Hello and welcome to today's meditation.
Today we are working through a gentle calming meditation.
This can be completed pre or in flight and returned to as many times as you may need during your journey.
So wherever you are take the next few moments to settle in as best as you can.
Allow yourself to find the comfortable position.
Ensure your shoulders are dropped down your spine,
Your chest is nice and open and allow your eyes to gently close if you can.
If you're already on the plane let yourself get comfortable in your seat.
Feel the support of the chair beneath you.
Feel your body here grounded even whilst in the air.
And if you're listening before your flight let everything relax,
Soften the brow,
Soften the jaw and together with me take a slow breath in through the nose and a gentle breath out of the mouth.
Add no pressure to this breathing,
Nothing should be forced.
Just find a little more space inside your body as you inhale and gently let it out.
Giving yourself a moment here to just notice.
Allow the breath to slow down and observe.
Flying can bring up all kinds of different sensations.
It might be tension,
Worry,
That tight feeling in your chest and it's okay because these feelings are your body trying to protect you in an unknown situation.
But right now together we are teaching the body something new.
The feeling that you are safe,
You are supported and you can breathe through this uncomfortable situation.
Let your awareness move into your body.
Feel the seat beneath you holding you.
Feel your feet heavy and steady on the ground.
Notice the weight of your body.
Notice how nothing is asking you to hold yourself up right now.
You are relaxed into your seat allowing your body to feel safe and settled.
Now remind yourself that your breath is right here with you.
The chair is right here beneath you and the ground even whilst in the sky sits right here underneath you.
Let's take a moment here together to come back to the breath once again.
Allow it to slow,
Allow it to become gentle and just notice it where it is just rising and falling.
With your next inhale allow it to be a little fuller and when you exhale do so like you're releasing a weight.
Soft and slow breathe it all out.
Here you don't need to control every feeling.
You don't need to fight the discomfort.
We're just allowing the body to unwind a little bit at a time.
As and when your mind starts to wander to the what-ifs gently return your focus back to your breath like you're guiding a friend back to safety.
Now gently bring your attention to your senses.
We'll do this one by one as an anchoring practice to help the mind feel secure.
First notice what you can feel.
Your seat,
Your clothing,
The air around you.
Notice all the points of feeling on your body.
Now notice what you can hear in the background.
Voices,
Engines,
The soft humming,
Any silence between the sounds.
And now whether your eyes are closed or open notice what you can see.
If your eyes are closed keep them that way but notice the changes in light behind your eyelids.
Any of the shapes and colors around you.
Your body will begin to recognize the environment around itself.
When you can sense your environment fully your body will feel safe within it.
Allow this gentle feeling to settle within.
Notice the breath once again and just sit within this space.
If it feels good for you place one hand gently on your chest or stomach and allow yourself to feel the rise and fall off your breath.
That rhythm right there is your anchor.
And as we sit here with the breath remind yourself I am safe in this moment.
My body knows how to breathe through this.
I am supported.
I can do this.
Let those words soften you from the inside out and settle within your body.
Even in the sky your breath will bring you home.
Your body knows calm and in this moment right here right now it is safe for you to relax into your body.
With me take one slow and deep inhale through the nose and a long steady exhale gently from the mouth.
Your nervous system listens.
It learns from the pattern of your breath and it will settle because you are choosing softness over fear.
Give yourself the next moment of breath.
Watch it as it slows.
Becomes gentle.
Listen to the rise and fall of the body.
As we close this meditation bring a gentle awareness back to your body.
Wiggle your toes.
Roll your shoulders.
Gently find movement bringing yourself back into this space.
Feel yourself supported by the space around you and most importantly by your breath.
You are so capable.
You are grounded and you can travel with ease and trust.
When you're ready gently open your eyes and allow them to adjust to the vision around you.
If you need to simply return back to the breath at any moment.
Do so with a soft heart and a steady rhythm.
You're doing so well and don't forget the destination at the end of this journey makes any moment of uncomfortableness so worth it.
