Hi and welcome.
This is Heather Shana Ciccato.
I'm a certified mindful self-compassion teacher and I'll be offering an abbreviated version of affectionate breathing.
So I invite you to find a position for your body that would feel comfortable for you for the next five or so minutes.
You could choose right away to let your eyes gently close or maybe bringing your gaze to just one point.
Maybe softening the muscles around the eyes and just for now maybe also bringing more attention to where your body is in space.
In particular noticing the points of connection between your body and whatever it is you're in contact with the floor,
The couch,
The chair.
Just for now really feeling that support for your body and perhaps softening ever so slightly allowing your body to be held.
And then when you feel ready you could start to notice the felt sense of breathing in your body.
This curious attention feeling the body breathe in and feeling the body breathe out.
We do this again and again breath by breath feeling the body as you breathe in and feeling any sensations as you breathe out.
You may even start to notice how your body is nourished with every in-breath and there's a sense of softening or release with every out-breath.
And see if there might be this quality of resting your attention with the breath,
Sitting back,
Doing less,
Letting your body breathe you.
And if you wish you could start to notice the rhythm of your breathing.
Feeling the natural rhythm as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Perhaps feeling your whole body subtly moving with the breath.
Your mind will naturally wander into thoughts of what's to come,
What do you need to do,
What happened just before you started listening to this.
Minds are so good at thinking.
All of us are working with this and so each time that happens maybe seeing how gently you could return your attention to the felt sense of breathing or to that rhythmic rocking of the body as you breathe.
If it feels okay starting to incline your attention toward your breathing as you might toward a beloved child,
A dear friend.
Maybe imagining a puppy or a kitty cat sleeping in the sun watching their body breathe.
Kind of that felt sense of tenderness you might feel.
See if you might offer yourself even just one drop of that tenderness toward your breathing body or breathing self too.
And then whenever you feel ready starting to release from this practice in whatever way feels right to you gently fluttering the eyes open if they had been closed.
I always like to give my body a little stretch.
Maybe you want to stay a bit longer in stillness or bring a hand somewhere on the body that feels comforting or soothing.
And maybe pausing to acknowledge your own good efforts in engaging in this practice.
Thank you for practicing with me.
