We'll begin this meditation in a seated position and then move up to standing.
So get comfortable with your feet flat on the floor and your arms relaxed at your sides or in your lap.
Let your eyes look down and let your gaze soften on the desk or the floor in front of you.
Keep your spine tall but your shoulders relaxed.
Begin to notice your breathing.
Simply observe your breath coming in and out of your body.
Notice any sensations in your body as you continue to breathe in and out,
In and out,
In and out.
If thoughts come into your mind,
Acknowledge them and then return your attention to your breathing.
As you continue to breathe,
Take a mental scan of your body from head to toe.
Are there any areas where you're holding tension or tightness?
No judgment,
Just notice.
And if there are areas of tightness,
Breathe deeply and imagine that tension releasing as you exhale.
Now bring yourself to a standing position,
Feet hip distance apart,
Arms relaxed at your sides and your spine tall.
Let your gaze continue to fall softly on a point of focus in front of you.
Turn your palms to face away from your body and as you inhale,
Reach your arms out to the side of your body and up towards the sky,
Bringing the fingertips of the hands together above your head.
As you exhale,
Keep the fingertips together and bring the hands and arms down in front of your body until the hands reach your lower stomach area.
Then separate the fingertips and continue the circle motion with the arms,
Inhaling and reaching the arms out to the side and up above the head,
Exhaling and slowly bringing the hands down in front of the body.
This is called the circle breath and it's a great way to refocus the mind and body.
Continue at your own breathing rhythm and see if you can slow down the breath a bit.
Complete one more circle and then let your arms relax at your sides.
Keep your feet firmly planted and on the next inhalation,
Reach your right arm up above your head,
Press your right foot into the ground and as you exhale,
Tip over to the left into a side bend,
Reaching through the fingertips of the right hand.
Resist the temptation to sink into the left hip.
Instead,
Focus on opening up your right side waist and rib cage.
Continue to breathe deeply.
On the next inhalation,
Bring yourself upright and as you exhale,
Let your right arm relax down.
Inhale and reach your left arm up above your head,
Press your left foot into the ground and as you exhale,
Tip over to the right into a side bend,
Reaching through the fingertips of the left hand.
Resist the temptation to sink into the right hip.
Instead,
Focus on opening up your left side waist and rib cage.
Breathe deeply.
On the next inhalation,
Bring yourself upright and as you exhale,
Let your left arm relax down.
On your next inhalation,
Shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and hold them there.
Continue to breathe.
See if you can bring your shoulders a little bit higher.
Take one more breath in and as you exhale,
Release your shoulders completely.
Bring your focus back into the room,
Becoming aware of your surroundings.
Take one more deep breath in and exhale completely.
Thanks for breathing and moving with us today.
We look forward to meditating with you again soon.
