Before we begin,
I would like to encourage you to find a position that you can sit in that allows for you to feel alert and awake,
But also relaxed and comfortable.
When you are ready,
Slowly allow the eyes to close or your gaze to soften.
I would like for you to simply notice what it is like to be inside your body and sitting in a chair.
You might feel the sensation of your feet on the floor,
Your hands resting in your lap,
Your arms against your side.
You might also notice the pressure against your upper legs on the chair,
Or your back against the backrest.
You may notice the position of your head and neck,
Relaxing your shoulders,
Elbows,
Hips,
And knees.
Now try to imagine your entire body expanding as you breathe in and subsiding as you breathe out,
The whole body expanding on the in-breath and relaxing on the out-breath.
Allow your awareness to rest gently on this expansion and relaxation,
To rest in the breathing.
Rest on what it feels like to be in your body,
Sitting in a chair and breathing.
You may feel the lungs expand against the ribs as you inhale and subside away from them as you exhale.
You might also feel the air as it passes into your nose or mouth and brushes against your lips with each breath.
Try to take in these sensations as they come,
Breathing naturally without trying to manipulate or change your breathing,
Without trying to breathe faster or slower,
Just breathing deeply in and easy out.
Focus on the body and your breath.
You may notice thoughts arising during this.
That's okay.
Whenever that happens,
Just return to your natural breath,
Breathing deeply in and easy out,
Deeply in and easy out,
The whole body expanding on the in-breath and subsiding on the out-breath.
Continue this breathing for the next few minutes,
Allowing any thoughts or judgments to arise and then returning to the breath,
Breathing deeply in and easy out,
Letting go of all that you are carrying with you,
Just for now,
Just for this moment and for this one and the next one,
Breathing deeply in and easy out,
Deeply in and easy out,
Deeply in and letting go,
Feeling the body expand as you inhale and subside down into the chair as you exhale.
As you focus on your breathing,
See if you can allow the body to be released over to gravity.
Allow your body to let go of the tension in the face,
In the shoulders,
In the hands,
The hips,
In the thighs,
The knees,
And even the toes.
Allow your whole body to let go of the tension it has been holding on to.
You don't need to carry it anymore.
Continue this breathing for a bit longer,
Allowing the tension to subside with each exhale,
Deeply in and letting go,
Deeply in and easy out.
Now,
Keeping the eyes closed,
Allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
And I'd like to simply invite you in this moment to notice if anything stands out to you.
Without judgment,
Without seeing things as better or worse,
Good or bad,
Just notice what is here.
And when you are ready,
Slowly allow the eyes to open.
