As you come into this practice,
Taking a moment to find a posture that feels right for the body,
Gently closing the eyes or lowering the gaze.
If the breath is comfortable,
Beginning with a slow breath in through the nose and a long extended exhale through the mouth.
Taking another deep breath in and exhaling,
Letting go of any tension or expectation.
One more time,
Breath in,
Exhaling,
Releasing,
And when you're ready,
Allowing the breath to settle into its own rhythm.
Nothing to control,
Nothing to change,
Just noticing your breath as it is.
You might shift your attention now to the body.
Sensing your feet making contact with the floor,
You might notice your hands resting on your lap or at your sides,
You might notice the gentle movement of the breath.
Sensing into the physical motion of each in-breath and each out-breath,
And of course your mind will wander,
It's just the nature of the mind,
It's nothing to fix or change,
It's part of the practice.
Notice if you can acknowledge what's here without trying to push anything away or without getting caught or hooked.
And then gently returning your attention to this breath,
This moment.
Returning over and over again,
That's the practice.
There is no right or wrong way to be here,
There's no perfect way to do this.
Simply allowing yourself to arrive as you are in this moment,
And this moment.
If it feels supported,
You're invited to come back to the breath as a way to gently calm the nervous system and steady the mind through a counting down from 10,
Beginning with a slow natural inhale,
And a full easy exhale,
And with each breath,
Silently noting in your mind,
Breathing in 10,
Breathing out 10,
Breathing in 9,
Breathing out 9,
And continuing to count down in this way and moving at your own pace,
There's no rush to get anywhere.
When you feel ready,
Let the counting gradually come to a gentle close,
Resting your attention on the natural rhythm of the breath,
And noticing if you can any subtle shifts in your body or nervous system,
Perhaps some areas of ease or tension or calm.
As this practice begins to wind down,
You're invited to take one more deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Beginning to bring your awareness back to the space around you,
And you might offer yourself a sense of gratitude for being here and for practicing,
Not only for your own well-being,
But for the benefit of others.
Thank you for your practice.
