Hello and welcome.
I'm so glad you found your way here to this rest meditation.
German author Hermann Hesse says that within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.
And I fully believe that meditation is just that.
It allows us to pause in our day and to take a stillness and the peace that lies within us and to bring our bodies out of fight-or-flight to allow our nervous systems to calm down and then we can move forward in our day from a place of calm and of peace.
So let's meditate together for a few minutes.
Allow yourself to take a nice deep breath in through the nose and as you exhale open the mouth and let out a nice big sigh.
Inhale again nice and deep in through the nose and this time as you exhale let out a sigh and close your eyes if that feels good.
One more deep inhale in through the nose as deep as you can go and exhale out a nice big sigh and then start to invite relaxation into the body.
Let your body know that it's okay to rest,
That it's safe and just breathe nice and slow and start to relax through the soles of the feet.
Soften through the calves and the knees.
Relax through the big muscles of the thighs.
Take a nice deep inhale and as you exhale imagine sending your breath into the space of your hips and letting them fall heavy.
Watching the belly rise and fall with your breath.
Watch your chest as it rises and falls with the breath.
Soften across the collarbones.
Let your shoulders feel heavy and relax down the sides of your body.
Relax through the jaw.
Smooth across the eyelids and soften the space between your eyebrows.
Allowing your whole body to be completely and totally relaxed.
Then invite your mind to relax as well knowing that there's nowhere else you need to be right now,
Right here.
All you have to do is breathe.
Watch your inhales and watch your exhale.
Just breathe.
And as you continue to breathe,
Thought will no doubt come into your mind and see if you can acknowledge it and then let it pass by like a cloud floating in the sky.
And return your attention to your breath.
Watching the inhales.
Watching the exhale.
On your next inhale,
Allow it to go a little bit deeper.
And as you exhale again,
Open the mouth,
Let out a sigh.
And start to bring your awareness back into your body.
Maybe introducing small movements into your fingers and wiggling your toes.
Maybe turning your head side to side.
Noticing how you feel in your body and in your mind in this moment.
Before you finish,
Showing yourself some love and some gratitude for taking these last few minutes for something that is so good for you.
For finding that stillness,
That sanctuary inside of you and knowing as you move forward in your day that it is always here for you.
All you have to do is stop and breathe.
Take one last big,
Deep inhale.
And as you exhale,
Allow your eyes to open and move forward with your day from a place of stillness and calm.
