Find a comfortable position,
Maybe lying down or seated,
And allow your body to settle.
Gently close the eyes if that feels ok,
Or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
And a soft exhale out of your mouth.
Again,
Inhale and exhale.
One more time,
Breathing in and letting it go.
Let your breath return to a natural rhythm,
And begin to notice the weight of your body being supported beneath you.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to carry,
Just noticing the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
From here,
We'll begin to deepen the breath.
As you inhale,
Let the breath fill the belly,
Then expand into the ribs,
And gently rise into the chest.
As you exhale,
Releasing the chest,
Softening the ribs,
And letting the belly fall.
Moving like this for a few rounds,
Slowly filling the lungs,
And slowly emptying.
Allow the breath to be smooth,
Unforced,
Like the tide rolling in and out.
Now bring a little more awareness to your throat,
The space of your voice,
Your expression,
Your truth.
Notice if there's any tension here,
Any tightness or holding.
Without needing to change it,
Try to bring just a little softness.
Maybe imagining the breath moving through the throat,
Like a gentle breeze.
As you sit here,
You might begin to notice that voice in the mind,
The one that comments,
That judges,
That criticizes,
That tries to get it right.
And for this moment,
You don't have to silence that voice.
You don't have to argue with it.
You can simply notice that it's there.
That voice is not you.
It's something you learned.
Something that,
At one point,
May have tried to protect you.
But you don't have to carry it in the same way anymore.
So instead of pushing it away,
See if you can soften around it.
Let it be a little less sharp.
A little less loud.
Feel your body here.
And just for this moment,
You are allowed to be here without fixing anything.
Nothing to correct.
Nothing to hold together.
And if part of you doesn't believe that,
That's ok.
You don't have to force anything.
You can simply soften,
Even just a little.
You discover something quieter.
A voice that is more steady.
A voice that sounds like,
I'm doing my best.
I've made it this far.
I am allowed to be here as I am.
Allow that voice to be enough.
Take one more slow breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
Begin to bring small movement back in.
Wiggling the fingers.
And if your eyes are closed,
Slowly blinking them open.
Thank you for watching.
