between our thoughts.
Now let us begin counting just the exhale.
We're not forcing or changing the breath.
We're just noticing the out-breath and silently counting it in our mind.
So we inhale naturally.
We exhale one.
We inhale.
We exhale two.
We inhale.
We exhale three.
Continue like this,
Counting the exhale,
Witnessing the exhale.
If your mind drifts off,
That's fine.
Just kindly bring it back and begin again from one.
Let the rhythm be soft and easy.
There's no rush and no need to reach any number.
Let's continue for a little longer,
Keeping your focus gentle and just counting the exhale.
Each exhale is a small letting go,
A small release and just a little bit more space for you.
Now if you'd like,
Stop counting,
Let go of the numbers and just rest in the rhythm of your breath.
Inhale and exhale.
Notice how your body feels.
And notice the quiet you've created inside.
You might feel fully present now in this moment.
You're showing up and then when you feel ready,
Begin to bring some gentle movement back to your fingers and toes and maybe you take a slightly deeper breath.
If your eyes are closed,
Softly,
Slowly open them.
Take a moment to notice how you feel in your energy,
In your mind and in your body.
And it's my wish for you that this sense of calm and presence stays with you for the rest of your day.
