Welcome,
This meditation is a brief but powerful way to lower stress and reconnect with a sense of calm.
Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
And gently close your eyes if that feels right for you.
Take a deep breath in,
Fully expanding the belly and chest,
And slowly exhale all of the air out of your lungs.
Let this moment be a time for you to pause,
Release tension,
And find ease.
Begin by bringing your attention to your breath,
Simply observe it as it flows naturally in and out.
Notice the coolness of the air as you inhale,
And the warmth on your upper lip as you exhale.
When we focus on the breath,
We anchor ourselves in the present moment.
Using the breath as a focal point in meditation is powerful because it is always with us.
Deep intentional breathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system,
Triggering the body's natural relaxation response.
Now deepen your breath slightly,
Inhale through the nose,
Draw the breath into your belly,
And exhale slowly through your mouth,
Letting the tension flow out.
If you find your mind wandering here,
It might be helpful to use the words rising for each inhale,
And falling for each exhale,
Rising,
Rising.
With each inhale,
Imagine you are breathing in calm and grounding energy.
With each exhale,
Release any stress or heaviness.
Inhale calm,
Exhale stress,
Inhale ease,
Exhale tension.
Stay with this rhythm for a few more breaths.
Let's now guide awareness through the body,
Releasing tension as we go.
Start with your feet.
Notice the soles of your feet,
The toes,
And the arches,
Allow them to soften and release.
Move your awareness to your ankles and lower legs,
Letting them feel heavy and relaxed.
Bring your attention to your knees and thighs,
Inviting ease into these areas.
Let your legs feel fully supported by the earth beneath you.
Shift now to your hands,
Notice your fingers,
Your palms,
And wrists,
Allow them to soften completely.
Move up to your arms,
Through the forearms,
The elbows,
To the shoulders.
Let the tension in your shoulders melt away.
Now bring your focus to your back,
Starting at the sacrum,
To the low back,
Moving up through the middle,
Then the upper back,
To the neck.
Feel the entire length of your spine softening.
Now shift your attention to your abdomen and chest.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath here,
Releasing any tightness or heaviness.
Bring awareness to your face,
Soften your jaw,
Relax your tongue.
Release any tension in your cheeks,
Eyes,
Or forehead.
Finally,
Bring attention to the crown of your head,
Letting the entire body feel calm,
Supported,
And at ease.
Take a few more deep breaths here,
Savoring this sense of calm that you've created for yourself.
Inhale peace,
Exhale ease.
Inhale peace,
Exhale ease.
When you're ready,
Begin to bring gentle movement back to your body,
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
Open your eyes slowly,
Returning to the space around you.
Carry this calm energy with you into the rest of your day,
And thank you for taking this time to take care of yourself.
