My name is Larissa and we're going to settle in and we're going to practice just taking first few moments here to settle into your body.
Taking a couple of deep breaths.
And as you're continuing to settle,
You're welcome at any point to close your eyes or set your gaze downward.
And just this invitation to turn your attention inward.
And looking to see yourself through the eyes of kindness.
Not looking for something,
But just simply observing.
And that observation process sometimes requires our intention.
I'm just observing myself and observing myself through the lenses of loving-kindness,
Gentleness.
Like I would look at a dear friend,
A loved one.
Then remembering too that this body you've been given,
This is the human you've been given to care for,
For the entirety of your life.
That can you be kind and gentle with yourself.
And then whatever comes into your observation,
Whatever comes in to your internal vision,
You can hold it with tenderness.
Sometimes what comes in as we start to notice little judgments,
I like this,
I don't like this.
Our mind will jump to the future and the past trying to figure out and fix things.
And we can be so grateful that our mind can do all of these brilliant things.
And at the same time,
We're just inviting our mind back to settle in to just being with,
Being with your body.
Instead of your mind in action,
It's sitting back as if you're reclining in your favorite chair and simply observing.
And to the best of your ability,
Observing with gentleness,
With openness.
And as we set that intention,
We can practice it by just noticing a breath.
Your breath is innately supportive.
Your breath is always bringing you exactly what you need and then giving back everything that you don't.
Your breath is innately abundant and reciprocal and connecting.
And so we don't have to try hard to be gentle or kind.
We can just witness how our body cares for us as we breathe.
And notice here a few rounds of breath,
A big,
Deep,
Full inhale.
And a slow,
Steady exhale.
Observing both effort and ease as you breathe.
And remembering,
Too,
There's nothing you need to fix or change or do.
You can just simply witness your breath moving through you.
What does it feel like?
Where do you feel it?
Just noticing again your breath.
You might notice thinking is happening.
You might notice different sounds happening around you,
Coming to your ears.
And very often our mind goes into interpretation mode.
Oh,
That sound means this.
And suddenly I'm off in a story or some curiosity.
And remembering,
We're not trying to shut our mind down.
None of that is bad.
Even when our mind is remembering something that brings a bit of anxiety with it,
That's not a bad thing.
It's just information to work with.
And instead of following the story of the thought,
We just return again to our breath so we can come to that space of gentleness,
Openness,
So that we can just witness,
Oh yeah,
There's a thought.
That thought brought this sensation to my body.
And then suddenly we're grounded again.
It's right here in the presence of your body.
If a thought brings anxiety,
It usually brings tension in the body.
And then you use your exhale again to soften any tension you notice.
And in that way,
We just gently unhook from these thoughts that come.
We're not trying to push them away.
We're not trying to stop our beautiful thinking mind.
It's just an invitation to notice your breath and just observe it.
You don't have to work to breathe.
You can just let your body breathe for you.
Just witnessing that wise balance of effort and ease.
And just continuing that deep curiosity.
So where do I feel my breath in my body?
A deeper breath in and a slower exhale can help you feel your breath.
And it also helps slow your mind down a bit as you just witness a deep inhale and a slow,
Steady exhale.
And then I'll invite you to notice again,
Just an expansive breath in and a soft,
Slow exhale.
And this tool of breath,
We can contact at any point throughout the day,
Not only as a reminder of our practice,
But as a physical touch point of presence.
Our mind,
Again,
Does so many brilliant things,
But it can also get us caught in all kinds of loops that are less than helpful.
And instead of trying to stop our mind,
Which only gives it more energy,
We just invite our mind to return to the simplicity of breathing.
And just being gentle with it.
Oh,
Yeah,
That's right.
I'm just noticing a breath.
Let it be deep and full on the inhale,
Spacious.
And invite in some softening somewhere as you exhale.
And in these last few moments,
I'll invite you to practice a little breath with me.
And this is called joy breathing.
And it's a form of practice that involves three inhales and one exhale.
It's just three inhales on top of each other.
And they might be quick burst kind of breaths.
It builds a little energy in the body,
And then you might sigh out your exhale.
And it might sound something like,
And just try that with me.
A breath,
A breath,
A breath,
And then a releasing.
And go again,
Deep inhale,
Inhale,
Inhale,
And then releasing.
Inhale,
Inhale,
Inhale,
And then releasing.
Breathe,
Breathe,
Breathe,
And then release.
One more time.
And just notice,
Just a couple of moments of that can be invigorating.
But very often what it does,
It just shifts our attention quickly.
It's an easy way to use your breath to build a little energy and or just shift your attention.
It's really helpful when we need a bit of alertness or when we're having trouble unhooking from a thought when we feel a little stuck.
And that breath,
I often go for deep,
Slow breaths that helps turn on our calming systems.
That quick,
Quick,
And then deep breath allows a shift in us.
So invite that in one more time.
Just take a big,
Full breath in,
Just regular,
And release it with a sigh.
And then we'll go with the three breaths again.
Two more.
Breathe,
Breathe,
Big breath,
Release it.
One more.
Breathe,
Breathe,
Breathe,
And then release it.
And with that,
I'll invite you to bring your palms together like gratitude,
Perhaps placing your hands over your heart,
Any of your closing habits or practices.
And just take a deep breath again.
Let it be slow and full.
And let your exhale be soft and long.
And we'll end as we often do with a few loving kindness phrases.
Just repeating these phrases back as they make sense for you.
May I remember the innate goodness of my breath.
May I pause to appreciate my breath today.
When action is needed,
May I choose to move with ease and peace.
And may the merits of our practice ripple out to benefit all beings.
And then go slow if you can,
First just taking a moment to thank yourself.
When you feel complete,
You can open your eyes,
Find a little movement.
And as always,
Thank you each for being here,
Supporting each other in this practice,
In this community,
In this sangha.
