Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
Lengthen your spine and roll back your shoulders gently,
Opening up the chest.
Prepare your body to have a great and productive day today.
Rest your hands in your lap and once you've settled in,
Gently close your eyes.
Now let's take a couple of deep,
Relaxing breaths to wake up the body.
So take a deep,
Long breath in,
Expanding the belly,
Filling your lungs with air,
And then releasing the breath out slowly and gently,
Keeping your awareness light and gentle on the breath.
Inhale again,
Following the breath all the way in,
And exhale,
Following the breath all the way out.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Allowing your full attention to rest on your breath as it comes in and it goes out,
Connecting your mind and the body in the present moment,
Allowing you to feel relaxed and peaceful for the day ahead.
Breathing in positive air and breathing out any stagnant energy,
Any fatigue,
Any worries.
Allow it all to just exit with the breath.
And now allow the breath to settle and just take a moment to appreciate all the good in your life.
Appreciate everything that is going on right now.
Appreciate the people in your life.
Appreciate your health.
Appreciate yourself for setting goals to accomplish and striving to reach your fullest potential.
So just take a moment to bring to mind all that is good and positive in your life.
Good.
Now as you go about your day,
Keeping a sense of gratitude within your heart,
You may become distracted or lost in thought as you complete your tasks.
Ruminating about something that has happened in the past or worrying about the future.
And this is completely normal.
This is just what the mind does.
Our minds are always bouncing from thought to thought,
Interpreting and generating stories about our behaviors and our interactions with others.
We always have the power to tune into the present,
To experience the moment in real time.
This is called the direct experience.
And in this direct experience,
We're being mentally present.
It means taking in your surroundings,
Your body sensations and emotions,
Thoughts and all without judgment.
For example,
If you're directly experiencing a meeting,
You may notice the temperature in the room.
You may be processing the presenters words and detecting any sounds that are around you.
And being more present in your workplace can help to cultivate a calmer state of mind.
We can tame our roaming minds by strengthening our ability to focus on what's in our present time experience.
So when you go about your day,
You may use a mantra saying,
Just this.
So when you catch yourself distracted,
Either from internal or external stimuli,
Use the mantra to recenter yourself back to the present moment and the task at hand.
So just this email,
Just this conversation,
Just this meeting.
And to help a wandering mind,
You may also label your thoughts when they arise.
For example,
Noting to yourself,
Just this planning mind,
Just this worrying mind,
Just this nervous feeling.
So take moments in your day to catch yourself when you become distracted and use the techniques to ground yourself back to the present moment.
Labeling our thoughts can also be powerful.
It's a great tool to deal with the daily stresses in our lives.
When we're under stress,
Our thoughts and judgments can become clouded.
And these stories we tell ourselves can limit us,
Restraining us from reaching our true potential.
And right now,
I invite you to bring to mind a situation that causes you stress and try to observe the situation from a place of curiosity,
As if you were simply gathering information.
So ask yourself the following question,
How true is my perception of the situation?
Am I holding on to old judgment?
Am I holding on to stories that are not true?
So just acknowledge these perceptions.
They have served you in the past and they're no longer needed now.
Allow these perceptions,
Judgments,
And stories to drop away.
Just let them go.
And now without those judgments,
Notice if your stressful situation seems different.
Does it feel different?
Notice how from this calmer and more serene space,
We can see that the judgments and satires we tell ourselves often limit us and restrains us from achieving our best potential.
Now allow yourself to acknowledge and accept that these things are happening.
Knowing at this moment,
You were supported,
You're safe,
And you're okay.
Accepting your situation just the way it is releases our resistance to it,
Which often brings us more stress.
Accepting things don't mean you have to enjoy what is happening.
It does not mean you're giving up,
But allowing things to be the way they are leads us towards a sense of peace and calm.
It helps you to feel lighter in your stressful situation,
As if a burden has been removed.
So just notice when you're trying to change or deny things that cannot be changed,
Reminding yourself just this situation.
So during your day,
Allow yourself to slow down and view any problems that may arise from a place of stillness and serenity.
And as this practice comes to an end,
Gently begin to return to your surroundings.
Wiggle your toes and your fingers.
And when you're ready,
Feeling awake and refreshed,
Gently open your eyes.
Good work,
And namaste.
