Begin arriving here and taking a few deep breaths.
At your own pace.
Do not wait for me to prompt you.
Just take five to seven deep breaths,
Exhaling the air fully and letting your body arrive at the best position that you can hold for the next eight minutes or so.
Let your hands rest comfortably.
And if it feels safe,
Close your eyes.
Let the muscles around your eyes become heavy.
There's only one task for you today in this exercise,
And that is to notice.
Just notice the body right now.
And bring your attention to those places where the body meets the chair.
The floor,
The bed beneath you.
Notice where you're still holding yourself up a little bit and let go to the surface and trust.
Now let your awareness travel through all the parts of the body,
Beginning from the feet.
Noticing each part of the body relaxing even more.
The ankles.
The calves.
Knees.
Bye.
Hips.
Abdomen.
Notice the chest.
The shoulders.
Arms.
Hands and fingers.
You're next.
And your face.
Your body is always gathering information.
Way before your mind comes to give an opinion.
Sometimes with ease and sometimes with tension.
And sometimes with a feeling that's difficult to explain.
And that's okay.
Your body does not speak in words or paragraphs necessarily.
It speaks in sensations.
And you're simply here to learn that language.
I want you to bring to mind a decision that you are facing right now in your life.
It could be as simple as,
What am I going to have for lunch?
Or for dinner.
Or as big as should I sell my house or change careers.
Just one real decision that you may be working with.
Right now.
And I want you to say to yourself this decision once in your mind.
And slowly let the words fade away.
Notice what happens inside your body.
Before you analyze it,
Just notice.
You may be feeling openness or tightening.
Your chest feels lighter or heavy.
Where your jaw clenches.
Or your shoulders soften.
Just notice.
If nothing is obvious to you,
That is perfectly okay.
Whatever you notice is what's here for you.
And if it helps,
Ask yourself,
Where do I feel this sensation in my body?
And wait.
Not for the explanation.
For the sensation.
Now see if one simple word comes to you that fits what you are experiencing.
And I'm gonna name a few just to give you the one that maybe if you don't have yours,
You can arrive to that word when you hear it.
Peace.
Comfort.
Relaxation.
Expansion.
Flow.
Softness.
Or maybe pressure.
Constriction.
Pension.
Burden.
Or just discomfort.
And if you resonated or one of the words described the sensation,
This is what my body is noticing right now.
And today's sensation does not have to become today's answer.
You're not deciding anything at this moment,
You're simply becoming familiar.
With the way your body responds.
And the more often you notice,
The easier it becomes,
Of course.
And whatever repeats often has something important to teach you or to tell you.
Now begin bringing your awareness back to where your body is.
Let the body experience sounds.
Let it experience temperature.
Let it experience slow breaths in and out.
And I want you to listen to this and to maybe repeat it to yourself.
My body doesn't need to explain itself to be worth listening to.
And when you're ready,
Open the eyes.
And welcome back.
