Hello and welcome to this meditation for breathing for medium amounts of stress.
Let's get comfortable in our seats.
Make sure your back is straight.
Hands are resting.
Close your eyes.
Relax.
We will take three breaths together.
Let's begin.
One.
Inhale.
And then relax as you exhale.
Two.
Again.
Inhale.
And then release tension as you exhale.
Three.
One more time.
Inhale.
And then relax as you exhale.
We all get into stressful situations from time to time.
So it's not about eliminating stress from our lives,
But about how we manage it and react to it.
When you encounter something that stresses you out a medium amount,
You need to manage this stress so that it doesn't build into more.
Things that are medium stressors are like you having a deadline coming up sooner than you thought and now you have a lot to do in a short time.
Or you have a social dinner to attend and you really don't want to see some of the people that will be there.
Obviously,
You know that you are to blame if you procrastinated a deadline.
But if you let stress get the better of you,
It distracts you from being able to focus.
Also,
If you really don't want to go to dinner with these people,
But you know you have to,
You can take steps to manage the stress so that you can get through dinner without harming yourself from the ill effects of stress.
So when you are stressed,
You cannot focus.
But on the other hand,
When you can focus,
You cannot be stressed.
So let's focus on our breath right now.
What does your breath feel like right now?
Feel your belly expand and contract with your breath.
Feel your chest gently rising and falling.
Can you feel the air passing through as you breathe?
Notice every single detail about your breath.
Feel it filling all the different areas as you inhale.
Is the air warm or cool?
Let's take three big deep breaths now together and pay attention to how each breath feels.
One,
Breathing in as much as you can until you are brimming with air.
Hold and then exhale,
Allowing relaxation to come to you.
Two,
Pulling air fully into your body.
Hold it and exhale,
Allowing yourself to become even more relaxed.
Three,
Last one.
Inhale fully and then exhale,
Feeling even more relaxed than when you started.
You may notice that breathing with intention is a very powerful tool in changing your state of mind.
If you feel you need to relax even more,
You can repeat these three powerful breaths at any time.
Breathing deeply and fully is helpful in any situation,
But especially during the more difficult times in our lives.
Another wonderful tool that you can use when you are experiencing moderate stress level is nature.
Viewing nature is very relaxing and calming to every human.
Let's imagine right now we are in a beautiful garden.
You see that you are in a beautiful garden and a wave of relaxation sweeps over you.
There is a soft and natural path through the garden that you begin to walk down.
In this garden,
There are so many exquisite plants producing the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen.
The trees around you are thriving and tall.
The trees sway in the wind with grace back and forth,
Back and forth.
You look down at the smaller shrubs and plants that are passing by as you walk along.
You see their leaves of various kinds being caressed by the wind.
Some leaves are waxy and reflect the sunlight,
While other leaves are soft and delicate.
You take in a deep breath of the fresh air these plants produce and you catch the aroma of a gorgeous flower.
You look around to see who is producing this fragrance and spot the most beautiful white flower you have ever seen.
It is huge,
Almost the size of a dinner plate and it smells sweeter than any rose.
You get closer to this flower and the fragrance is mesmerizing.
You bend down and smell it even closer.
And when you inhale its beauty,
The aroma of this flower heals you in all kinds of ways.
The sweet smell eliminates stress in your mind and body.
Another inhale deep.
The aroma is inhaling and healing your body.
And as you take in another breath of its beauty,
You feel it completely relax and set you at ease.
You haven't felt this nice in a very long time.
Allow yourself to receive.
And you thank this flower for everything it's given you.
And you continue down the path through nature.
It's beautiful here.
You can feel the gentle sun rays on your skin.
And how it brings you nutrients.
Just enjoy being in your garden.
Now we're going to walk back along the path the way you came.
You can always come back to this place by simply remembering it.
And allow the thought of nature to simply eliminate all of your stress.
I'm going to count from one to five now.
And with each word I say,
You'll become more and more aware of the present moment and ready to go about your day.
One.
Coming back now.
Two.
Bringing back the memory of nature with you.
Three.
Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
Four.
Feeling stress free and ready to achieve anything.
And five.
Welcome back and enjoy the rest of your day.
Namaste.
