Namaste.
These are simple practices using breath,
Sound,
Gentle movement and touch to help your body settle.
As the body begins to relax,
The mind often follows.
Find a comfortable seated position or you can lie down if that feels better for you.
Take a moment to arrive,
Noticing your body,
The support beneath you and the space around you.
We'll start with the breath.
Without changing anything yet,
Just notice how you're breathing.
And now gently take a deeper inhale through your nose.
Followed by a second,
Shorter inhale at the top.
And then let out a long,
Slow exhale through your mouth.
Let's do that again.
Inhale through the nose.
Another small sip of air at the top and a slow,
Complete exhale.
One more time.
Inhale deeply.
Sip in a little more air and exhale completely.
And just allow your breath to return to normal.
Notice if anything has shifted even slightly just from those three conscious breaths.
Now we'll bring in sound.
Gently inhale through your nose and as you exhale,
Make a soft humming sound.
You can let the sound be low and steady,
Feeling the vibration in your chest,
Your throat,
Your teeth,
Your face.
We'll try it again.
Inhale and hum as you exhale.
One more time.
Inhale and a slow,
Steady hum.
Allow the breath to return to normal.
Now we'll incorporate a small amount of movement.
Begin to gently roll your shoulders,
Lifting them up,
Back and down.
Slow and easy.
You can close your eyes here if that feels nice.
You can roll your shoulders in the other direction.
Allow your shoulders to drift away from your ears and carefully start to make circles with your neck.
These can be slow,
Soft neck circles,
Moving in a way that feels good for you.
Nothing is forced.
You're just allowing the body to release some of what it's been holding.
And then slowly allow your head to come back to center into stillness.
And finally,
We'll incorporate some gentle touch.
Bring your hands to the sides of your face.
Using your fingertips,
Gently massage around your ears,
Along your jaw,
Down the sides of your neck.
Let the touch be light,
Soothing,
Supportive.
Continue to just gently massage these areas,
Showing them attention,
Noticing how they feel.
We're stimulating circulation,
Moving lymphatic fluid.
And then release your hands.
Just take a moment to notice how you feel.
Your body,
Your breath,
Your overall state.
These are simple tools,
But they can really make a big difference.
You could come back to them any time when you're feeling overwhelmed,
Tense,
Or just needing to reset.
Take one more slow breath in.
Let that breath out.
If your eyes were closed,
You can let them flutter open.
And have a great rest of your day.
Namaste.
