Welcome to this short exercise in grounding.
This is an exercise that you can use at the start of the day,
At the end of your day,
Maybe during a transition time,
Or even if there's feelings of being overwhelmed.
The idea with this exercise is to ground back into the present moment,
Engage the vagal nerve,
And come out of sympathetic activation.
So I'd like to invite you to find a comfortable position.
This can be sitting or standing,
And if it feels comfortable to you,
You can close your eyes or drop your gaze,
And just feel your feet on the ground.
Feel the feet being supported by the ground,
The ground coming back up to meet them.
If you're seated,
You can feel your seat on the chair,
And the chair supporting you.
And now I'd like to invite you to take three deep breaths,
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
And once more,
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
And one last one,
In through the nose,
Maybe even a big long sigh out through the mouth.
And then just let your breath rest back into its own natural rhythm.
You may want to let your out-breath be just a little bit longer than your in-breath.
And if you notice any tension in your shoulders,
See if you can release it and let them drop.
Then bringing your focus back on the breath,
Just pick one portion of the breath to focus on.
This could be the cool air coming into your nostrils,
The feeling of the warm air coming out,
The feeling of the rise and fall of your chest.
Find one part of your breath to focus on.
And when you notice your mind wandering,
Just note that,
Maybe bring your focus back to your breath.
And now,
If it feels comfortable to you,
I'd like to invite you to place your hand on your chest.
And then just notice the warmth of your hand on your chest.
Notice the feeling of the rising and falling of your chest underneath your hand.
And know that this is something that you can come back to at any point in the day.
Your breath,
This feeling of your hand on your chest,
Or the feeling of your feet on the ground.
These are always available to you.
And as we come to the end of this meditation,
We'll take a few last breaths.
And then slowly becoming aware of the space around us.
Becoming aware of the air on your skin,
Any noises in your environment.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
