It's easily done.
After a busy day,
A tough day at work,
We bring all of that work home with us.
Not just in our laptop and our phone,
But in our heads.
And this disrupts our ability to relax and enjoy the limited time that we have at home.
Today we're going to learn how we leave work at work.
So begin by getting yourself into a comfortable seat.
Sit up nice and tall and begin to breathe in and out through the nostrils.
Just focus on that for now,
That's all.
And if you're finding this difficult,
That's okay.
It's natural that when we change the fast pace of work and commuting and getting home,
And we just sit for a while,
That our mind is like,
Whoa,
What's going on?
It's like being a passenger in a fast moving train and slamming on the brakes.
That's your brain.
It's still moving in space,
Even though your body has stopped.
So give it a moment to get used to this slower pace.
Just sitting,
Just breathing.
Taking your time,
Checking in,
Seeing if you're still breathing like you're someone who's rushing to and from meetings,
Or you're breathing like someone who's at home.
In a gorgeous chair,
In your gorgeous house,
Ready for a gorgeous evening.
Just as you're getting used to that breathing pattern,
The new way of being,
This changing of state,
I'm just going to explain what we'll do today.
In a moment,
We're going to run through some of your thoughts of the day,
But we're going to run it through a filter,
A filter that simply checks if the thought you're having is about the day you've had,
Or if it's about the experience you're having right now.
Let's practice this together by inviting some of those thoughts about your day in,
And then becoming aware of them and replacing them with an experience you're having right now.
If that sounds complicated,
Don't worry,
We're going to go through it together nicely now.
So start by just thinking about something that happened today,
A nice neutral thought,
Maybe getting your morning coffee,
Maybe walking to work.
As you notice this thought,
And as you notice that it is in the past,
I want you to take note of that,
And then exhale through the mouth as if you're blowing that thought away.
As you blow that thought away,
You bring your mind to something that's happening right now,
Something like you're breathing,
Or you're sitting,
Maybe even the sounds in your room right now.
So as we get rid of one thought,
We invite in our experience.
Let's try it again.
Again,
Bring a neutral thought from your day into your mind,
Maybe where you went for lunch.
Notice how this thought is rooted in the past,
In the day you've had,
And as you realize that,
Exhale it out through an open mouth sigh.
And then bring your mind back to something that is happening right now.
You're breathing,
You're sitting,
The sounds in the room.
Getting used to finding that distinction between the two.
Let's step it up a level.
Think of a slightly more challenging part of your day,
A meeting you had,
A deadline,
A hard conversation.
Now really focus on your breathing when this happens.
Don't let your breathing now start to speed up.
As you think of this challenging thought,
Notice how it is in the past.
It no longer exists.
Exhale out through an open mouth.
And as you inhale,
Think about your experience right now.
Your gorgeous breath,
Your gorgeous seat,
Your gorgeous house.
Now with the more challenging thoughts,
It may take a few goes,
That's okay.
You exhale through the mouth.
You inhale and think about what's happening in your room right now.
No need to beat yourself up about it.
Just experience it.
Okay,
Bring your mind's eye back to your breathing,
To your sitting,
To the room you're in.
And now instead of searching out thoughts by bringing them into your mind,
Just rest your mind on your breath,
On your sitting,
On the sounds in the room.
And now if the thought of your workday comes up,
You know what to do.
You notice it,
Then you exhale through the mouth and you replace that thought with a thought about your breath,
About your sitting,
About your experience right now in this room,
How your clothes feel,
How the seat below you feels,
Anything that is happening right here and right now.
I want you to give that a go on your own just for the next few moments.
Simply restricting your thoughts to the here and the now.
All right,
Good.
You're now well trained to know the difference between the workday you've had and the evening you are having.
This is going to allow you to be mindful and present and to fully enjoy the evening you have at home.
Feel free to come back and do this anytime you need to.
Until then,
Have a great evening and namaste.
