Thank you so much for joining me today for a quick relaxation break.
We'll start with a body scan,
Set some intentions,
Check in with our breath,
Relax our body so that our heart and our mind will follow.
And then as always,
We'll try to incorporate what we feel and what our heart tells us to go forth.
So if you are feeling comfortable,
Close your eyes.
If not eyes closed,
Just have them cast downward in front of you.
Really just jumping in wholeheartedly,
Ready for a break,
For relaxation.
Maybe even excited to tune out what we were thinking about before,
What we were doing earlier and what we have going on in the future.
Just a big jump right into the pool of right here,
Right now.
So our eyes are closed.
Our head is right above our shoulders in line with our spine,
Our seat firm in the chair or the floor,
Feet flat on the floor,
Hands palm down or face up.
Really just sitting in this dignified way.
Feeling awake is what we're going to try to do.
Now let's bring our awareness to our breath.
And maybe this is the first time today you've noticed it.
So welcome it,
Roll out the welcome mat,
Exhaling all your breath out.
Let's take some deep breaths together and join as a community.
Exhaling through our nose for the count of four,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling through our nose or our mouth for five,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Two more times inhaling,
This time taking a deeper breath,
Feeling the chest rise,
The stomach expand,
Feeling this upward lift as we inhale.
And then as we exhale,
Allowing the breath to exit,
Feel this downward pull,
This grounding,
This rooting and letting our breath just be slightly longer to remind our body it's time to rest and relax.
One more time together,
Inhale through the nose,
Sitting up tall,
This upward motion,
The inhale,
Taking it all in.
When we can't sip in anymore,
Let it out slowly,
Almost a whisper or like you're blowing out a candle.
Exhaling grounding,
This downward motion.
Allowing us to our connectedness.
Go ahead and inhale and exhale.
Finding your own rhythm.
Feeling your breath to anchor you to the here and the now.
Noticing if anything is tense since you started to breathe and just relax those areas.
Notice how your face feels with this next inhale and exhale.
Allow the muscles around the eyes to soften,
Expand.
I was told once that if you only have two minutes to meditate or to breathe,
Focus on relaxing the eyes.
There's so many muscles around the eyes that just by the sense,
The thought of telling ourselves relax,
Soften,
It sends a ripple effect down the entire body and spine.
The eyes are directly connected to our central nervous system and so many of us can have eye stream from looking at the computer,
Screens,
Bringing in too much stimulus through the eyes all day long.
So spend a moment thinking your eyes for all it does and allowing it to rest,
Relax,
Expand and soften.
Notice what relaxing the muscles around the eyes does to the rest of the face.
Meditate this next breath to the nose,
The cheeks,
The jaw.
Create some space around the mouth area.
Notice if you're clenching your jaw.
Breathing becoming more aware of the present moment.
And if your mind wanders as it most likely will,
That's what minds do,
Be kind to yourself and allow your breath to pull you right back here right now.
Notice that you're thinking,
Maybe note it.
Sometimes just by saying thinking in our mind helps remind us a thought came.
And then we let it go and come back to the breath.
Allowing this next inhale and exhale to soften the back of the head.
Allowing a wave of relaxation to wash over you.
Feeling tall and upright but starting to get so relaxed,
So relaxed.
Let a small smile creep over your lips as you set a small intention for today's time.
Maybe some of us need to find a little bit more playfulness in life,
Joy,
Laughter.
Maybe not take things so seriously.
Let that small smile on your lips remind you that you're allowed to feel joy and you're allowed to relax.
As your smile softens and comes back to neutral,
Let your next breath relax the muscles of the neck,
The throat.
Feel free to move your head right and left,
Up and down,
If that helps with any tension or release any muscles.
Breathing,
Relaxing,
Settling.
With this next inhale,
Again another wave of relaxation like a warm Caribbean wave washing over you,
Over the back of the neck,
The shoulders,
Running down your arms and out your fingertips.
Letting all your muscles,
Ligaments,
Cells to have a little bit more space and expand.
Inhaling and exhaling peace and relaxation down the spine,
The upper shoulders,
Mid-back and low back.
You maybe want to release the muscles in your stomach.
Let your belly be heavy.
And this next breath is dedicated for your heart center.
Remembering that although we make many decisions with our mind,
Our heart is what drives us.
And if we're brave enough to listen,
We'll live our most authentic life.
So breathing here,
Chest expanding,
Muscles relaxing.
As you exhale,
Let go all that does not serve you.
What do you need to let go today,
Right now?
Breathing and exhaling at your own rhythm.
Think about one word that comes to mind when you think about your heart.
Think about someone or something or an animal that brings you joy,
Something easy.
And notice how you feel when you're in there or its presence.
Pick a color for your heart to radiate.
And as you sit with the memory of this friend,
Loved one,
Animal,
Maybe it's even a plant,
Let the color radiate throughout your whole body.
Starting with your chest and then filling up like a bathtub of joy and love.
Notice if your intention today and what you thought about in your heart area,
Notice if it aligns or how can it connect?
Allow yourself to be driven by your heart.
And as you breathe and soften,
Allowing the stomach muscles to hang heavy,
Your arms to be loose like noodles,
Feeling the pulsing and vibration of the hands,
The fingertips.
Noticing if there's any area in your hands that could become 1% more comfortable and relaxed.
Give yourself permission to settle in and allow your hips to relax,
Disengage.
Allow your thighs and your hamstrings to just be heavy,
Almost as if you're sitting in mud,
Feeling more relaxed,
Heavier,
Rooted.
You're in a safe space,
Almost as if you're planted,
Planted ready to bloom with sunshine and water and good intentions.
Allow yourself to bloom and relax.
Your next breath is dedicated to your knees,
Your calves,
Your shins.
Inhaling,
Filling up and exhaling and letting go.
Notice any sensation in your feet,
Your big toe.
Feel yourself in one big form.
What does that feel like to you in your entirety?
Do you feel any pulsing,
Vibration,
Heat,
Coolness?
There is no right or wrong,
Just breathing,
Experiencing the here and now,
Remembering that mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judging.
Let's allow ourselves one minute of silence to breathe and radiate and soften.
Let's allow ourselves one minute of silence to breathe and soften.
If your mind has wandered,
Come back to the breath.
Recommit to your breath and let's take two deep breaths.
Inhaling through our nose and exhaling through our nose or our mouth.
One more time together,
Inhale and exhale.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
Take a moment to come back to the present room.
Thank yourself for spending a little bit of time on self-care.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
BERKE
