Welcome to this guided breathwork practice,
Allowing us to root into intention for the year ahead.
Take a moment now to find a comfortable position where your body can be supported.
You might be lying down or seated and if it feels okay,
Allow your eyes to gently close and begin by noticing the weight of your body,
Where you are held by the ground beneath you.
There is nothing you need to do right now,
Nowhere you need to go.
Bring your attention to your breath,
Not changing it yet,
Just noticing where the breath lands in the body today,
Is it high in the chest,
Softer in the belly,
Moving into the ribs or the back.
Allow the breath to move in the way that feels most natural to you,
Trusting the rhythm your body chooses.
And now imagine with each exhale your body settles a little more,
Your shoulders soften,
Your jaw loosens,
The muscles around your eyes ease and with each inhale imagine a quiet sense of support rising up through the body,
Steadiness,
Stability.
You don't need to deepen the breath,
Simply allow it to become a little more present.
And now gently bring to mind the year ahead,
Without jumping to thinking about plans or goals,
Just imagine it as a landscape in front of you.
Notice what this landscape is like,
Open or contained,
Clear or uncertain,
There's no need to change anything,
Just notice how your body responds to being here in this landscape,
Notice where you are within this landscape,
Are you standing still,
Moving slowly,
Observing from a distance.
Now just bringing awareness back into your body again,
What sensations are present as you imagine this space,
And now notice if there is anything you are carrying,
Expectations,
Responsibilities,
Roles that ask something of you,
Where do you feel this in your body,
In the chest,
In the shoulders,
The belly,
Is the breath holding some of this feeling,
You don't need to put anything down,
Just simply acknowledge what's here.
Now shift your awareness to what feels supportive for you,
This might be a person,
A place,
Qualities or ways of being,
And just notice how your breath responds when you bring these supportive things to mind,
And gently bring your attention to relationships in your life,
Without analysing,
Notice which ones feel nourishing in the body,
And which ones feel effortful or heavy,
Allow sensation to lead rather than the story your mind is telling you.
Now bringing awareness to your work,
Your contribution,
Your direction,
And notice what happens in your breath as you imagine continuing as you are,
And then notice what happens when you imagine small shifts rather than big changes.
Ask quietly within yourself,
What wants more space in my life this year?
Honesty,
Creativity,
Ease,
And just as a gentle ask,
What wants less of me this year?
Again,
There's no need for answers in words,
Sensation is enough.
Now imagine choosing one quality for you to carry forward,
Not a goal,
Not something to achieve,
Just a quality you want to move with you.
Notice how your body responds as you imagine this quality settling into you,
Into your breath,
Into your posture,
Into the way that you meet the world.
As you breathe in,
Maybe bringing a gentle smile to your lips,
Reminding yourself quietly,
My body holds wisdom,
I can listen.
I don't need to have everything figured out.
Intention doesn't come from force,
It grows from presence.
Now begin to gently bring your awareness back to the space around you,
Perhaps noticing sounds,
Temperature of the room,
The support beneath you,
And when it feels right,
Just allowing small movements to return to the body.
Wiggle the fingers and the toes,
Taking a nice deep breath in towards the belly,
And exhale through the mouth with a sigh or a sound.
And when you feel ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
