So often when we are feeling overwhelmed,
We are locked into the idea that there is just too much or we are just too little.
This feeling stacks itself on top of all of the things,
All of the thoughts,
Concerns and worries that are swirling around in our heads and weighing down our hearts.
I am not here to tell you not to feel this way or that you are wrong or blame you for allowing the overwhelm in.
These are real feelings and our intention in life as in meditation shouldn't be to never feel these emotions,
To suppress them,
Ignore them or try to make them go away.
Rather I'd like to offer you compassion for these heavy emotions,
The weight of overwhelm and ask that you offer yourself the same compassion.
There is a space and time that we can sit with these large feelings together.
That time is right now and that space is the present moment.
As we get comfortable and start to settle into ourselves preparing for meditation,
We can begin to become aware of our breath,
Not trying to change it or deepen it right yet,
But rather just noticing how it moves through our bodies.
When we are feeling in the midst of everything that life is throwing at us,
It can feel so difficult to put aside the time for ourselves.
But I ask that you just spend the next little while with me calming your breath,
Calming your mind so that you may put the overwhelm in order on the other side.
Let's take a nice deep breath in through our noses,
Breathing in 1,
2,
3 and a matching exhale 1,
2,
3.
Continue these breaths counting in 1,
2,
3 and exhaling 1,
2,
3.
Give your mind over to this task and let everything else follow.
It's okay if thoughts or emotions come up.
This is natural.
Just remind yourself that you're here to be compassionate and focus on your breath.
Let's begin to deepen these breaths,
Bringing each breath down into our bellies,
Really letting it lift our diaphragm.
Especially when we are dealing with anxiousness,
Overwhelm and stress,
We struggle to take these deep breaths.
These beautiful breaths are like a reset for our body and we can let our mind follow.
Let's take a nice deep breath in counting 1,
2,
3,
4 and then the exhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Long breath out 1,
2,
3,
4.
Breath in 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale out 1,
2,
3,
4.
Continue with these breaths now.
The attention to breath reminds us that there is an order and a timing to everything.
We cannot take the exhale before the inhale.
If we rush our breath or slow it down too far,
We are not sustained.
Much is the same with life.
We all have the rhythm that works best for us.
It is when we try to speed up or slow down to match some outside expectation that we come out of sync and become overwhelmed.
When we take the time to nurture our breath,
Feel our bodies as they exist right here and now,
We allow ourselves to become grounded and focused in the present moment.
The present moment is a beautiful space that exists outside the bounds of worry,
Fear and expectation.
Feel the energy flow through your body with your breath.
Every inhale is recharging you.
Feel the tingle in your toes and in the tips of your fingers.
Every exhale reminds you of your own natural flow and rhythm.
This is a reminder that nothing will fall apart if you take a break.
Your body needs rest and recharging and you will not fall behind if you give this to yourself.
You cannot be productive if you don't take care of yourself.
There is space for balance in your life.
The world will not end if you have an appropriate to do list.
You don't need to do everything yourself.
You can delegate to those around you.
A calmer mind makes better decisions.
People will not combust if they have to wait.
You can stop beating yourself up for things that you wouldn't even notice in others.
Every breath in is filling you with a renewed but calm energy.
You are beginning to see the tasks of the day in a new light.
Every exhale lets you shed away the things that do not have to happen today.
The inhale brings a beautiful peace.
The exhale lets us shed the weight of expectation,
Shame and pressure.
Let's take a few more deep breaths in together.
Breath out.
Breath in.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breath out.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breath in.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And let the final exhale out with a sigh.
You are recharged.
You can find more order in your day.
This meditation is always here for you in moments of overwhelm.
Whenever you are ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
