Hello,
Are you ready to take a break from whatever you've been working on?
It's okay to stop for a couple of minutes.
I'm Lee O'Bear and I'd like to invite you to give yourself permission to step away from your work and enjoy a short meditation to refresh your mind and body.
Find yourself a comfortable place to sit,
Perhaps away from your workspace,
And settle in.
Become aware of your body and gently close your eyes as you scan your shoulders and neck to see if you're feeling any tightness there.
If you find some tension,
Just let it slip.
Let it go.
Feel ease in your neck and a pleasant heaviness that drops your shoulders downward.
And now,
Bring your awareness to your jaw and to the muscles in your face.
Do they perhaps feel a little bit tight too?
You can let that tension drop.
Allow gravity to do its work.
Release your jaw and relax your facial muscles.
Now that your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your jaw and your face have all eased and softened,
Bring attention to your breath.
Allow your next inhale to fully inflate your belly and imagine that you're drawing that breath right down to the very bottom of your spine and on exhaling,
Back up again.
Renew every cell in your body with fresh oxygen.
Let your mind get quiet,
Even if it's for just a little while.
You know,
It's okay to take a break.
You'll come back fresher to whatever it was that you were working on.
Now,
Imagine that the chair you're sitting in has been magically relocated to a clearing in a forest.
With your eyes still closed,
Try to picture the trees.
And can you hear the sound of birds?
What season is it in your forest?
Is it spring with new green leaves so pale that the sun seems to shine right through them?
Or is it summer?
Can you feel the warmth of the sun radiating off the bark of the trees?
Perhaps it's fall.
Do you sense a coolness in the air and can you imagine a carpet of leaves on the ground beneath you?
Maybe it's winter.
You may be aware of the stillness of a sound dampening layer of snow coating everything around you.
Whichever season you choose,
Take a moment to imagine all that you can see,
Feel,
Smell and hear in your forest.
Let yourself rest within that beautiful setting for just another little while.
And now,
Consider that it's time for you to come back to wherever you were and whatever you were working on before your time in the forest.
Let the images,
Sounds and sensations of this place drift away from your mind.
Bring your attention to your breath again and take two deep breaths.
When you're ready,
Wiggle your fingers and roll your shoulders.
Slowly open your eyes.
Welcome back to your work day.
May you bring the refreshed energy of the forest to all that you plan to accomplish today.
And may you be well.
