Hello: For When It All Feels Too Much 5-Minute Meditation

Here's a five-minute practice for when it all feels too much.

Find a comfortable posture and that might mean lying down,

Sitting down,

Or even standing.

Your eyes can be open or closed and begin to focus on the rhythm of your breath just as it is.

And if you're stressed or anxious or overwhelmed,

Your breath might feel shallow and that's okay.

Your throat might feel tight.

It might feel that the heart is swollen or that there's a pit in your stomach and that's okay too.

Take a moment to just check in and feel what you're feeling.

Just feel what you're feeling and locate it in the physical body,

Throat,

Heart,

Belly.

And now invite in a nice long inhale through the nostrils.

And then pursing the lips,

A soft long exhale.

And if you can find your way into a pattern of breathing in deeply with the nostrils all the way down into the belly,

If able,

And then slowing down that exhale,

Breathing out through pursed lips,

You might begin to feel a little bit of softening in those areas that are so tight or swollen.

You might.

It's okay if you don't,

But let's just give it a try.

Nice long inhale through the nostrils,

Maybe even pausing,

Holding onto the breath at the top of the inhale before slowly letting the air out through pursed lips on the exhale.

Trying that on your own for three cycles of breath.

Breathing in slowly and deeply through the nostrils.

Breathing out slowly and fully through pursed lips.

Out the mouth.

Two more times.

Nice deep inhale.

Holding the breath and then breathing out slowly,

Seeing if that exhale can feel longer than the inhale.

One more time.

Inhaling deeply.

Holding the breath.

Exhaling slowly and fully and witnessing now what's happening in the throat,

The heart,

The belly.

And let everything go now.

See if the breath can just move in and out with some ease.

What do you notice in the quality of your breath,

The heartbeat,

What do you notice now?

And before the practice ends,

Drop the shoulders,

Soften the jaw.

See if you can release any muscular tension and allow yourself to rest in presence.