Sit back and relax.
Let's go through the calm acronym together.
So resting in a chair or bed allow your eyes to close.
Become comfortable in your body,
Make any adjustments you need.
And the first thing I invite you to do is check in with your body right now.
Do a body scan.
Scan from head to foot and see if you can detect any areas of your body which you're holding stiffly.
Just going through from head to foot thinking about your head,
Your shoulders,
Your torso,
Your back,
Your legs,
Your feet.
And also check in with your breath.
Notice if the breath is smooth and long,
Short and jagged,
Wheezy.
Check how you feel.
I'll give you a few moments with this.
So now that you're settled,
We'll start with C.
C stands for connect.
Connect with your breath.
In mindfulness meditation,
The breath is always a really lovely anchor to the present moment.
As we breathe in,
We notice that this breath is all we have right now and it is happening now.
So connecting with your breath now,
Think to yourself,
I'm breathing in,
I am breathing out.
My chest is rising,
My chest is falling.
We can calm down the physiology of the body by simply breathing deeply in and out,
Extending our exhales when possible and holding the absence of breath for a moment.
Let's connect for a few moments with our breath before moving on.
A stands for aware.
Being aware of how you feel when you're giving attention to the breath,
To your feelings,
To the music,
To my voice.
Becoming aware of what is going on around you as you lie with your eyes closed.
The sensation of your skin,
Is it cool,
Is it warm,
Is it hot?
What is your breathing doing now?
Becoming aware of thoughts coming into your head as they inevitably will and being curious to what is going on in the body and the mind.
So let's be aware for a few moments.
Now we move on to L.
L is for Leave.
We have connected and become aware,
And now L is for leaving it behind.
So whatever is coming up for you,
Whether it be thoughts of the past or the future,
Notice it,
And become aware of it,
And then allow yourself to leave it behind.
There may be a gap between your thoughts that we're aiming to lean into.
We want to extend that space,
If we can,
Between one thought and another.
M is for Maintain.
So we can maintain all of these steps,
So it becomes a cycle,
Connecting with the breath,
Becoming aware,
And then leaving this.
Connecting with the breath,
Becoming aware,
And then leaving this.
So for the next few moments,
I invite you to go through this cycle again.
I will ring a soft bell before speaking again.
You may use this meditation when you feel stressful or anxious,
Angry or fearful.
Eventually you will begin to use this acronym subconsciously.
Allowing your eyes to gently open now and sit calmly for a moment before moving on with your day.
