Welcome.
I'm glad you're here.
This practice is for the mornings when it is not just your body that feels tired.
Something heavier.
A reluctance to begin.
A sense of dread may be about the day ahead.
If that is present for you this morning.
You do not need to talk yourself out of it before we begin.
It can simply be here alongside the breath.
So when you feel ready.
Find a position that feels safe and supported for you today.
Many people find it helpful to have a hand resting lightly on the chest or the belly for this practice.
The weight of your own hand can be grounding.
So feel free to use this if it feels right for you today.
Take a moment here to notice how you feel.
Without trying to change it.
If there's heaviness or resistance present.
Simply let it be there.
You're not trying to fix it in this moment.
Only to notice it honestly.
And stay with this noticing for a little while,
Breathing at whatever pace feels natural.
Now begin to let your exhale lengthen,
Slowly,
Gently.
And without force.
It's as if you're creating a little more room around whatever you're feeling.
Rather than trying to actively push it away.
Continue lengthening the exhale gently.
For the next few breaths,
But without forcing or straining.
Allow each exhale to fade all the way to its natural end.
You might notice the small pause that follows before the next inhale arrives by itself.
This pause is not empty space.
It's a small pocket of stillness that the resistance cannot fill.
And stay with this rhythm for a few more rounds.
A full exhale.
A pause and a new inhale arriving in its own time.
Allow your breath to return to wherever it wants to settle now.
The heaviness may still be there in part or in full.
This practice was never going to remove it entirely.
And that was never the aim.
What you have done is create a small amount of space around it.
Enough that it does not have to be the only thing driving this morning.
When you feel ready,
Take a slightly deeper breath in.
And allow your eyes to open in your own time gently.
If this was helpful.
The next lesson in my course,
Warnings When You're Already Exhausted,
Is available on the courses tab on my profile.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
