Hello and welcome.
We are going to work together on managing our thoughts and our breath.
First,
Begin by finding yourself in a natural,
Relaxed position.
There are no expectations here.
Whether you are sitting or laying,
Find yourself in a position that works for your body.
Most importantly,
Allows you to keep an over,
Even,
Flowing breath.
An open chest.
Shoulders moving away from our ears.
Open.
Now,
As you begin to settle in to what it's like to simply be in your body today,
You've never been here before.
With your body at this moment,
On this day,
Or at this time.
Get to know it a little bit.
This is not always the most comfortable thing to do.
Sit with our body.
So if thoughts are already beginning to come up about how your body is feeling,
Just allow those to sit in your mind,
Just for now.
Not attaching to them.
Begin to bring some attention to your breath.
Not trying to change it or manipulate it in any way,
Just watching.
The deep,
Shallow,
Choppy,
Short,
Fast,
Long,
Whatever it is,
Is not bad or wrong.
It just is.
And it gives you information about what your day has been like.
Everything that your body and breath does is simply information.
It's not good or bad,
Right or wrong.
It's just information that tells us what's going on inside.
Our day has been what we're carrying with us.
So as you begin to bring attention to this breath,
Let's work on deepening your breath.
Begin how we do this is simply by taking in a little deeper of an inhale and lengthening or stretching our exhale as much as is comfortable.
We're not here to gasp for air or to get frustrated or irritated.
But just to add on a couple of seconds to our inhale and exhale,
No set number or expectation.
We all have different needs.
Respect your body by not trying to force it into some box.
As you focus on lengthening that exhale,
Begin to memorize what this feels like.
This is not a normal way for us to breathe.
We are not taught this.
But it is a natural way for the body to breathe.
It can be clunky at first,
Awkward,
Strange.
That's okay.
You're trying something new today.
And that always is a little bit clunky,
Isn't it?
Begin to feel that breath.
Maybe tuning into your heart rate.
Perhaps noticing places where tension was and no longer is.
And how beautiful that can be.
Imagine parts of your body that have moved,
Shifted,
Gained space,
Became soft.
Imagine the body softening with each exhale.
Settling yourself out against whatever surface you're on.
Melting.
Allowing yourself to believe and truly know that the earth has you right now.
Allowing your full weight and body to lay heavy,
Supported,
Grounded.
Continue to breathe evenly.
Sometimes when we get so focused,
Or even so relaxed,
Or a little bit of both,
We forget to breathe.
It's okay.
All we have to do is gently nudge and remind ourselves to come back to the breath.
We may have to do this once,
Five times,
Or hundreds.
This is a journey.
This is a new skill.
It's okay to take your time.
As long as we can detach from that judgment of not doing it perfect.
I wish we could,
But there's no such thing as breathing perfectly.
Each breath works for each person.
So continue to feel heavy and yet light at the same time.
Perhaps in this state of relaxation,
Pursing the lips as if you're blowing out a beautiful birthday candle.
Allowing ourself to manage and slow our exhale.
Just let it flow out of you,
Knowing that with each new fresh inhale,
You're bringing in healthy,
Rejuvenating air.
You've done a wonderful job.
Even if you've had to challenge your breath 50 times,
Or if this came easy to you,
You've done wonderfully today.
I'm grateful that you have chosen to share your space and energy with me.
So as you begin to rest more completely and fully,
Let go of the breath.
You've worked hard enough.
Thank you.
