As you settle in for this practice,
Take a moment to find a comfortable posture,
Whatever works for your body.
You might begin by orienting your nervous system to the space where you are in whatever way is accessible.
For example,
You might look around the room or listen to the sounds where you are.
This can signal to your nervous system that you are in this moment here,
Present,
Safe.
And if it feels right for you,
You might close your eyes or lower your gaze,
Beginning with a few slow and intentional breaths,
Breathing in through the nose with an extended out-breath through the mouth.
And if the breath is uncomfortable,
Perhaps bringing your attention to your feet or your hands,
Otherwise continuing to breathe in and out.
And as you exhale,
Imagining that you're letting go of any tension or expectation.
This also helps to signal safety to the nervous system and invite a greater possibility of calm and ease.
Deep breath in through the nose,
A long extended out-breath through the mouth.
And when you're ready,
Allowing your breath to settle into its own rhythm,
Nothing to control,
Nothing to change,
Just noticing your breath as it is.
And whether you're sitting or standing or lying down or in motion,
The invitation is to bring a sense of curiosity to this moment.
What does it feel like to simply be here?
To arrive just as you are,
Without needing to be anything other than as you are right now.
You might now shift your awareness to your feet and notice the touch points of connection as they make contact to whatever surface they're on in this moment.
And staying with the body,
You might shift your attention to the motion of your breath and taking notice of where in your body you most sense your inhale and exhale.
Again,
Not changing anything about your breathing,
Just noticing it as it is.
And when you notice thoughts,
And they may come in the form of plans,
Problem solving,
Worry,
Or judgment,
Notice if you can simply acknowledge them without pushing them away or getting caught up in them,
Just noticing with a sense of openness and curiosity,
And then returning your awareness to this breath,
This moment.
And when your mind wanders and you lose connection with the body,
The breath,
Remembering that it's not a mistake.
It's the nature of the mind for it to wander and it's part of the practice.
Just note what's on your mind and return 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 practice.
Just allowing yourself to arrive just as you are in this moment and in this moment.
And so using the stretch of silence for the next minute or so to practice on your own,
Choosing an anchor for your awareness,
Whether that's the breath of the body or sounds in your environment or the feeling of an object in your hand or a mantra,
Choosing a home base so that when your mind wanders,
And it will,
You know where to return.
Just like a boat in the waves returning to its anchor over and over again.
And as you're ready,
The invitation is to begin to move out of this practice in whatever way feels right.
You might invite some gentle movement of your body or take a few intentional breaths and place a hand on your heart.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes or lifting your gaze,
And you might orient yourself to the space that you're in once more as a way to orient your nervous system to the room where you are,
Doing that in whatever way is accessible,
Whether that's looking around the room or listening to the sounds where you are,
Just inviting a way to bring your awareness back to the space around you.
You might offer yourself one more cleansing breath in through the nose with a long extended out breath through the mouth with a soothing sigh as you offer yourself a sense of gratitude for showing up for yourself through this practice today,
Not only for your own benefit,
But also for the benefit of others.
Thank you for your practice.
