Mind Body Medicine This Moment

Begin by uncrossing your legs and uncrossing your arms,

Sitting comfortably in your chair or lying on a mat or your bed,

Whatever feels most comfortable to you.

And as you sit or lie here,

Begin to notice your breath.

Notice your breath as you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Or perhaps notice your breath as you breathe in,

Your belly rises,

And as you breathe out,

You can feel your belly fall.

Just choose one place to focus on your breath.

And as you do so,

You may want to say to yourself,

This as you breathe in,

Moment as you breathe out,

This moment,

This moment.

And know that as you breathe in,

You are stimulating the vagus nerve that begins in our pelvis and rises up through our abdomen and then sends a message to our brain that says,

We are safe,

There is no threat.

It begins to activate the parasympathetic nervous system,

Which is the part of our nervous system that calms us,

That lowers our heart rate,

That quiets our mind and slows our breathing.

So as you sit here,

Say to yourself this as you breathe in,

Moment as you breathe out,

This moment,

This moment,

If thoughts come,

Let them come and let them go.

You may want to label them thinking,

Thinking,

Or worrying,

Worrying,

And then gently and kindly,

As soon as you notice that your mind has wandered,

Try and bring your focus and attention back to your breath.

Notice that your belly rises with the in-breath and falls with the out-breath.

It's like a balloon.

Your belly rises like a balloon and expands,

And then as you breathe out,

It slowly deflates.

Say to yourself this as you breathe in,

Moment as you breathe out,

This moment,

This moment.

And now,

Take a few more breaths on your own,

And gently bring your attention back to the realm and open your eyes.