Welcome home.
You're right where you belong.
We're going to make space today to curate a new addition to our creative toolkits.
Through the simple invitation of using our five senses as pause for noticing,
For pattern and interruption,
A meditation for moving through stressful moments,
An opportunity to shift your inner state.
Closing your eyes or simply taking a lowered,
Downward gaze,
Noticing the surface underneath you,
Shifting into comfort,
Comfort as defined by you,
Maybe breathing in,
Then slowly breathing out,
Checking in,
What stands out?
Anything I offer you is just a suggestion.
When stress makes its way into your life,
Where do you feel it?
Maybe it's in your shoulders,
A tender tensing.
Maybe it's in your throat,
An unexpected blockage or lump.
Maybe it shows up in your encounters with others,
An outburst.
When stress makes its way into your life,
Where do you feel it?
The power of the pause is a natural balm.
What does pausing look like for you?
When you pause,
What messages show up?
Let me tell you a story.
When I was a little girl,
I felt deeply all the time.
My senses worked overtime,
Even without me trying.
I would feel the pain of an injured animal at the beach.
I could sense a shift of energy in the room when someone was holding on to a very specific hurt.
I could feel my mother's worry about everyday responsibilities.
But what I didn't realize was that this sensory intuition would later become one of the most powerful tools I'd ever encounter.
Poetry,
Writing,
Noticing,
Healing.
Where is your breath right now?
Noticing,
Finding,
Calling it back.
Let's think about the five senses in action.
Smelling,
Seeing,
Hearing,
Tasting,
Touching.
Choose one.
Maybe start with touch.
Maybe touching the surface below or beside you.
What texture do you feel?
Rough,
Smooth,
Warm,
Bumpy.
This is just a moment to pause,
To interrupt,
To be right here.
Right now,
Just this moment,
Just this breath.
Maybe next time you feel a stressful moment,
Pause.
Asking yourself what sense feels the most useful right now.
Then lean into it.
Just that sense,
Just that moment.
You are uniquely you.
No stress can take that.
You are here,
You are a creative being with a bountiful toolbox.
Finding now the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Just one breath.
Just this moment.
If your eyes are closed,
Slowly opening them.
What do you see?
What do you notice?
Shifting in your seat,
Awakening your body.
You are here in this moment of pause.
To close,
I invite you into a reflective question for your journal.
What excites you about using your senses?
Come back to this meditation when you need a pause,
When you need a moment.
