Take a moment to find a shape that feels supportive for you,
Maybe that's seated or maybe today lying down feels more grounding for the body.
Let your spine lengthen if you're seated or allow the whole back body to soften into the ground if you're lying down.
Let the shoulders drop,
The jaw loosen,
The space between the eyebrows relax.
Take a deep inhale and an open mouth exhale to release,
Arriving gently into the space.
Slow inhale,
Long slow exhale.
Feel the body settle a little more with each breath.
Let the ground or the seat underneath hold you completely.
If emotions or thoughts from your day rise up,
That's okay.
You don't need to push them away,
Just let them be here with you without following their storyline.
Return to the breath,
Soft and steady.
Begin to imagine your emotional landscape as an ocean.
Some waves small and gentle,
Others bigger,
More powerful,
All of them always changing.
Notice any sensations or feelings present right now without labeling them as good or bad,
Just noticing the waves as they rise,
Hold and fall.
You are the observer,
Not the wave itself.
Bring attention to your breath again.
Imagine each inhale lifting you gently over a wave and each exhale letting you glide down the other side.
You don't need to control the waves,
You only ride them using your breath for steadiness.
Let the breath carry you up and over,
Down and through.
If a particular emotion is present,
Tightness,
Restlessness,
Sadness or even ease,
See if you can soften around it rather than push it away.
Like floating on the surface of water,
The more you resist,
The harder it becomes.
But when you soften,
The water holds you.
Let yourself be held right now.
Notice where the emotion lives in the body,
The chest,
The belly,
The throat,
The shoulders.
You're simply witnessing sensation,
Not drowning in it,
Not becoming it.
Breathing in,
I feel this.
Breathing out,
And I am safe.
Breathing in,
I feel this.
Breathing out,
And I am safe.
Every wave,
No matter how strong,
Eventually softens.
Even the biggest ones lose their height,
Their intensity.
Feel the breath smoothing the edges of whatever is here.
You may notice the emotion shift or stay exactly the same.
Either way is okay.
You simply meet the moment with breath and presence.
Take a slow,
Deep inhale.
And a long,
Open mouth exhale.
Begin to sense the environment again,
The air around you,
The sounds,
The fabric on your skin.
Invite gentle movement back into the body.
Fingers,
Toes,
A soft roll of the shoulders or head.
When you're ready,
Allow your eyes to gently open or lift.
Carry this spaciousness,
This readiness,
This wave-riding presence back into your day.
And when things get challenging,
Return to breathing in,
I feel this.
Breathing out,
And I am safe.
