Welcome.
I'm Teresa.
Thank you so much for being here with me.
Before we begin,
I want you to know that you don't have to arrive here feeling calm.
You don't have to slow your breathing.
You don't have to empty your mind.
You don't have to do this meditation perfectly.
You simply can be here exactly as you are.
If your heart is racing,
That's welcome here.
If your thoughts are loud,
They're welcome too.
If your body feels restless or tired.
Are numb.
There's room for all of it.
Nothing about you needs to change before we begin.
Sometimes we believe that we should know how to calm ourselves.
As though regulation is something we should accomplish alone.
But that's not how nervous systems were designed.
From our very first moments of life.
We learned safety in relationships.
A calm voice.
Gentle eyes.
Steady hands.
Caring presence.
We borrow regulation from one another all the time.
And so for the next few minutes.
I'd like to offer you mine.
There's nothing you need to do.
Nothing you need to follow.
Nothing you need to achieve.
Simply let my voice do a little of the holding.
Take a breath whenever your body wants one.
Not because I told you to.
But because your body knows how.
Notice whatever is supporting you.
Chair beneath you.
The floor beneath your feet.
The bed beneath your body.
Allow yourself to be held.
Just a little more than you were a moment ago.
If you notice tension,
You don't have to make it disappear.
Just notice that your body has been working hard.
May be harder than anyone else realizes.
If you notice emotions.
They don't need explaining.
You don't have to understand them today.
You don't have to organize them.
You don't even have to name them.
You can simply let them be here.
And if your mind wanders,
That's okay.
You don't have to keep bringing yourself back.
I'll keep finding you.
Again and again.
Maybe just for this moment,
You can imagine that you're sitting beside someone who asks nothing of you.
Someone who isn't waiting for you to smile.
Or explain.
Or perform.
Someone who isn't hoping you'll get back to yourself.
They are simply happy to sit beside you.
Quietly.
Without needing anything from you.
See if your shoulders would like to drop.
Even the smallest amount.
Not because they should.
But because perhaps they've been carrying enough for one day.
Invite your jaw to soften.
Your hands.
The muscles around your eyes.
Not all at once.
Just wherever your body naturally says,
Yes,
I think I can let go there.
You don't have to borrow all of my calm.
Just enough.
Enough to remember that calm still exists.
Enough to remember that your nervous system knows this feeling.
Even if it's been a while.
Enough to remember that you don't have to carry today all by yourself.
Let's take one easy breath.
And another.
Not because breathing fixes everything.
But because every gentle breath is a small reminder that you're still here.
And here,
There is nothing you have to prove.
Before we finish,
I'd like to leave you with a few words.
Not because I expect you to believe them immediately.
But because sometimes our nervous system needs to hear something many times before it begins to trust it.
You are safe enough for this moment.
You are held,
Even if only by this chair.
The floor.
This breath.
And this quiet time we've shared together.
You don't have to do today perfectly.
You don't have to carry it alone.
And you don't have to find your way back to yourself all at once.
One gentle moment is enough.
Thank you for letting me spend this time with you.
If this practice brought even the smallest sense of ease,
Know that it wasn't because you forced it.
It happened because you allowed yourself to receive.
Take gentle care of yourself.
I'll be here whenever you need someone to sit quietly beside you.
As you return to your day,
Remember as always,
You are loved.
You are whole.
You are enough.
