Welcome to Stillwater.
This is your weekend pause.
A space where nothing is required of you.
Nowhere to be.
Nothing to fix.
Nothing to produce.
Just your moment to simply and gently arrive.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
And release it softly through your mouth.
Allow your shoulders to drop just a little.
Your jaw to unclench.
Your nervous system to begin softening its grip.
The weekend often carries pressure.
To catch up.
To clean.
To plan.
Or to be productive even in rest.
But today,
This moment is a reset.
You are allowed to pause without earning it.
Take another slow breath in through your nose.
And a longer gentle release through your mouth.
Notice and feel your body where you are sitting or lying down.
Notice the support beneath you.
The ground holding you.
The chair holding you.
Nothing asking you to hold yourself up right now.
Let your hands rest loosely in your lap or beside you.
And then gently bring your awareness inward.
As you breathe,
Imagine the week behind you like a river that you've been walking through.
Conversations.
Responsibilities.
Emotions.
Expectations.
Notice what you still may be carrying in your body.
Not to analyze it,
Just notice.
And with your next exhale,
Imagine setting that weight down on the riverbank.
You don't have to carry the entire week into your weekend.
You are allowed to set it down,
Even if only temporarily.
Pause.
Breathe.
And release.
Now bring your awareness to your mind.
Weekends can still be loud internally.
Mental to-do lists.
Unfinished loops.
Anticipation of what's ahead.
Instead of pushing those thoughts away,
Imagine placing them gently in a basket beside you.
They are not gone.
They're simply just not in your hands right now.
This is your pause.
Your reset.
Your nervous system recalibration.
Take another slow breath in now.
And just imagine your body surrounded by still water.
Quiet.
Supportive.
Still water does not rush.
It does not strive.
It simply holds.
Let that water hold your fatigue,
Your overstimulation,
Your emotional residue from the week.
You do not have to process everything today.
Rest itself is productive for the nervous system.
Breathe.
And release.
Now gently ask yourself,
What do I need this weekend?
Not what others need.
Not what productivity demands.
But what your body,
Your heart,
Your nervous system needs.
Maybe it's silence.
Maybe it's nature.
Maybe it's laughter.
Maybe it's doing absolutely nothing without guilt.
Let the answer come without judgment.
Take another breath in.
And a longer exhale,
Imagining your nervous system resetting.
Like a soft internal exhale that says,
I made it through the week.
I am allowed to soften now.
I can begin again slowly.
Feel the reset happening,
Not in your mind,
But in your body.
Slower heart rate.
Softer muscles.
Quieter breathing.
As we close,
Know this.
You do not need to earn rest.
You do not need to justify slowing down.
You do not need to carry the weight of every role you hold.
Weekends are not only for productivity.
They are for restoration.
For returning to your still water.
Take one final slow breath in.
And release it gently through your mouth.
When you are ready,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Slowly open your eyes.
And carry this reset with you.
Softly,
Gently,
Slowly,
And at your own pace.
This is still water.
