Many times in life with all the hustle and bustle,
The worries,
The cares,
The concerns,
The responsibilities,
We can find ourselves in a pattern of breathing very shallow and not breathing deeply and fully.
This is something I noticed in my own life.
In this meditation,
We're going to take a few minutes to devote to the therapeutic art of deep breathing.
Breathing deeply has many benefits,
The relief of anxiety and stress,
The flow of more blood and oxygen to the body,
The organs,
The brain,
The overall calming nature.
Take a few moments to get comfortable.
You can either sit in a chair or you can lay down on a comfortable bed or mat and let's just take a few minutes to scan the body for any unnecessary tension.
Scan your head and face,
Check to see if your shoulders are tight and if so,
Relax them.
Feel your arms and your hands to see if you're unnecessarily clenching them.
Check to see if you're holding your stomach in,
If there's any tightness in your lower or abdominal region and continue that process for a few more seconds over the course of your entire body to relax any place where you didn't realize you were holding stress or tension.
With this first breath,
We're going to breathe in fully through the nose and out through the mouth.
Take a deep breath in.
One more deep breath in.
Continue that cycle for several more moments on your own.
Through this intention,
Allow yourself to experience the fullness and the refreshing nature of a simple deep breath.
Many times in our most stressful or anxious moments in life,
A few simple deep breaths are enough to bring us back to center,
To balance us or to allow us to relax in the midst of tough times.
Take a deep breath in.
One thing you may notice while doing this practice is that your mind begins to be filled with thoughts and concerns.
Many people think that the point of meditation is to forcefully clear your mind,
But the goal is to allow the thoughts to pass and to observe them,
But to continue focusing on your breathing,
Focusing on the presence of the moment,
Feeling the presence of your body and not entertaining the worries or cares.
If you find yourself being distracted by these thoughts,
It's totally okay.
When you find that this happens,
Just simply reset by once again focusing on your breath and breathing in and out.
Sometimes I find it helpful to actually think the words in and out while breathing to stay focused.
Continue to allow yourself to breathe in,
Filling your belly with air and out.
Realize in this moment,
You don't have to solve any problems.
You don't have to worry about any cares,
Any affairs.
You simply need to allow yourself the gift of breathing deeply and just being in the moment.
Let's take a deep breath in.
Take a few more moments to allow yourself this therapeutic activity.
As we come to the close of this meditation,
Take a few moments in gratitude to just appreciate yourself for devoting a few minutes to your health and wellness.
The gratitude that you allow yourself is also very therapeutic on this meditative journey.
Appreciate yourself for putting forth the effort to your health and wellness.
You can continue with this practice as long as you like and when you're ready,
Open your eyes and gently reconnect and re-engage with your surroundings.
As you go throughout your day,
If things get tough,
Remember to just take a moment to breathe deeply.
Thank you.
