There is a deep intelligence in you,
A natural capacity for steadiness,
Ease and inner safety.
And in this moment you are allowing yourself to reconnect with it.
Right now,
Exactly as this moment is unfolding,
You are in the perfect place to remember something truly essential about yourself.
Not something new,
Not something you must earn,
But something that has always lived quietly within you.
No need to fix anything,
You don't even need to try.
You only need to allow your system to shift gently into rest.
So give your body permission now to soften its vigilance,
To move from alertness into restoration,
From effort into support.
Feel the surface beneath you and let it hold your weight completely.
Gravity is doing the work for you and you are safe to rest here.
And we'll begin with the breath.
Inhale slowly through your nose,
Fill in the lungs fully,
And then allow just a little more breath to arrive.
Hold your breath softly,
And then exhale through the mouth,
Long,
Unforced,
As if the body is sighing itself into comfort.
Again,
Inhale deeply,
Expand and receive,
Allow just a little extra to arrive with another short inhalation,
And then exhale slowly.
And as you do so,
Allow your shoulders,
Jaw and belly to soften.
One more time,
Inhale full and spacious,
Add that gentle extra breath,
And then release with a sense of warm water flowing downward through the body.
And simply notice how the breath begins to slow the mind,
How your nervous system recognises this rhythm,
It remembers how to settle,
It is returning to balance.
No effort required as you ease into a natural and gentle flow of breath.
And now I invite you to bring your attention to the inside of one wrist.
Just gently press or rest three fingers below the fold of your wrist,
Steady,
Comfortable pressure.
And as you continue with gentle rhythmic breathing,
I encourage you to have extended exhales.
The point you are holding communicates directly with the calming pathways of the nervous system,
You don't need to believe that,
Because your body is already responding.
And while you are gently holding,
Just allow each inhalation to soften your body even further as you expand and relax with each breath.
And now place one hand softly over the centre of your chest,
Feeling the warmth,
The contact,
The steadiness.
And as you exhale again,
Silently say the words to yourself,
Safe now.
Just that,
No emphasis,
No force.
Inhale gently and on the long exhale,
Safe now.
This combination of gentle pressure,
Breath and simple language is teaching your nervous system something very specific,
That this moment is not a threat and it's okay to settle.
Now imagine a gentle sense of weight moving downward through your body,
Through the legs,
The feet and into the ground beneath you.
Gravity is holding you,
You don't have to hold yourself.
And at the same time notice the subtle openness rising upward through the spine,
Through the crown of your head and into space,
Rooted below,
Open above and calm in the centre.
Now as this sense of calm becomes familiar,
I invite you to gently press your thumb and your middle finger together,
No rush,
No force.
And as you do,
Let the phrase form quietly into your mind.
This is calm,
This is safety.
This is calm,
This is safety.
Now release your fingers and again press them together as you exhale slowly,
Repeating this is calm,
This is safety.
Each repetition strengthens the association,
The nervous system learns through pairing.
Now alternate once more,
Thumb and middle finger together,
Allowing calm to flow in.
And then hand to heart with a slow exhalation,
Telling yourself safe now.
Notice how quickly your body responds,
That is regulation.
Your system is beginning to predict safety instead of bracing for threat.
Now let's integrate,
Briefly imagine a very small challenge,
Nothing intense,
Just enough to notice a ripple and immediately with an in-breath and a long exhale press your thumb and your middle finger together,
Hand to heart,
Safe now,
Feel the shift.
That's not imagination,
That's physiology responding.
This is how self-regulation becomes automatic.
Now picture yourself moving through daily life with this built in.
Perhaps picture yourself in a combination of a conversation or an action.
A moment of pressure.
See yourself taking a deep in-breath with a longer exhale.
The gesture of placing your thumb to your middle finger.
Feel how calm arrives and then placing your other hand on your heart.
Feel how safety arrives.
Not because you are forcing it,
But because your body has learned a pathway.
Now take one last slow breath.
As you inhale gently and exhale longer,
Allow your body to memorize the state.
And when you're ready,
Awareness begins to return.
You can slowly start to move your fingers and your toes.
Feel that your mind is clear and your breath is steady.
And gently open your eyes.
Regulating and carrying calm and safety within you.
