Come to a comfortable seat.
Sit with a tall sign.
Imagine a string pulling you up from the crown of your head to the sky.
Dip the chin slightly and lengthen the back of the neck.
Allow your sits bones to ground down into the earth.
And if you'd like,
You can gently close the eyes.
Breathe in to your lower belly and your lower back.
And exhale it out.
Breathe in to your torso,
Allowing whatever wants to expand to expand.
And gently release it.
Take another big breath in through your nose and out through your nose.
Every time you exhale,
Feel your body softening more and more.
Inviting a new breath into your body and releasing it back into the universe.
Soften the space between your eyebrows.
Soften the eyelids.
Soften the jaw.
Allow the jaw to part slightly so you can release the tension in the face.
And soften the shoulders down away from the ears.
Inhale deeply into your lower belly.
And really releasing all the air out.
And out through the nose.
And out the nose.
Continue to follow the breath as it enters your body and leaves your body for a few moments on your own.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.
And if you notice that the mind has wandered,
Just gently bring the attention back to the breath and the body.
And if you notice that the mind has wandered,
Just gently bring the attention back to the breath.
And if you notice the mind wanders again,
Just gently bring the awareness back to the breath again and again,
Releasing any judgments or thoughts that may arise.
The mind wanders.
It tends to be in the past thinking about something that had already happened,
Or it could be in the future thinking about what needs to be done.
When you connect with the breath,
You are brought to the present moment,
The here and now.
I want to encourage you to be brave and to let go of the need to be anywhere else but here.
This is your time.
This is a time for you to take care of yourself before you go back out there to take care of everything else.
So give yourself this moment to just be here and breathe.
Continue to follow the breath as it comes in and as it goes out.
And every time you notice the mind wandering,
Just gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
This is your time.
Now gently relax your focus.
You have come so far.
You have worked so hard.
You may not feel like it,
But you've done such a great job so far.
And you probably can't wait until you can finally rest and relax.
You may be nervous and anxious about whether or not you'll pass or if you'll do well.
But know that you are in control.
You get to decide how much you want to prepare.
You get to decide when and how you spend your time to do what you need to do.
Every time you think you can't do it,
Show yourself you can.
Doubts and fears will come.
Let them come.
But don't hold on to them.
As they arrive,
Notice them.
Acknowledge them.
Let them sit with you for as long as they'd like,
But know that you are in control.
Feelings and emotions like fears,
Anxiety,
They're normal.
But they're also temporary.
Feelings come and go.
Thoughts come and go.
So take a big deep breath in.
Then when you're ready,
Sigh it out through the mouth.
Take one more big full courageous breath in.
Sigh it out.
Know that you got this.
Know that you're going to do the best that you can.
Know that you need to take time to also take care of yourself so that you can do well.
So when you're ready,
Gently open the eyes and take in the breath.
