Let's take a moment to first check in with our breath before we work on checking in with ourselves.
So take a deep breath in through the nose,
Breathe down deep into the body,
Feel your stomach expand,
And then slowly release the breath.
Very good.
Again,
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Breathe down into your stomach,
Hold for a moment,
And then slowly release your breath.
Good.
And encourage your body to relax,
To release,
To let go.
As you imagine roots growing out of the soles of your feet and going down deep into the earth,
Grounding you and connecting you as they spread out to all other living things.
And through these roots,
You can release stress,
Tension,
Any negative emotions that may be bothering you at the time.
And you can pull up from the earth,
Strength,
Stability,
Security.
So feel this now,
Feel yourself releasing down into the earth,
Where the earth grows stronger with what you give it.
And from the earth,
Absorb its strength and stability and security.
Now I'd like you to imagine a protective bubble completely enclosing your body,
Keeping you safe,
Keeping you protected.
Very good.
Now today we'll develop a way to check in with yourself to see how relaxed you are.
We're going to learn how to manage relaxation and calm instead of stress,
Because what we focus on,
We get more of.
So as we focus on learning to relax,
We'll get more relaxation.
So we'll create a personal scale where zero is the most relaxed and calm you can possibly be.
And our goal is for zero to become our natural state.
The scale goes up to ten.
Ten is what we would consider fight or flight or crisis state.
Check in with yourself right now and see where you are on the scale.
The first number that comes to mind is the right answer,
Even if it's a little closer to ten than you would like it to be.
Even if it is ten,
That's okay.
We are going to learn how to reduce that number and slowly work towards approaching zero.
We do this by establishing safety,
By assuring ourselves that we are safe.
We are safe and there is no danger present.
We know this is true because we are not in imminent physical danger.
And we know that's true because if we were,
We would not have continued the relaxation.
We know that is true because if we were in danger,
We would have stopped doing this relaxation.
So embrace this idea and let it sink in.
You are safe.
There is no danger present here in this moment.
Since there is no danger,
It's okay to lower that state of alertness.
Lower it by however much feels safe right now in this moment,
Whether that is by one number or half a number or even just a quarter of a number.
You can come down from nine to nine and a half or eight and a half as it is.
That's wonderful.
You can go from eight and a half to eight and a quarter,
Even better.
However much you're able to lower the number,
Sit with the new number now for a few moments.
Breathe into it.
Notice how reducing the state of alertness did not lead to crisis.
Nothing bad happened because you are safe.
Right here in this moment,
You are safe.
And as you breathe into it,
See if you can lower the state of alertness just a little bit more by whatever amount feels safe and comfortable to you.
Very good.
Just breathe into this new state for a few moments.
That's right.
You can continue to lower the state of alertness,
Getting as close to zero as is comfortable for you right now.
The more often you check in with yourself to see where you are and to reduce this level of alertness whenever possible,
The more you'll find that the overall level begins to come down.
You will trust more and more that it's okay to be relaxed,
To be calm,
And that number will come down,
Down,
Down as you relax more and more.
As you trust more and more that you are safe,
That you are secure,
And the closer you'll come to that zero,
To that state of peace and calm.
So enjoy this state for as long as you like,
And when you're ready,
Simply open your eyes.
