So,
As we settle in,
Finding a position that feels supportive where you can be at ease,
Get alert,
Closing the eyes or lowering the gaze,
Whatever feels comfortable to you in this moment,
And taking a couple of deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Let's do that two more times.
Deep breath in,
And exhale.
One more time.
Deep breath in,
And exhale,
Allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm,
Paying attention to the body breathing,
Allowing yourself to arrive and settle in this moment.
Nowhere else to be,
Nowhere else to go,
Just right here,
Right now,
Taking a pause to connect with yourself,
Much like you would a dear friend,
Bringing your attention inward,
Knowing that the mind is a very busy bee,
And that's what the mind does,
No worries,
If you find yourself all of a sudden noticing a lot of thoughts,
That's perfectly normal,
And just gently inviting the attention back to the body breathing,
Breathing in,
Knowing you're breathing in,
Breathing out,
Knowing you're breathing out,
Nothing to change,
Nothing to do,
Simply noticing this life giving force,
Bringing a sense of curiosity to the sensation of the body breathing,
Maybe noticing where you're feeling the breath most easily.
Is it at the tip of the nose?
You might notice the air cooler as it enters the body,
And maybe slightly warmed as you exhale.
You might notice the breath at the back of the throat,
Or perhaps you notice it most easily in the chest,
The rise on the inhale,
The fall on the exhale.
Remember you're not trying to change anything or make anything different,
You're simply noticing the body breathing.
Or perhaps it's easiest to feel the body breathing in the belly,
Expanding on the inhale,
Contracting on the exhale,
Simply breathing in,
Knowing you're breathing in,
Breathing out,
Knowing you're breathing out,
Inviting your attention back again and again to the present moment.
You can never be in a future breath or in a past breath.
So it's a great anchor of attention to the here and now.
As you allow yourself to settle in this moment,
Bringing curiosity and friendliness to whatever experience you're having,
Just allowing yourself to have the space to think,
What is called for right now?
What is the next right thing?
Whether it's for this year,
This moment,
This day,
The thoughts can get jumbled with planning and ideas and what's next,
And this is an opportunity to pause and check in to see what actually is the right thing for you in this moment.
And if you notice just a flurry of thoughts with the shoulds and the have tos,
Just seeing if you can check in with the body.
Maybe there's a sense of warmth or awareness when something that is supportive for you in this moment or something that you do want to work for towards this year is as it settles into your awareness.
But notice when you start shoulds and have tos,
And then just come back to the breath,
Maybe taking a couple of mindful breaths,
And then start the inquiry all over again.
What is called for in this moment?
What would I like to work towards today,
In the next hour,
In the next year?
Really using this time as a time to connect and reset,
To calm the busyness,
To calm the shoulds and the have tos.
To come back to the body,
To the breath,
To the present moment,
Inviting a sense of peace and ease and calm.
Sometimes a couple of deep breaths is exactly what is needed to settle in,
And sometimes more might be called for.
But in this moment,
Breathing in,
Knowing you're breathing in,
Breathing out,
Knowing you're breathing out,
And just checking in,
Checking in with the body.
What's important right now?
What would I like to give my time and attention to that would be supportive of my goals and values and the direction that I want to go?
And if nothing comes to mind,
Don't force anything.
This is just a moment in time to pause,
Reflect,
And connect with your own inner wisdom.
Just allowing yourself to be present in this moment,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Inviting kind attention and awareness to the experience as it is in this moment.
And as you feel ready,
Inviting some movement to the body,
Maybe wiggling the fingers and toes or taking a stretch if that feels supportive,
And opening the eyes if they've been closed.
Thank you so much for doing that practice and offering yourself some kind attention.
