Welcome,
Find a comfortable seat or lie down.
Take a few moments to adjust until your body feels fully supported.
Let your shoulders drop,
Let your jaw relax,
Smooth out the space between your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose.
Allow yourself to land in this moment.
Take a slow inhale through your nose and a steady exhale out through your nose.
Again,
Inhale gently through your nose and exhale with a little more ease.
Let the simple rhythm help you arrive without having to hold anything up.
As you pause,
Notice the shift inside you when things get quiet.
Your pace changes,
Your breathing softens,
Your attention turning inward in a way that feels natural in this time of year.
Let your breath follow that slower rhythm.
Inhale in a way that feels smooth and balanced,
Exhale in a way that allows your body to soften.
Your belly,
Your shoulders,
The space behind your eyes softening.
There's nothing to fix,
Just noticing what is here in this moment.
Begin to let your exhale lengthen naturally,
Not by counting or anything,
But just by staying with the sensation of your breath and see where it goes.
Let the inhale rise and let the exhale feel like you're putting something down that's weighing on you.
Inhale rise,
Exhale downward,
Releasing action.
Feel how your ribs move,
Your chest and your belly.
Feel the small drop of relief as the breath leaves.
The kind of breath that supports you through darker,
Quieter months.
A breath that slows the inside of your mind,
Even if the outside is busy.
Moments of turning inward like this tend to reveal things,
The tension you've been carrying,
The pace you've been keeping,
The weight of responsibilities.
Instead of analyzing any of it,
Just notice.
Let your breath create space.
Now feel the grounded effort of simply being here,
Not pushing,
Pulling,
Or striving,
Just choosing to show up for yourself.
Let your awareness move through your body with curiosity.
Observe the places you tighten,
The places you collapse and soften,
Even the places you may brace out of habit.
Meet each one of these sensations,
These habits and patterns without judgment.
And with each exhale,
Soften your grip on tension,
On thoughts,
And on anything you've been clinging to.
Let your breath remind you,
You don't need to control everything to feel steady.
Now picture yourself in a calm,
Uncluttered room,
Quiet space,
Where you feel unhurried.
Notice the stillness,
A sense of being supported,
And permission to slow down.
Bring your attention to the center of your chest and feel the natural warmth there.
As you inhale,
Let that warmth gather.
As you exhale,
Let it expand across your ribs,
Down your arms,
Through your spine,
Into your legs,
From the top of your head all the way down,
Relaxing along the way.
This warmth gathering from the center and stretching outward.
This light and warmth that is always with you.
Sometimes we need to just pause,
Slow down,
And connect.
And bring your awareness back to your breath.
Notice any shifts,
Any changes,
And accepting and welcoming them.
Feel the simplicity of your breath.
The steadiness of your breath.
And feel the space you've created inside yourself by slowing down enough to listen.
Let this be your anchor,
Your guide,
And an opportunity to reset and find clarity.
Place a hand on your heart or your belly and take a slow inhale and a long gentle exhale.
Offer yourself a quiet phrase,
Letting it feel true in your body.
Either repeating all of these silently to yourself or maybe picking one to stick with.
I am slowing down.
I am listening.
I am resting.
I am slowing down.
I am listening.
I am letting go.
I am resting.
Let the words land and soak them in.
Feel them in your body.
Not in a rush,
But when you feel ready,
Maybe bringing gentle movements back into your body.
Taking your thumb and rubbing it against all of your other fingers.
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
And maybe taking a nice big stretch like you're waking up from a nap.
Waking up refreshed and renewed.
When you feel ready,
Slowly opening your eyes,
Carrying the steadiness,
This warmth,
And this inner clarity with you into the rest of your day,
One breath at a time.
Thank you for meditating with me.
