I invite you to get comfortable in your seat,
Let your hands rest where they naturally fall and gently closing down the eyes.
Take a slow easy breath in through your nose and let it fall out through your mouth with a gentle sigh.
Do that once more,
Breathing in and letting go.
Begin by noticing the simple fact that you are here.
There is a surface beneath you offering support.
There is air meeting you with every breath.
There is a quiet invitation in this moment to soften.
Let your attention move to your feet without changing anything,
Feel into them,
The weight,
The temperature,
The contact with socks or the inside of your shoes.
On your next inhale,
Very gently curl your toes.
On the next exhale,
Release and soften.
Sense the small wave of letting go,
Move to your calves and shins,
Draw in a breath,
Lightly tense and as you breathe out,
Let them melt.
Notice the echo of ease that follows.
If it's comfortable,
Breathe in and gently engage the muscles,
Breathe out and soften.
Feel how the chair beneath you supports you,
Let your belly soften,
Allowing the breath to arrive like a tide never forced,
Always enough.
If your jaw is holding,
Unclench it a little,
Let the tongue rest,
Soften the space between your eyebrows,
Allow your shoulders to drop away from your ears,
Heavy and warm,
Now meet your breath just as it is,
Noticing the coolness as it enters,
The warmth as it leaves,
You need to lengthen or perfect it,
Simply stay with your breath,
Steady and patient,
Meeting it with your presence,
Welcome each inhale,
Let each exhale soften,
With each breath feel into a connection with yourself,
You may wish to place a hand on your chest or belly,
If that feels right,
And feel the rise and fall under your palm,
This is your living rhythm.
This is you in your natural state,
From this grounded place,
Widen your attention,
Feel your feet resting on the floor,
Your hips supported by the seat,
Your back gently held,
Let these contact points steady you,
Inhale and draw ease up through the feet,
Legs and spine,
Exhale and allow any restlessness to settle downward,
You are supported.
Bring to mind someone who brings ease to your heart,
It could be a friend,
A family member,
A mentor,
A pet,
Anyone whose presence feels kind,
See them as clearly as you can,
Or simply sense the feeling of them,
Notice what shifts in your body as you think of this being,
Perhaps your breath softens,
Or your chest feels a little warmer,
On your next few breaths,
Hold them in mind and silently repeat,
You feel safe,
You feel loved,
You feel at ease,
Let the phrase be spacious and unhurried.
Now gently include yourself in that same field of connection,
May I feel safe,
I feel at ease,
If this feels tender,
Let it be tender,
If this feels distant,
That's ok too,
You are practising turning toward yourself with kindness,
Like a tide returning to the shore,
Steady and unforced,
Allow the circle to widen again,
Picture the people you share your days with,
Colleagues,
Neighbours,
The person who makes your coffee,
The driver beside you at the lights,
You may not know their stories,
But you can recognise their humanness,
Each person is carrying hopes and hurts just as you are,
With a steady natural breath,
Offer the quiet wish,
May we find moments of understanding,
May we feel connected in small good ways,
Notice the subtle web that already exists,
The air you breathe has been shaped by the trees,
How the food you eat arrives through many hands,
How your life touches the lives of others,
You are part of a living tapestry that holds you and that you help hold,
If a thought pulls you away,
Acknowledge it gently and return to the next inhale as if it was a soft path back home.
Now invite connection to the present moment through your senses,
Listen for the most distant sound that you can hear,
Now the closest sound,
Even the sound of your own breathing,
Feel the temperature on your skin,
The texture of your clothing,
The weight of your body,
Notice any scent in the air,
Sense the light behind your eyelids,
Each sense is a doorway into now,
The present moment,
Let a simple image of connection arise,
Two bodies embracing,
Roots of a tree interlacing beneath the soil,
Ripples spreading across water or waves melting into the shore,
Let that image settle into your awareness,
With each inhale draw steadiness from this image,
With each exhale allow ease to flow outward,
If there is someone with whom you wish for more ease you can place them gently in this space too,
Not to fix or force anything,
Simply to include them in your wider circle of care,
Offer a phrase that feels right,
May there be clarity,
May there be kindness,
Then let it go,
Trusting that your intention is enough,
Take a few deeper breaths now,
Like gentle stretches from the inside,
Inhale to lengthen,
Exhale to soften,
Feel the back of your body,
The front of your body,
The sides of your body,
Spacious,
Present,
Here,
Before we close,
Place one hand over your heart and one hand on your belly,
Take a breath for gratitude,
Gratitude that your body carries you,
Gratitude for your breath that has stayed with you your whole life,
Gratitude for the seen and unseen connections that will make your days possible,
Begin to invite small movements,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Roll your shoulders,
Perhaps a gentle head tilt up and down or side to side,
Take one more nourishing inhale and a long easy exhale,
As you arrive back into your space,
Carry this felt sense of connection with you,
A softer way of seeing yourself,
A gentler way of meeting others and a steadier way of moving through your day.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes,
Notice how you feel without judgement,
Know that you can return to this simple practice,
Breath,
Kindness,
Connection whenever you need it,
Thank you for taking the time to honour the connection to yourself and to others,
Namaste.
