Welcome to today's meditation.
And I'll be honest with you.
You probably didn't come here looking for this.
Maybe somebody sent it to you,
Maybe you stumbled across it,
Maybe some part of you,
The part you don't talk about much,
Quietly decided it was time.
Whatever brought you here?
You are here,
And you are welcome.
And that is enough.
You don't need to sit in a special way.
You don't need to empty your mind.
You don't need to become anybody else.
Just stop for a moment.
Let your body be heavy.
Let your jaw unclench.
Soften.
Let your shoulders drop.
When was the last time you just stopped?
You've taken a pause in a busy day.
Can you remember the last time?
Take a breath in through your nose,
Slow and full.
And let it go.
That's it.
That's the whole practice.
Everything else is just you coming back to that.
Breath after breath,
You are here reconnecting to something that has been screaming for attention for the past weeks,
For the past months of running,
Of reaching,
Of achieving.
And slowing down was just not part of our vocabulary.
But you are here now reminding yourself of that.
Here's something nobody tells you.
Your body keeps a record of everything.
Every deadline you pushed through,
Every conversation you swallowed.
Every night you lay awake running numbers,
Running scenarios,
Running solutions.
It's all still in there.
Not as a memory but as tension,
Stored tension.
As a jaw that won't quite relax because it doesn't know how.
As shoulders that lift somewhere near your ears As a chest that forgot how to fully open and expand We are not going to fix any of that today.
We are just going to acknowledge it.
Place one hand on your chest.
Feel it rise,
Feel it fall,
This heart has been working for you every single day.
Without recognition,
Without rest,
Without thanks.
Acknowledge that.
Give it thanks now.
In whatever way feels true for you.
I see you.
I've got you.
We are okay.
I'm going to take a few breaths with counts,
So take your time,
Take it easy,
No forcing,
Just guiding.
Exhale all the air out from the lungs,
Emptying it out.
And take a breath in slowly for a count of 4,
3,
2,
1 hold it for 1,
2,
3,
4 and breathe it out 1,
2,
3,
4 Let your breath rest.
Exhale all the air out and let's do that again.
Inhaling 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold it 1,
2,
3,
4.
And breathe it out 4,
3,
2,
1.
That's it.
Just simply connecting to the rhythm of your breath.
Consciously.
We are not in danger.
We can stand down.
And do that again in your own time.
Breath in 4,
3,
2,
1,
Hold it 1,
2,
3,
4 and breathe it out with your own count,
Letting it all go Can you notice what's happening in the body right now?
What's happening in your head.
Is there warmth anywhere?
Is there heaviness?
A softening you didn't expect?
An intention still residing somewhere.
This is not weakness,
This is what it feels like when a man stops fighting himself for a moment This is a kind of strength that's different.
Unfamiliar.
This is where growth takes place.
You can come back here whenever you need to.
You don't need a mat,
A mantra or a mountain retreat somewhere exotic.
You just need this breath and a willingness to stop as hard as it may sound.
Pausing is a strength.
Even for 5 minutes.
Even in your car before you walk back into the house or into the office,
Even here right now.
You showed up.
You stayed until the end.
And for that,
I salute you.
I applaud you.
And extend my hand out for a fist bump.
Have a beautiful day.
And thank you for joining me.
