Today's meditation is on relaxation.
Let's begin.
Start by finding a comfortable space where you want to meditate today.
So perhaps that is sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Maybe it's sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your palms face down on your thighs.
It might feel good to lie down today on the couch or in your bed or on the floor.
Wherever you are,
Find a place where you can really let go.
Once you have arrived,
You can gently close your eyes or lower your gaze,
Whatever feels right for you today.
Start by bringing your awareness and your attention to the breath.
So simply the sensation of the breath coming in through your nose,
Filling up your lungs,
And then the breath coming out through your nose,
Leaving your body.
Allow yourself the grace of these next few moments.
There's no right or wrong way to do this.
Meditation is simply conscious connection with your breath.
So just keep bringing your attention to your breath and know that you are doing it right.
Keep breathing.
Your only job right now is to breathe and let go.
The breathing technique we will work with in today's meditation is called the diaphragmatic breath,
Also known as deep belly breathing.
So if you would like to place one hand on your lower belly and one hand to rest on your heart,
Go ahead.
The breathing technique works like this.
So as you inhale through your nose,
Feel your belly expand.
So feel your diaphragm expand.
And then as you exhale also through your nose,
Feel your belly contract.
So your belly will just come in towards your spine.
So breathing in,
Belly expands.
And as you exhale,
Belly contracts,
Rounding in towards your spine.
So continue with that diaphragmatic breathing style and find a pace that feels good for you.
Relaxation is not the goal or aim of meditation,
But it is a wonderful byproduct.
Our breath and really slowing down our breath,
Particularly the exhale.
So really elongating the exhale allows us to calm our nervous system.
This puts us into a deep state of calm and really promotes a relaxed feeling in the body.
So today we are going to simply breathe using the diaphragmatic breathing technique,
Remembering to really extend the length of the exhalation to call in that feeling of calm.
When we extend the exhalation,
We are simply sending a message to our brain that we are safe.
And in this moment,
We can rest.
I'm going to offer you a mantra to work with as you breathe.
This is something that you can just silently repeat to yourself on your next breath in.
Just silently repeating the words,
I inhale peace,
I exhale worry,
Really feeling it leave your body,
Allowing it to breathing in,
I inhale peace,
Breathing out,
I exhale worry.
Repeating this silently to yourself for another three rounds of diaphragmatic breathing.
Let's do the last round together.
Breathing in,
Belly expands,
I inhale peace.
Breathing out,
Belly contracts,
I exhale worry,
Letting it leave your body,
Releasing it.
On your next exhale,
You can just gently open your eyes,
Come back into the room,
Into the space,
Into your body.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
